mlsanityData to 14 Oct 2026

Generative Diffusion Models for Wireless Networks: Fundamental, Architecture, and State-of-the-Art

arXiv 2507.16733 ↗First posted 22 Jul 2025eess.SPcited by 14

On the map: Diffusion models → Diffusion for compression and wireless

Abstract (arXiv)

With the rapid development of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GAI) technology, Generative Diffusion Models (GDMs) have shown significant empowerment potential in the field of wireless networks due to advantages, such as noise resistance, training stability, controllability, and multimodal generation. Although there have been multiple studies focusing on GDMs for wireless networks, there is still a lack of comprehensive reviews on their technological evolution. Motivated by this, we systematically explore the application of GDMs in wireless networks. Firstly, we identify the core challenges of wireless networks and argue why GDMs are uniquely suited to address them. We then introduce the mathematical principles of GDMs and representative models. Furthermore, we organize our comprehensive review through a structured taxonomy that categorizes GDM-based schemes into the sensing, transmission, and Applications, complemented by a security plane. For each representative scheme, we analyze its innovative points, the role of GDMs, strengths, and weaknesses. Ultimately, we extract key challenges and provide potential solutions, with the aim of providing directional guidance for future research in this field.

Key facts. Cited by 14 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026). Placed in Diffusion for compression and wireless, one of 14 directions in Diffusion models. Builds on 164 of its 265 references that are in the map. First posted on arXiv 22 Jul 2025.

Builds on

164 of 265 references.

Closest ancestors · 30

Same direction, newest first

  1. 2025Enabling Training-Free Semantic Communication Systems with Generative Diffusion Models2 May
  2. 2025WiFi-Diffusion: Achieving Fine-Grained WiFi Radio Map Estimation With Ultra-Low Sampling Rate by Diffusion Models15 Mar
  3. 2025Semantic-Aware Adaptive Video Streaming Using Latent Diffusion Models for Wireless Networks8 Feb
  4. 2024GDM4MMIMO: Generative Diffusion Models for Massive MIMO Communications24 Dec
  5. 2024Diffusion Models as Network Optimizers: Explorations and Analysis1 Nov
  6. 2024Language-oriented Semantic Communication for Image Transmission with Fine-Tuned Diffusion Model25 Sep
  7. 2024Generating High Dimensional User-Specific Wireless Channels using Diffusion Models5 Sep
  8. 2024Generative Diffusion Models for High Dimensional Channel Estimation20 Aug
  9. 2024RadioDiff: An Effective Generative Diffusion Model for Sampling-Free Dynamic Radio Map Construction16 Aug
  10. 2024Multimodal generative semantic communication based on latent diffusion model10 Aug
  11. 2024DM-MIMO: Diffusion Models for Robust Semantic Communications over MIMO Channels7 Jul
  12. 2024Latent Diffusion Model-Enabled Low-Latency Semantic Communication in the Presence of Semantic Ambiguities and Wireless Channel Noises9 Jun
18 more
  1. 2024RF-Diffusion: Radio Signal Generation via Time-Frequency Diffusion14 Apr
  2. 2024Diffusion-based Generative Prior for Low-Complexity MIMO Channel Estimation6 Mar
  3. 2024DMCE: Diffusion Model Channel Enhancer for Multi-User Semantic Communication Systems29 Jan
  4. 2023Diff-GO: Diffusion Goal-Oriented Communications to Achieve Ultra-High Spectrum Efficiency13 Nov
  5. 2023Diffusion Models for Wireless Communications11 Oct
  6. 2023CommIN: Semantic Image Communications as an Inverse Problem with INN-Guided Diffusion Models2 Oct
  7. 2023High Perceptual Quality Wireless Image Delivery with Denoising Diffusion Models27 Sep
  8. 2023Diffusion Models for Accurate Channel Distribution Generation19 Sep
  9. 2023CDDM: Channel Denoising Diffusion Models for Wireless Semantic Communications16 Sep
  10. 2023Probabilistic Constellation Shaping With Denoising Diffusion Probabilistic Models: A Novel Approach15 Sep
  11. 2023Diffusion models for audio semantic communication13 Sep
  12. 2023Generative Diffusion Models for Radio Wireless Channel Modelling and Sampling10 Aug
  13. 2023Enhancing Deep Reinforcement Learning: A Tutorial on Generative Diffusion Models in Network Optimization10 Aug
  14. 2023Generative Semantic Communication: Diffusion Models Beyond Bit Recovery7 Jun
  15. 2023Latent Semantic Diffusion-based Channel Adaptive De-Noising SemCom for Future 6G Systems19 Apr
  16. 2023Deep Generative Model and Its Applications in Efficient Wireless Network Management: A Tutorial and Case Study30 Mar
  17. 2022Denoising Diffusion Error Correction Codes16 Sep
  18. 2022MIMO Channel Estimation using Score-Based Generative Models14 Apr

Other references · 134

  1. 2017Attention Is All You Needcited by 60,361
  2. 2015Deep Residual Learning for Image Recognitioncited by 52,096
  3. 2020Language Models are Few-Shot Learnerscited by 32,419
  4. 2020Denoising Diffusion Probabilistic Modelscited by 21,076
  5. 2015U-Net: Convolutional Networks for Biomedical Image Segmentationcited by 19,713
  6. 2021High-Resolution Image Synthesis with Latent Diffusion Modelscited by 18,863
  7. 2020Denoising Diffusion Implicit Modelscited by 9,781
  8. 2020Score-Based Generative Modeling through Stochastic Differential Equationscited by 9,122
  9. 2021Diffusion Models Beat GANs on Image Synthesiscited by 8,255
  10. 2015Deep Unsupervised Learning using Nonequilibrium Thermodynamicscited by 7,058
  11. 2022Photorealistic Text-to-Image Diffusion Models with Deep Language Understandingcited by 6,355
  12. 2022Scalable Diffusion Models with Transformerscited by 6,054
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  1. 2022Classifier-Free Diffusion Guidancecited by 5,847
  2. 2022Flow Matching for Generative Modelingcited by 5,702
  3. 2021Zero-Shot Text-to-Image Generationcited by 4,288
  4. 2019Generative Modeling by Estimating Gradients of the Data Distributioncited by 4,101
  5. 2021GLIDE: Towards Photorealistic Image Generation and Editing with Text-Guided Diffusion Modelscited by 3,614
  6. 2022Elucidating the Design Space of Diffusion-Based Generative Modelscited by 3,045
  7. 2015Unsupervised Representation Learning with Deep Convolutional Generative Adversarial Networkscited by 2,054
  8. 2023Consistency Modelscited by 1,822
  9. 2021Palette: Image-to-Image Diffusion Modelscited by 1,300
  10. 2021Variational Diffusion Modelscited by 1,153
  11. 2022Diffusion Models: A Comprehensive Survey of Methods and Applicationscited by 1,114
  12. 2023Latent Consistency Models: Synthesizing High-Resolution Images with Few-Step Inferencecited by 846
  13. 2022Diffusion Models for Adversarial Purificationcited by 476
  14. 2023LLM-grounded Diffusion: Enhancing Prompt Understanding of Text-to-Image Diffusion Models with Large Language Modelscited by 243
  15. 2022A Survey on Generative Diffusion Modelcited by 240
  16. 2023DiffusionSat: A Generative Foundation Model for Satellite Imagerycited by 131
  17. 2019RadioUNet: Fast Radio Map Estimation with Convolutional Neural Networkscited by 127
  18. 2019DeepMIMO: A Generic Deep Learning Dataset for Millimeter Wave and Massive MIMO Applicationscited by 123
  19. 2023Generative AIcited by 120
  20. 2023Diffusion Models for Image Restoration and Enhancement: A Comprehensive Surveycited by 109
  21. 2023TrojDiff: Trojan Attacks on Diffusion Models with Diverse Targetscited by 88
  22. 2024Large Language Model (LLM) for Telecommunications: A Comprehensive Survey on Principles, Key Techniques, and Opportunitiescited by 83
  23. 2023Unleashing the Power of Edge-Cloud Generative AI in Mobile Networks: A Survey of AIGC Servicescited by 76
  24. 2017Learned D-AMP: Principled Neural Network based Compressive Image Recoverycited by 65
  25. 2023Large Language Models Empowered Autonomous Edge AI for Connected Intelligencecited by 56
  26. 2023Large Generative AI Models for Telecom: The Next Big Thing?cited by 52
  27. 2022RME-GAN: A Learning Framework for Radio Map Estimation based on Conditional Generative Adversarial Networkcited by 50
  28. 2023AdvDiff: Generating Unrestricted Adversarial Examples using Diffusion Modelscited by 46
  29. 2021Non Gaussian Denoising Diffusion Modelscited by 45
  30. 2022A Unified Multi-Task Semantic Communication System for Multimodal Datacited by 41
  31. 2024U-shaped Vision Mamba for Single Image Dehazingcited by 40
  32. 2023Large AI Model Empowered Multimodal Semantic Communicationscited by 38
  33. 2023Generative AI-driven Semantic Communication Networks: Architecture, Technologies and Applicationscited by 36
  34. 2020High Dimensional Channel Estimation Using Deep Generative Networkscited by 35
  35. 2023Big AI Models for 6G Wireless Networks: Opportunities, Challenges, and Research Directionscited by 32
  36. 2022Radio Map Estimation: A Data-Driven Approach to Spectrum Cartographycited by 31
  37. 2025Vision-Language Models for Edge Networks: A Comprehensive Surveycited by 29
  38. 2022Dataset of Pathloss and ToA Radio Maps With Localization Applicationcited by 27

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Citing papers per year: 2025: 3; 2026: 11.

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  1. 2026Land-then-transport: A Flow Matching-Based Generative Decoder for Wireless Image Transmissioncited by 2
  2. 2025Generative Feature Imputing -- A Technique for Error-resilient Semantic Communicationcited by 1
  3. 2025Generative AI Meets 6G and Beyond: Diffusion Models for Semantic Communicationscited by 1
  4. 2026Jellyfish: Zero-Shot Federated Unlearning Scheme with Knowledge Disentanglementcited by 1
  5. 2025SemSteDiff: Generative Diffusion Model-based Coverless Semantic Steganography Communicationcited by 0
  6. 2026Intellicise Wireless Networks Meet Agentic AI: A Security and Privacy Perspectivecited by 0
  7. 2026Proximal-Based Generative Modeling for Bayesian Inverse Problemscited by 0
  8. 2026From Denoising to Decision Making: A Survey on Diffusion Model-Enabled Deep Reinforcement Learning for Wireless Networkscited by 0
  9. 2026IGADA-IoT: IoT Sensor Energy Optimization in Wireless Sensor Networks Driven by Automatic Data Augmentationcited by 0
  10. 2026A Perception vs. Distortion Perspective on Score-Based Generative Channel Estimationcited by 0
  11. 2026Brownian Bridge Diffusion-Based Joint Channel Estimation and Data Detection for Jamming-Resilient Receiverscited by 0
  12. 2026Optimization Algorithms for Joint OFDM Waveform Design and RIS Configuration in 6G Networks: From Convex Relaxation to Foundation Modelscited by 0
2 more
  1. 2026Physics-Aware Conditional SetGAN for Spatially Consistent Multi-User TR 38.901 Channel Generationcited by 0
  2. 2026Unlocking Cross-Scenario Physical Layer Security: A Mixture-of-Experts Framework with Generative Diffusion Modelscited by 0

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  2. 2025Generative Diffusion Receivers: Achieving Pilot-Efficient MIMO-OFDM Communications
  3. 2025Generative Diffusion Models for Resource Allocation in Wireless Networks
  4. 2024Generative Artificial Intelligence (GAI) for Mobile Communications: A Diffusion Model Perspective
  5. 2025Diffusion Models for Wireless Transceivers: From Pilot-Efficient Channel Estimation to AI-Native 6G Receivers
  6. 2023Denoising Diffusion Probabilistic Models for Hardware-Impaired Communications
  7. 2026Planning with Language and Generative Models: Toward General Reward-Guided Wireless Network Design
  8. 2026Graph Signal Diffusion Models for Wireless Resource Allocation