Samsung Electronics has declared its involvement in the AI-RAN Alliance as a founding member, with the objective of advancing 6G innovation through the integration of AI and wireless communication technologies.
Formally introduced at Mobile World Congress (MWC) Barcelona 2024, the AI-RAN Alliance is an entity dedicated to fostering the convergence of AI and wireless communication and driving technological advancement through collaboration among relevant entities. Eleven organizations, including Samsung, Arm, Ericsson, Microsoft, Nokia, NVIDIA, SoftBank, and Northeastern University, have joined as founding members. This alliance will work together on developing innovative technologies and applying them to commercial products in anticipation of the forthcoming 6G era.
Charlie Zhang, Senior Vice President at Samsung Research America, emphasized the transformative potential of emerging services in the 6G era, underlining the pivotal role of AI in this trajectory. Zhang expressed optimism that the AI-RAN Alliance would facilitate collaboration, spur innovation, and usher in a new era of transformation around AI and 6G networks, ultimately delivering new value for end-users and operators through AI-driven use cases and innovations.
The AI-RAN Alliance endeavors to harness AI and wireless communication technologies across various domains, establish an ecosystem, and expand opportunities for new businesses. To achieve this, it has established three working groups dedicated to technical research: AI for RAN, AI and RAN, and AI on RAN. These groups will focus on utilizing AI/ML to enhance spectrum, cost, and energy efficiency of RAN, converging AI and radio network technologies, and exploring new AI applications and services in wireless networks. The outcomes of these efforts are expected to significantly contribute to the standardization and commercialization of 6G, including the identification of new services, technical requirements, and specifications.
Samsung intends to leverage its participation in the alliance to drive technological convergence and service innovation by integrating AI with wireless communication technology. The company is committed to leading the 6G ecosystem with its cutting-edge AI and wireless communication solutions, spanning semiconductors, AI hardware and software technologies, wireless communication systems, and terminals.
Samsung Research has been at the forefront of 6G technology development since its inception in May 2019, establishing itself as a pioneer in 6G research through the publication of key documents such as the 6G white paper and the 6G spectrum white paper. The inaugural Samsung 6G Forum held in May 2022 further showcased Samsung’s leadership in next-generation communication research and development.
With a focus on AI-Native as a critical aspect of future 6G networks, Samsung Research envisions a future where AI is seamlessly integrated into network functionality, resulting in enhanced capacity, coverage, automation, and energy efficiency. Moving forward, Samsung Research remains dedicated to driving innovations aimed at the successful launch and commercialization of next-generation communication systems.
