NVIDIA partners with tech leaders to pioneer AI-native 6G

NVIDIA has announced partnerships with T-Mobile, MITRE, Cisco, ODC, and Booz Allen Hamilton to explore the development of AI-native wireless network systems for 6G.

As the telecommunication industry anticipates the next generation of wireless networks, the integration of AI and 6G is seen as critical for supporting the connection of billions of devices such as phones, sensors, and autonomous vehicles.

The goal is to enhance service offerings and set higher standards in spectral efficiency and data transmission rates, thereby offering improved performance and creating new revenue avenues for telecom companies.

Jensen Huang, founder and CEO of NVIDIA, commented, "Next-generation wireless networks will be revolutionary, and we have an unprecedented opportunity to ensure AI is woven in from the start. Working with leaders in the field, we're building an AI-enhanced 6G network that achieves extreme spectral efficiency."

NVIDIA's collaboration with industry and research leaders will focus on developing an AI-native wireless network stack.

This stack is based on the NVIDIA AI Aerial platform, designed to provide software-defined radio access networks (RANs) via the NVIDIA accelerated computing platform. The AI-RAN technology merges AI with traditional RAN operations to embed AI directly into radio signal processing.

The partnership intends to integrate AI deeply into network architecture, which will lower operational complexity and costs while enhancing performance. The core elements include end-to-end security and an open architecture platform to stimulate innovation.

T-Mobile aims to expand its AI-RAN Innovation Centre, which was initially announced last year, to facilitate additional research into AI-native 6G networks.

Mike Sievert, CEO of T-Mobile, said, "This is an exciting next step to the AI-RAN Innovation Center efforts we began last September at our Capital Markets Day in partnership with NVIDIA. Working with these additional industry leaders on research to natively integrate AI into the network as we begin the journey to 6G will enable the network performance, efficiency and scale to power the next generation of experiences that customers and businesses expect."

MITRE, serving as the founding research partner, will contribute through research and the development of open, AI-driven services for network orchestration, dynamic spectrum sharing, and integrated 6G communication solutions. "MITRE is working with NVIDIA to help make AI-native 6G a reality," said Mark Peters, president and CEO of MITRE. "By integrating AI into 6G in the beginning, we can solve a wide range of problems, from enhancing service delivery to unlocking required spectrum availability to fuel wireless growth."

Cisco will leverage its service provider expertise to contribute mobile core and network technologies, emphasising the secure infrastructure for AI-native networks.

Chuck Robbins, chair and CEO of Cisco, remarked, "With 6G on the horizon, it's critical for the industry to work together to build AI-native networks for the future. Cisco is at the forefront of developing secure infrastructure technology for AI, and we are proud to work with NVIDIA and the broader ecosystem to create an AI-enhanced network that improves performance, reliability and security for our customers."

ODC will provide advanced software for RAN layers, facilitating the evolution from 5G to 6G by capitalising on the AI ecosystem. Shaygan Kheradpir, chairman of the advisory board of ODC, stated, "The mobile industry has always taken advantage of advances in other technology fields, and today, no technology is more central than AI. ODC is at the forefront of developing and deploying AI-native ORAN 2.0 networks."

As experts in AI and cybersecurity, Booz Allen will focus on developing algorithms for AI RAN and securing the AI-native 6G platform. Horacio Rozanski, chairman and CEO of Booz Allen, added, "The future of wireless communications starts today, and it's all about AI. Booz Allen has the technologies to make AI-native 6G networks a reality and revolutionize secure communications for an entirely new generation of intelligent platforms and applications."

NVIDIA's expanded Aerial Research portfolio supports this collaborative effort, with advancements like the Aerial Omniverse Digital Twin Service and other research tools, aiding over 2,000 members through the NVIDIA 6G Developer Program. These tools aim to accelerate AI-native wireless networks' development and implementation.