Erdal Arikan

ACM Paris Kanellakis Theory and Practice Award

Turkiye - 2025

citation

For the discovery of channel polarization and the construction of polar codes, the first explicit, capacity-achieving codes with efficient encoding and decoding, adopted in global wireless standards

In his foundational 2009 paper, Channel Polarization: A Method for Constructing Capacity-Achieving Codes for Binary-Input Memoryless Channels, Arıkan solved a fundamental open problem in information theory that had persisted since Claude Shannon’s 1948 work: the construction of an explicit coding scheme that achieves channel capacity with low computational complexity. Arıkan introduced a method that transforms independent noisy channels into synthesized channels that are either essentially noise-free or completely noisy. This polarization effect allowed for a deterministic code construction that reaches the theoretical limits of data transmission using highly efficient encoding and decoding processes.

The transition of polar codes from a profound theoretical milestone to a cornerstone of modern communication infrastructure represents an extraordinary achievement in the field of computing. By bridging the gap between asymptotic theory and practical performance, Arıkan’s discovery moved from academic publication to a global industrial standard within a single decade. This culminated in the adoption of polar codes as a fundamental component of global wireless standards, where they are utilized for high-reliability signaling. Today, Arıkan’s work is implemented in the physical-layer silicon of billions of mobile devices and base stations, ensuring the stability and speed of the global telecommunications infrastructure.

Press Release

2025 ACM Paris Kanellakis Theory and Practice Award

 

Erdal Arikan, Professor, Bilkent University, receives the ACM Paris Kanellakis Theory and Practice Award for the discovery of channel polarization and the construction of polar codes—the first explicit, capacity-achieving codes with efficient encoding and decoding adopted in global wireless standards.

In his foundational 2009 paper, Channel Polarization: A Method for Constructing Capacity-Achieving Codes for Binary-Input Memoryless Channels, Arıkan solved a fundamental open problem in information theory that had persisted since Claude Shannon’s 1948 work: the construction of an explicit coding scheme that achieves channel capacity with low computational complexity. Arıkan introduced a method that transforms independent noisy channels into synthesized channels that are either essentially noise-free or completely noisy. This polarization effect allowed for a deterministic code construction that reaches the theoretical limits of data transmission using highly efficient encoding and decoding processes.

The transition of polar codes from a profound theoretical milestone to a cornerstone of modern communication infrastructure represents an extraordinary achievement in the field of computing. By bridging the gap between asymptotic theory and practical performance, Arıkan’s discovery moved from academic publication to a global industrial standard within a single decade.