NVIDIA and SoftBank collaborate to build the world's first 5G AI-RAN

On November 13, U.S. semiconductor giant NVIDIA and SoftBank announced a series of collaborations on AI-RAN solutions that integrate communications and AI. The collaboration is aimed at creating multi-billion dollar AI revenue opportunities across telecom operators worldwide, and the two companies have already successfully piloted a telecom network that combines AI and 5G.

AI-RAN is a technology that enables next-generation mobile networks by integrating AI and radio access networks (RAN). In February 2024, the two companies established the AI-RAN Alliance with T-Mobile US, Ericsson, Nokia, and others to improve the performance and efficiency of RAN using AI and to enable RAN infrastructure (base stations) to also be used as AI infrastructure.

SoftBank has already conducted an outdoor trial of this AI-RAN in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, using NVIDIA's "AI Aerial" accelerated computing platform to achieve carrier-grade 5G performance while utilizing excess network capacity for AI inference workloads. The company has successfully leveraged this capacity for AI inference workloads.

The two companies explain that, on average, traditional telecommunications networks use only one-third of their capacity. However, if AI-RAN technology is developed and deployed, telecommunication carriers can provide the remaining two-thirds for inference services, turning their telecommunication infrastructure, which is a cost center, into a new source of revenue, according to the companies.

All other telecommunications carriers will have to follow this new wave," commented Masayoshi Son, CEO of Softbank.

Materials

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