SoftBank and Fujitsu Partner to Accelerate AI-RAN Commercialization

SoftBank and Fujitsu Join Forces for AI-RAN Development

SoftBank Corp. and Fujitsu Limited have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen their collaboration in developing AI-RAN, a new architecture combining artificial intelligence (AI) with Radio Access Networks (RAN) 1

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. This partnership aims to revolutionize mobile network infrastructure by integrating AI capabilities into RAN systems, with a target for commercialization by 2026 2

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Key Initiatives and Technological Advancements

The collaboration builds upon an ongoing outdoor proof-of-concept for AI-RAN, which utilizes Fujitsu's virtual RAN (vRAN) software and Radio Units (RUs). This setup leverages the NVIDIA GH200 Grace Hopper Superchip and NVIDIA AI Aerial technology, demonstrating the ability to manage high-quality simultaneous communication for up to 20 cells per server 1

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To accelerate AI-RAN commercialization, the companies will:

1. Establish a verification lab in Dallas, Texas, USA, to test and validate AI-RAN hardware, software, and applications 2

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2. Conduct joint research and development of vRAN software to enhance RAN performance through AI 3

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AITRAS: SoftBank's Converged AI-RAN Solution

In parallel with the Fujitsu partnership, SoftBank has announced the development of AITRAS, a convergence solution based on the AI-RAN concept 4

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. AITRAS aims to host both AI and RAN workloads on the same NVIDIA-accelerated computing platform, offering:

• Carrier-grade RAN with high capacity, performance, and quality
• Concurrent operations with various AI applications, including generative AI
• An orchestrator for efficient allocation of computing resources

SoftBank plans to deploy AITRAS across its commercial network and expand the solution to global telecom operators from 2026 onwards 4

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Technological Breakthroughs and Testing

SoftBank has developed 5G L1 software based on the NVIDIA AI Aerial platform, achieving carrier-grade stability and high performance essential for RAN 5

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. The company has also conducted the world's first outdoor test with 20 5G cells on a single server featuring the NVIDIA GH200 Grace Hopper Superchip, demonstrating:

• Baseband processing of up to 4-layer MIMO
• 20 cells on a 100MHz bandwidth
• Maximum communication capacity of approximately 1.5Gbps per cell 5

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Industry Impact and Future Prospects

The collaboration between SoftBank and Fujitsu, along with the development of AITRAS, represents a significant step towards integrating AI into telecommunications infrastructure. This convergence is expected to:

1. Improve investment efficiency in mobile infrastructure
2. Enable new services and innovations in society and industry
3. Enhance communication quality for users during mobility and congestion
4. Provide real-time response and analysis capabilities 2

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As the telecom industry evolves, these advancements in AI-RAN technology are poised to play a crucial role in realizing next-generation social infrastructure and supporting a society that coexists with AI 4

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