In this paper, a low-complexity symbol detector is presentedtargeting the emerging 3GPP LTE andWiMAX standards. The detector isthe VLSI implementation of a novel MIMO detection algorithm recentlyproposed. Compared to the design in the reference, the detector performsbetter while consumes less silicon area. Including a microcode controlledchannel preprocessing unit and a pipelined detection unit, it is flexibleenough to cover different standards and transmission schemes whilemaintaining the power and area efficiency. Implemented using 65 nmCMOS process, the detector can support real-time detection of 20 MHzbandwidth 3GPP LTE or 10 MHz WiMAX downlink physical channel.