Ericsson and SoftBank will explore common network and compute infrastructure solutions that allow both Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Radio Access Network (RAN) to operate on the same network infrastructure. The goal is to unlock new use cases for communications service providers by using the power of AI to enhance network efficiency.
The two companies will jointly conduct techno-economic analyses, develop prototypes and run lab demos to optimize RAN and AI convergence at the edge. The initiative will also focus on hardware partitioning, workload distribution, and software portability across different hardware platforms.
Ericsson and SoftBank will jointly explore the following key areas:
- Optimizing AI and RAN convergence: optimizing architectures to support AI and RAN working together at the edge, with a focus on Centralized RAN (C-RAN). including assessing the pros and cons of shared hardware AI and RAN processing.
- AI and RAN co-existence: managing hardware and workload sharing between AI and RAN applications.
- Engineering demos: testing the possibility of running RAN applications and AI engines on the same hardware infrastructure to see how they can share resources.
Fredrik Jejdling, Executive Vice President and Head of Business Area Networks, Ericsson says: "We look forward to this collaboration with SoftBank in exploring the potential convergence of AI and RAN infrastructures. This reaffirms our commitment to innovation and excellence, and we believe it will lead to new solutions that empower communications service providers to build more open, efficient and versatile networks."
Hideyuki Tsukuda, Executive Vice President & CTO (Chief Technology Officer) at SoftBank Corp., says: "SoftBank welcomes this new collaboration with Ericsson, which aligns with our strategy to invest in AI infrastructure that enables the overlay and optimization of RAN. This partnership reflects our vision of leveraging AI to enhance communication networks and opens up opportunities for collaboration with key industry players."
Ericsson and SoftBank are among the prominent industry leaders who formed the AI-RAN Alliance, unveiled at the Mobile World Congress Barcelona 2024. This alliance is a new collaborative effort to integrate AI into cellular technology, with the goal of progressing RAN technology and mobile networks.
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Ericsson's high-performing networks provide connectivity for billions of people every day. For nearly 150 years, we've been pioneers in creating technology for communication. We offer mobile communication and connectivity solutions for service providers and enterprises. Together with our customers and partners, we make the digital world of tomorrow a reality.
ABOUT SOFTBANK CORP.
Guided by the SoftBank Group's corporate philosophy, "Information Revolution – Happiness for everyone," SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434) operates telecommunications and IT businesses in Japan and globally. SoftBank Corp. has 40 million mobile subscribers in Japan, and through its group companies, 63 million smartphone payment (PayPay) users, 85 million online media (Yahoo! JAPAN) users and 97 million communication app (LINE) users (as of May 9, 2024). Building on its strong business foundation, SoftBank Corp. is expanding into non-telecom fields in line with its "Beyond Carrier" growth strategy while further growing its telecom business by harnessing the power of 5G/6G, IoT, Digital Twin and Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN) solutions, including High Altitude Platform Station (HAPS)-based stratospheric telecommunications. While constructing AI data centers and developing homegrown LLMs specialized for the Japanese language with 1 trillion parameters, SoftBank is applying AI to enhance radio access network performance (AI-RAN) with the aim of becoming a provider of next-generation social infrastructure. To learn more, please visit
