Calculation of weight vectors for wideband beamforming using Graphics Processing Units

In order to be viable for use in communication and radar systems, wideband beamforming requires the calculation of filter coefficients to be performed quickly so as to avoid undesirable latency in the system. This paper provides a quick introduction to the method of least-squares wideband beamforming and discusses the use of General Purpose computation on Graphics Processing Units (GPGPU) for acceleration of the computations associated with it. Through a simulation case study the authors demonstrate both the computational advantages offered by the use of GPGPU in wideband beamforming applications and the increasing ease with which GPGPU can be used.