AI-RAN Alliance Launches at MWC: Advancing Cellular Technology with Artificial Intelligence
The AI-RAN Alliance made a significant announcement during the Mobile World Congress, revealing its mission to integrate artificial intelligence (AI) into cellular technology to advance radio access network (RAN) technology and mobile networks. Leading the charge was Nvidia, with support from major RAN vendors like Nokia, Ericsson, and Samsung, as well as operators SoftBank and T-Mobile, and cloud players AWS and Microsoft. Arm and DeepSig, a notable AI-native mobile PHY software provider, were also part of the alliance.
While AI in the RAN is not a new concept, the Alliance aims to further enhance RAN operations and efficiency through AI integration. Nvidia has been advocating for AI capabilities in the RAN for some time, promoting the use of vRANs to transform cell sites into AI-on-5G data centers. The company’s AI-on-5G platform, coupled with its Aerial SDK for software-defined 5G vRANs, offers a comprehensive solution for operators looking to leverage AI in their networks.
The Alliance showcased several demos at MWC, highlighting the potential of AI in different aspects of the RAN. From optimizing slice SLAs to improving channel interpolation using AI, the demos illustrated the tangible benefits of integrating AI into RAN operations. Additionally, the concept of AI-on-RAN and AI-and-RAN demonstrated how AI workloads can run on RAN infrastructure and utilize spare compute capacity for AI tasks, respectively.
Nokia’s partnership with Nvidia further solidified the importance of AI in RAN processing, with plans to explore the use of Nvidia’s CPU and GPUs for vRAN deployments. Marvell also made waves by open-sourcing its ML/AI Accelerator Software integrated into its Octeon 10 chip, offering vendors the opportunity to leverage AI capabilities for RAN optimization.
Overall, the AI-RAN Alliance’s launch signifies a significant step towards revolutionizing RAN technology through AI integration. With industry giants like Nvidia, Nokia, and Marvell leading the charge, the future of mobile networks looks promising with AI at its core.