SoftBank Corp. and Nokia agree to conduct
AI-RAN field trial on SoftBank's commercial network

Background

As generative AI, AI agents and Physical AI^* continue to evolve, telecommunications networks are increasingly required not only to accommodate growing data traffic but also to provide the computing capabilities needed for low-latency, real-time AI processing. To address these needs, SoftBank is developing AITRAS, a platform designed to run AI and RAN workloads on common infrastructure.

Commercializing AI-RAN requires support for RAN software from multiple vendors, as well as the flexible management of AI and RAN workloads while maintaining the quality and reliability required of telecommunications networks. SoftBank is developing the AITRAS Orchestrator to monitor demand for computing resources used for AI processing and RAN control in real time and allocate resources flexibly and dynamically based on multiple factors, including resource availability, application requirements and projected power consumption.

[Note]

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   Physical AI refers to technology that enables robots to analyze and interpret data from sensors, cameras, and external systems through AI, allowing them to perform flexible and complex physical movements based on AI-driven decisions.

AITRAS architecture and field trial overview

AITRAS comprises GPU (graphics processing unit) servers, virtualization infrastructure, radio units and other components. The platform can run SoftBank's AITRAS-RAN software as well as third-party RAN software and edge AI applications.

In the planned field trial, the companies will deploy Nokia's AI-native anyRAN software on the AITRAS platform and validate its operation.

The companies will also validate technology for the coordinated management of AI and RAN workloads by integrating the AITRAS Orchestrator with Nokia's MantaRay network management and automation solution. Through these activities, they will assess the suitability of AITRAS for commercial networks as a common platform capable of hosting RAN software from multiple vendors and AI applications without being tied to a specific RAN software implementation.

The computing infrastructure of the AITRAS platform will be based on the NVIDIA Aerial RAN Computer MGX 2U Short, which incorporates NVIDIA Grace CPU, NVIDIA RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell Server Edition GPU and NVIDIA ConnectX-8 networking.

Outlook

SoftBank will continue to validate the application of AITRAS to commercial networks and further enhance the platform with a view to working with various RAN vendors. By flexibly managing RAN and AI workloads on the same platform, SoftBank aims to improve the utilization efficiency of telecommunications infrastructure and enable applications requiring low-latency, real-time AI processing, including Physical AI, robotics and autonomous systems.

Comment from Ryuji Wakikawa, Senior Vice President and CTO, SoftBank Corp.

"Our field trial with Nokia will mark a significant milestone in moving AI-RAN from concept toward commercialization. In this trial, we will deploy Nokia's AI-native anyRAN software on SoftBank's AITRAS platform. We will also integrate the AITRAS Orchestrator with Nokia MantaRay to validate the management of AI and RAN workloads on a common platform while taking into account the quality and reliability requirements of RAN operations. Through our collaboration with Nokia, we will further advance AI-RAN validation toward commercialization and work toward a new era of networks that deliver both connectivity and AI services."

Comment from Pallavi Mahajan, Chief Technology and AI Officer at Nokia

"Our agreement with SoftBank marks an important step toward the future of AI-native networks. By bringing AI and RAN workloads onto common, programmable infrastructure, AI-RAN has the potential to unlock new levels of spectral efficiency while providing the distributed intelligence needed to support Physical AI. As the boundaries between network and compute continue to blur, this distributed infrastructure can become a powerful platform for both connectivity and AI. Together with SoftBank and its AITRAS platform, we are laying the foundation for networks that go beyond connectivity to enable real-time AI services and accelerate the evolution toward AI-native 6G."