The Japanese telecoms giant SoftBank, has announced it will be joining forces with US chip maker Nvidia, in a new AI initiative that will allow data processing to take place at cell phone towers, rather than having to rely on data centers.
The new technology will be set to improve wireless services, and by utilizing AI to automate the operation at base stations networks, the companies say it will help networks avoid delays, as the system will allow for stations to automatically adopt to changes in volumes of data.
The new group, which will be called the AI-RAN Alliance, also includes European mobile transmission equipment suppliers Ericson and Nokia. The expectation is that by decentralizing data processing, higher levels of AI services will become practical on mobile devices.
The move comes amid further collaborations between the two companies; last week Nvidia disclosed it had acquired a US$147.3 million stake in Arm Holdings – the British chip maker in which SoftBank now holds a more than 90% stake.
Nvidia meanwhile, continues to dominate the AI investment landscape, as increasing demand and expectations for the burgeoning technology have the market scrambling to produce the chips capable of handling it.
