Dr. Erdal Arikan Recognized by Huawei for his Dedication to Basic Research and Exploration
Dr. Erdal Arikan, father of Polar Codes, is Recognized by Huawei for his Dedication to Basic Research and Exploration
Huawei presented a special award to Professor Erdal Arikan, the inventor of polar codes for 5G, in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the development of communications technology. Dr. Arikan is a faculty member in Electrical and Electronics Engineering Department of Bilkent University.
With 5G just on the horizon, the paper on polar codes that Professor Arikan published in 2008 defined an entirely new approach to maximizing the rate and reliability of data transmission. Polar codes are the world’s first channel coding scheme to bring us up against the threshold of Shannon’s limit, or the maximum rate that data can be sent with zero error at a particular bandwidth. Polar codes significantly improve coding performance for 5G. At the same time, they reduce the complexity of design and ensure service quality. In 2016, 3GPP (the international standards body responsible for 5G standards) adopted polar codes as the official coding scheme for the control channels of 5G New Radio (NR) eMBB interface.
At the awards ceremony, Huawei founder Mr. Ren Zhengfei presented a medal to Professor Arikan. The medal, designed and manufactured by the Monnaie de Paris (Paris Mint), features an engraving of the Goddess of Victory with a red Baccarat crystal, symbolizing the importance of new communications technology in leading the world forward.
After receiving the medal, Professor Arikan delivered an acceptance speech. “I am honored to be here today receiving this award,” he said. “It gives me pleasure to acknowledge that, without the vision and technical contributions of Huawei directors and engineers, polar codes would not have made it from lab to a standard in less than 10 years. And as engineers, there is no greater reward than seeing our ideas turn into reality.”
In 2010, Huawei recognized the potential in polar codes to optimize channel coding technology, so the company invested in further research to build on Professor Arikan’s work. Through years of focused effort, the company has made multiple breakthroughs in core polar code technology, helping polar codes move beyond the realm of academic research and see the light of day.