Samsung Demonstrates Significant Advances in AI-RAN Technology and Ecosystem Development, Unleashing the Full Potential of Software-Based Networks with NVIDIA AI Platform
Samsung Electronics today announced a collaboration with NVIDIA to advance AI-RAN technology. The collaboration reflects Samsung’s commitment to fostering a strong ecosystem and diverse available computing platforms. The effort aims to support the smooth and easy application of AI in mobile networks by expanding the central processing unit (CPU) ecosystem and strengthening collaboration with graphics processing unit (GPU) companies.
To maximize the power of AI and incorporate it into the radio access network (RAN), Samsung has made significant technological advances since early 2024 by leveraging its internal expertise in AI and radio. One of the key milestones achieved was interoperability between Samsung’s O-RAN-enabled virtualized RAN (vRAN) and NVIDIA accelerated computing, which was achieved at Samsung Research Labs late last year. Samsung successfully demonstrated a proof of concept of how NVIDIA’s accelerated computing can be seamlessly integrated into software-based networks to help enhance AI capabilities.
This achievement further enhances Samsung’s advancement in unique innovations combining AI and RAN. Building on this, Samsung can integrate its vRAN (virtual distributed unit, vDU) with NVIDIA’s accelerated computing into commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) servers with Samsung vRAN software installed, enabling seamless delivery of AI-RAN.
In addition, the two companies will continue to explore the best combination of AI-RAN solutions, leveraging Samsung vRAN with NVIDIA Grace CPU and/or GPU-based AI platforms using Compute Unified Device Architecture (CUDA) technology. All of these options are optimal for every network deployment environment, from rural and suburban areas to densely populated cities.
At MWC 2025, Samsung demonstrated its leadership in AI-For-RAN innovation with two AI-RAN demonstrations. Both demonstrations were endorsed by the AI-RAN Alliance and developed in collaboration with multiple members, including NVIDIA. The demonstrations included AI-based physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) estimation and non-uniform modulation, showcasing innovative ways to integrate AI into mobile networks.
“AI is changing the telecom landscape, and Samsung is helping operators build the network architecture and environment needed to enable AI with our proven AI-driven vRAN,” said June Moon, executive vice president of R&D for the Networks Business at Samsung Electronics. “This collaboration with NVIDIA reflects our ongoing efforts to expand the GPU and CPU ecosystem, and we look forward to exploring new opportunities in the future.” »
“AI-RAN is a critical technology that will significantly improve network utilization, efficiency, and performance while enabling new AI services,” said Ronnie Vasishta, senior vice president of telecommunications at NVIDIA. “Samsung is a leader in AI-RAN development. Its expertise and vRAN software will be invaluable to our customers.”
As a founding member of the AI-RAN Alliance, which was established in 2024, Samsung is actively collaborating with academic institutions and industry leaders such as NVIDIA to advance AI-RAN technology. As vice chair-elect of the board and Working Group 3 (AI-on-RAN), Samsung is leading the industry’s transformation to next-generation AI networks.
Samsung’s end-to-end software network architecture provides the best foundation for easy deployment and adoption of AI at every layer of the network. By doing so, Samsung will be able to support operators with flexible networks, enhance their competitive advantage, and maintain leadership in the AI era. This advancement paves the way for leveraging network infrastructure not only for mobile communications but also for general workloads, providing a data center-like network architecture that opens up new business opportunities.