Sequans and Enclustra Released 4x4 MIMO SDR Platform
The integrated reference platform enables live over-the-air testing for complex radio hardware designs.
Updated on Sept. 28, 2026 in Semiconductors
Sequans and Enclustra have launched an integrated 4x4 MIMO (Multiple Input, Multiple Output) software-defined radio reference platform. This system is now available for developers to conduct live over-the-air testing without requiring manual custom hardware integration.
Why it matters
The platform accelerates product development by resolving common delays that occur when engineers must manually integrate RF transceivers with FPGA processing and custom software. This design streamlines the testing phase for high-bandwidth radio applications.
The system utilizes the Sequans Iris SQN9506 transceiver, which provides 200 MHz of instantaneous channel bandwidth across a 220 MHz to 7.125 GHz frequency range. The transceiver itself measures 8.4 x 4.8 x 1 mm and supports 10 synchronized RF synthesizers.
The players
Sequans
A semiconductor company specializing in 5G and LTE chips for IoT devices and radio frequency applications.
Enclustra
A module provider focused on FPGA-based embedded system hardware and integration tools.
AMD
A designer of high-performance computing components including the Zynq FPGA architecture used for embedded processing.
The details
The platform connects two Sequans Iris SQN9506 RF boards to Enclustra Mercury+ XU1 System-on-Module units via an FMC interface—an industry-standard mezzanine card connector used to link daughter boards to FPGA host boards. Each evaluation kit utilizes an AMD Zynq UltraScale+ ZU9EG—a field-programmable gate array, or a chip whose internal logic can be reconfigured after manufacturing—to manage the baseband processing. A browser-based interface allows users to control parameters like frequency, modulation, and gain directly.
Timeline
The integrated platform was officially released in September 2026.
The Tech Race
This platform aligns with industry-wide efforts to move toward modular hardware architectures for radio development. It follows the verification patterns set by the O-RAN Alliance by enabling rapid over-the-air testing, which is essential to compete with proprietary, monolithic radio designs.
Hardware developers can now utilize this reference platform to bypass the custom PCB design phase for early-stage radio testing. The system relies on standard FMC interfaces, making it immediately compatible with existing Enclustra Mercury+ XU1 evaluation ecosystems.
The takeaway
This development reduces the technical barrier to entry for building complex multi-antenna radio systems. Engineers should look for upcoming technical documentation from Enclustra regarding specific FPGA gate utilization for this 4x4 MIMO configuration.
Further reading
For broader trends in radio hardware and chip architecture, visit the Semiconductors section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Everythingrf.
