Intelligent Reflecting Surface Aided Network under Interference toward 6G Applications

6G networks are capable of providing high-speed data transmission but suffer from interference in different application scenarios because of high-level spectrum utilization, massive connectivity, and the complex wireless environment. Intelligent reflecting surface (IRS) is a promising technology for dynamic configuration of the wireless propagation environment, providing new approaches to cope with the interference problem. In this article, we investigate the progress and potential of the IRS-aided network for the 6G system affected by interference. We first identify the IRS deployment and the resistance effort on interference suppression in different 6G scenarios. Then we present the typical IRS-aided network with interference, investigate the advantages of IRS, and summarize the representative recent novel works researching various schemes against interference. In particular, we discuss the IRS design against network interference by cooperating with different vital technologies, including beamforming, semi-passive IRS, non-orthogonal multiple access, artificial intelligence, and simultaneously wireless information and power transfer. Furthermore, we present a foresight vision of the upcoming requirements and trends for possible future research topics.