AI-RAN Alliance draws more than 100 members in first year

The AI-RAN Alliance has announced it has surpassed 100 members, adding Vodafone to its ranks.

Launched in 2024, the AI-RAN Alliance has the stated mission of accelerating innovation in artificial intelligence (AI) deployed through radio access networks (RANs) working to “unlock the transformative potential of artificial intelligence in wireless networks”.

The alliance has grown to include technology leaders, academic institutions, service providers, research labs and industry associations across more than 17 countries, and focuses on enabling experimentation, sharing knowledge and real-world performance to support the next generation of mobile infrastructure.

Part of the group’s mission is to enhance mobile network efficiency, reduce power consumption and retrofit existing infrastructure, setting the stage for economic opportunities for telecommunications companies with AI, and transforming radio RAN for 5G and upcoming 6G networks.

Founding members include Amazon Web Services, Arm, DeepSig, Telefonaktiebolaget, Ericsson, Microsoft, Nokia, Northeastern University, Nvidia, Samsung Electronics, SoftBank and T-Mobile USA.

At the time of launch, Mohamed Awad, senior vice-president and general manager for infrastructure line of business at Arm, said: “AI will fundamentally change the way wireless services are deployed, and enable broad innovation and operational efficiency across the telco sector. The AI-RAN Alliance brings together industry-shaping companies with expertise from silicon through software to deliver on the promise of ubiquitous AI and 6G.”

Alliance members are looking to use their technology expertise and collective leadership to focus on three main areas of research and innovation: AI for RAN; AI and RAN; and AI on RAN. In the first category, members are looking to advance RAN capabilities through AI to improve spectral efficiency, while work integrating AI and RAN processes aims to result in using infrastructure more effectively and generating new AI-driven revenue opportunities. AI on RAN looks at deploying AI services at the network edge through RAN to increase operational efficiency and offer new services to mobile users.

Commenting on the landmark and the addition of Vodafone, Alex Jinsung Choi, chair of the AI-RAN Alliance and principal fellow at SoftBank’s Research Institute of Advanced Technology, said: “We are thrilled by the extraordinary growth of the AI-RAN Alliance. This milestone underscores the global momentum behind advancing AI for RAN, AI and RAN, and AI on RAN. Our members are pioneering how artificial intelligence can be deeply embedded into radio access networks – from foundational research to real-world deployment – to create intelligent, adaptive and efficient wireless systems.”

Francisco Martin, head of Open RAN of Vodafone, added: “Vodafone is committed to using AI to optimise and enhance the performance of our radio access networks. Running AI and RAN workloads on shared infrastructure boosts efficiency, while integrating AI and generative applications over RAN enables new real-time capabilities at the network edge.”