Key Points
- Nvidia and SoftBank launched the first-ever AI and 5G-integrated network, AI-RAN, which supports real-time processing for autonomous vehicles, robotics, and more.
- SoftBank is the first to use Nvidia’s new Blackwell chip architecture in its AI supercomputer, which is being developed to advance its generative AI capabilities.
- Nvidia’s CEO Jensen Huang emphasizes AI-RAN’s potential to redefine industries with AI and 5G.
- The partnership aims to expand AI-RAN applications across industries, setting a new standard for AI-driven telecom networks.
Nvidia and SoftBank Corp. have announced the successful pilot of the world’s first network to integrate artificial intelligence (AI) and 5G telecom technology. The Artificial Intelligence Radio Access Network (AI-RAN) pioneering infrastructure is designed to support AI and 5G workloads concurrently. The innovative system, developed through a partnership between Nvidia and SoftBank, promises to open up new capabilities for industries ranging from autonomous vehicles to robotics.
The AI-RAN system aims to provide real-time processing power essential for advanced applications such as autonomous vehicle remote support and robotics control. Combining AI and 5G in a single platform allows the network to deliver the rapid data transfer speeds, low latency, and robust processing necessary to support complex AI-driven applications.
A major element of the collaboration includes Nvidia’s new Blackwell chip architecture, the latest in Nvidia’s powerful lineup of chips optimized for AI tasks. SoftBank is the first company to receive these advanced Blackwell chips and integrate them into its new AI supercomputer, which is currently under development.
This supercomputer will be the core of SoftBank’s generative AI model, furthering the company’s data processing and intelligent automation capabilities. SoftBank’s use of Blackwell chips demonstrates a strategic move toward building a more efficient AI computing environment, which is expected to accelerate its data-driven operations and future AI endeavors.
Jensen Huang, founder and CEO of Nvidia, emphasized the significance of this breakthrough, describing SoftBank’s AI-RAN as a leap forward in AI and 5G integration. According to Huang, the AI-RAN has the potential to redefine industries by enabling the real-time processing and vast data handling required for applications like autonomous transportation, industrial automation, and smart city technologies. Nvidia’s Blackwell chip architecture provides the high-performance computing foundation needed to manage these intensive applications, offering substantial improvements in processing speed and power efficiency.
Introducing AI-RAN could set the standard for telecommunications networks as companies worldwide explore AI and 5G convergence to drive operational efficiencies and support new tech innovations. Through this groundbreaking initiative, Nvidia and SoftBank are positioning themselves at the forefront of next-generation telecom technology, leveraging Nvidia’s chip technology to build networks capable of handling the increasing demands of AI workloads.
As the AI-RAN system undergoes further testing, Nvidia and SoftBank will explore additional applications and scalability, potentially enabling broader use of AI and 5G in consumer and enterprise markets.
