Red Hat, an open-source solutions provider, has collaborated with SoftBank Corp. to execute an AI-driven Radio Access Network (AI-RAN) to enhance network performance and optimize power consumption.
As part of this collaboration, SoftBank is developing AITRAS (AI-Driven Traffic Analysis and Resource Allocation System), a cohesive solution that combines AI and RAN technologies. It improved advanced network orchestration and optimization, supports virtualized RAN functions and AI-enabled applications, and enables service providers to maintain operational consistency and flexibility across diverse workloads.
By incorporating AI capabilities with RAN on the Red Hat OpenShift platform, service providers can dynamically change network parameters in response to fluctuating demand, consequently improving operational agility.
This implementation leverages Red Hat OpenShift, the leading hybrid cloud application platform powered by Kubernetes, to tackle ongoing challenges in RAN deployment faced by service providers, like managing user demand, energy costs, resource allocation, and the orchestration of deterministic, distributed workloads.
Chris Wright, chief technology officer and senior vice president of Global Engineering, Red Hat said, “Red Hat and SoftBank are committed to supporting the future of 5G and 6G use cases by bringing the combined power of AI and RAN to network orchestration and optimization. With Red Hat OpenShift as a common platform, AI-RAN offers a pioneering approach to network operations for service providers to harness AI for improved resource efficiency and more sustainable power consumption, as well as supporting AI-enabled workloads across network environments.”
Also Read: Red Hat and SoftBank Partner for Research and Development of AI-RANRyuji Wakikawa, vice president, Head of the Research Institute of Advanced Technology, SoftBank Corp said, “Electricity and telecommunications services continue to grow as critical infrastructure that supports society. By monitoring and predicting power consumption, ‘AITRAS’ optimizes equipment from an energy efficiency perspective while reducing risks through distributed deployment. The integration of telecommunications and power infrastructure paves the way for the future of AI-driven infrastructure.”
SoftBank is also working with Red Hat to use community-driven technologies, like Kepler, an open-source project founded by Red Hat, to help service providers reduce energy costs by more accurately capturing and acting upon application power-use metrics. SoftBank’s AITRAS orchestrator helps even out power consumption across disparate sites and optimize energy with it.
