Fast Tri-Hybrid Beamforming via Deep Unfolding

Abstract

Tri-hybrid multiple-input multiple-output architectures have recently emerged as a promising enabler for next-generation wireless systems, as they potentially provide enhanced design flexibility without a proportional increase in hardware cost or power consumption. However, the resulting triple-domain coupling renders beamforming optimization challenging and computationally demanding. This paper develops a fast tri-hybrid beamforming framework for multiuser downlink systems employing dynamic metasurface antennas (DMAs). Based on the equivalence between weighted sum-rate maximization and weighted sum-minimum mean square error minimization, an iterative algorithm is first derived under per-DMA input power constraints, with all update equations available in closed form, but convergence inherently remains slow. To enable real-time operation, the algorithm is further unfolded into a trainable finite-iteration architecture using graph neural networks that ensure permutation equivariance and support varying numbers of users. Trained on ray-tracing channel data, the unfolded method achieves comparable or higher system sum-rates while reducing runtime by more than an order of magnitude. The method also demonstrates strong scalability, robustness, and generalization across various environments.