Broadcom Introduces BroadPeak Radio DFE SoC for 5G Advanced and 6G

Broadcom has announced BroadPeak™, a highly integrated radio digital front-end (DFE) system-on-chip (SoC) designed for 5G massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) and remote radio head (RRH) architectures. Fabricated in 5 nm CMOS technology, the device integrates DFE processing and high-speed ADC/DAC blocks on a single chip, delivering up to 40 % power reduction compared with existing massive MIMO and RRH solutions.

Integrated 5 nm DFE and Converter Architecture
The BroadPeak BCM85021 integrates digital predistortion (DPD), carrier aggregation, crest factor reduction, antenna front-end processing, digital down-conversion, digital up-conversion, gain control and filtering into a unified platform.

By combining DFE and data converter functions, the SoC reduces component count and interconnect complexity within radio units. ADC/DAC sampling rates reach up to 19.6 GS/s, supporting wide instantaneous bandwidths (iBW) up to 860 MHz and occupied bandwidths (oBW) up to 800 MHz.

This level of integration enables compact radio designs and improved power efficiency, which is critical in high-antenna-count massive MIMO deployments.

Frequency Coverage for 5G Advanced and 6G
BroadPeak supports a scalable RF carrier frequency range from 400 MHz to 8.5 GHz. It is designed to meet requirements for emerging 5G Advanced deployments in the n104 band (6.425–7.125 GHz) and for early 6G use in the upper mid-band spectrum (7–8.5 GHz).

Massive MIMO technology increases spectral efficiency and network capacity by using multiple transmit and receive chains. The BCM85021 supports configurations including 32T32R8FB, with additional SKUs for 8T8R2FB and 16T16R4FB systems.

The device achieves adjacent channel leakage ratio (ACLR) performance better than –50 dBc with DPD enabled. DPD learning time is specified as 100 times faster than typical reference implementations, supporting rapid calibration in complex radio environments.

High-Bandwidth Transmit and Receive Paths
The SoC supports receiver bandwidths from 100 MHz to 860 MHz and 1.6 GHz, while transmit (TX) and feedback (FB) paths support 200 MHz to 1.6 GHz and up to 3.2 GHz. Gain control ranges include 30 dB for RX/FB paths and 25 dB for TX paths.

Full-spectrum carrier aggregation capability enables simultaneous operation across multiple bands, addressing increasing data demand driven by AI-enabled applications and high-throughput services.

Enabling Next-Generation Wireless Infrastructure
As mobile operators deploy higher-frequency spectrum and more complex radio architectures, power efficiency and integration become central design constraints. By delivering DFE processing and high-speed conversion on a single 5 nm SoC with extended frequency support, BroadPeak targets reduced system power consumption and higher network capacity.

The BCM85021 positions Broadcom’s radio front-end portfolio to support next-generation 5G Advanced and emerging 6G infrastructure with scalable, high-bandwidth massive MIMO and RRH solutions.