Keysight Enables 6G Digital Twin Research at the University of Texas at Austin

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Keysight Technologies, Inc., announced that 6G@UT at the University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin) has selected Keysight’s 6G solutions to advance research in digital twins for wireless and autonomous systems. The deployment will take place in 6G@UT, which operates within UT Austin’s world-renowned Wireless Networking and Communications Group (WNCG).  

Digital twins are increasingly recognized as a transformative technology for 6G, enabling the creation of highly accurate, real-time virtual near-replicas of physical networks. These models allow researchers and engineers to design, test, and optimize complex communication systems in a safe, cost-effective, and scalable manner — before deploying them in the real world.

At 6G@UT, researchers will explore advanced use cases of digital twins, including enhanced beamforming and adaptive connectivity in next-generation communication networks. A key area of inquiry is the creation of a "multiverse of digital twins”: parallel, heterogeneous models operating across varying fidelities and computing environments, from cloud to edge to device-level. This approach aims to deliver unprecedented flexibility in how networks are designed, analyzed, and optimized.

Keysight’s solutions will enable 6G@UT to:

• Integrate diverse data sources such as ray-tracing models, telco configurations, open-source datasets, lab measurements, and live telemetry.
• Calibrate and validate digital twins with real-time measurements, ensuring reliability and accuracy.
• Simulate terrestrial and non-terrestrial communications from smart cities and factories to satellite and vehicular networks.
• Accelerate innovation in 6G, providing a zero-risk environment for testing breakthrough technologies.

Professor Kaushik Choudhury, Chandra Family Endowed Distinguished Professor in Electrical and Computer Engineering at UT Austin, said: “Keysight solutions will be used to create network models by importing a diverse set of data sources, including ray-tracing models, telco configurations, open-source data, laboratory measurements, and live telemetry. The calibrated digital twins will provide deep insights for advancing research in next-gen technologies, shaping how future networks are designed and deployed.”

Professor Jeffrey Andrews, Director of 6G@UT and the Truchard Family Chair in Electrical and Computer Engineering at UT Austin, said: “We are excited to be among the first academic groups worldwide to be able to use this state-of-the-art ray tracing and emulation tool in our research studies on dense LEO [low Earth orbit] networks and for digital twins of 6G cellular networks.  We believe this partnership with Keysight will allow us to train superior machine learning and generative AI models for a variety of 6G applications and then validate these models in realistic settings.”

Giampaolo Tardioli, Vice President, 6G and Next-Generation Technology at Keysight, said: “Powered by Keysight’s digital twin channel modeling and AI, the UT Austin lab will serve as a hub for innovation and collaboration in the 6G space, enabling new approaches to simulation-driven design, and further inquiry into next-generation wireless.”

This collaboration reinforces Keysight’s commitment to advancing 6G research and standards development by partnering with leading academic institutions worldwide. Keysight has been an Industrial Affiliate of 6G@UT since 2022, empowering UT Austin’s pioneering research, helping to lay the groundwork for a future of intelligent, interconnected systems that will redefine industries, communities, and everyday life.