SoftBank and Fujitsu Unveil Major Breakthrough in AI-Powered Telecommunications

In a significant move to advance their collaborations on Artificial Intelligence (AI)-RAN, SoftBank and Fujitsu have announced the signing of an agreement aimed at commercializing this innovative architecture. The partnership outlines a joint commitment to research and development focused on enhancing RAN performance through AI integration.

As part of this ambitious plan, the two companies will establish a dedicated verification lab in Dallas, Texas, USA, where they will conduct testing and validation of the hardware, software, and applications that make up the AI-RAN architecture. This initiative is expected to accelerate the development of AI-RAN solutions and contribute to exploring new business opportunities.

The agreement also involves collaboration on researching and developing virtual Radio Access Network (vRAN) software integrating AI to maximize RAN performance. By leveraging insights from their current proof-of-concept trials, SoftBank and Fujitsu aim to drive the widespread commercialization of AI-RAN, which is poised to improve communication quality even during times of congestion or mobility.

The companies have already begun conducting a proof-of-concept project for AI-RAN, which started in October 2024. As part of this trial, Fujitsu provided essential vRAN software and Radio Units (RUs), supported by NVIDIA's "AI-Aerial platform" running on the "NVIDIA GH200 Grace Hopper Superchip." Preliminary results demonstrated the technology's ability to manage up to 20 cells per server, ensuring high-quality simultaneous communication.

According to Hideyuki Tsukuda, Executive Vice President & CTO of SoftBank, advances in RAN efficiency and sophistication through AI are expected to accelerate the practical application of AI-RAN. Meanwhile, Shingo Mizuno, EVP of Fujitsu, highlighted the company's expertise in developing high-performance vRAN software utilizing GPUs.

Overall, this major collaboration marks a significant step forward for leveraging AI to optimize network operations, with SoftBank and Fujitsu positioning themselves at the forefront of next-generation telecommunications infrastructure.