Nvidia partnered with industry heavyweights T-Mobile US and Cisco to create the first principles for AI-native wireless networks across hardware, software and architectures for 6G.

The group also includes research company MITRE, the ORAN Development Company (ODC) and consultancy Booze Allen Hamilton.

“Together, we are working on ensuring that the next generation of wireless networks will be AI native,” Nvidia SVP telecom Ronnie Vasishta said in a briefing.

“This is not an alliance and it’s not a consortium. It’s a group of like-minded companies coming together to work on, from first principles, AI native wireless networks.”

Vasishta explained AI-native involves embedding in hardware and software from the beginning, while building a software-defined, multi-purpose infrastructure.

For operators, the software-defined aspect enables flexibility by using multi-purpose hardware to run a range of workloads.

In addition, he said signal processing will be AI native.

“It will include AI, machine learning and of course, neural networks.”

“This will unlock huge gains in the spectral efficiency and we’re already starting to see evidence of that.

“This is going to be required for the next generation to really connect to the hundreds of billions of smart devices that will be prevalent.”

The tech giant is collaborating with T-Mobile and the research companies to develop an AI-native wireless stack based on its AI Aerial platform, a suite of soft and hardware elements for designing, simulating, training and deploying AI-RAN.

As part of the initiative, T-Mobile and Nvidia will broaden an AI-RAN Innovation Centre partnership, developing additional research-based concepts for AI-native 6G capabilities.  

MITRE will research, prototype and contribute open, AI-driven services and applications, such as for agentic network orchestration and security, dynamic spectrum sharing, and 6G-integrated sensing and communications.

Cisco will provide mobile core and network technologies, along with using its existing service provider reach and expertise.

ODC will deliver Layer 2 and Layer 3 software for distributed and centralised units of virtual RAN.

Booz Allen Hamilton will use its laboratory to develop AI RAN algorithms, secure the 6G platform and lead field trials for advanced use cases including autonomy and robotics.

“The target is to deliver a minimum viable product and demonstrate the X-factor gains possible by using AI,” Vasishta said adding the companies aim to deliver a fully-integrated network which “sets new benchmarks” in efficiency, “security, cost effectiveness and new opportunities for revenue generation”.

The collaboration was announced at Nvidia’s GTC AI Conference.

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GSMA Intelligence head Peter Jarich told Mobile World Live Nvidia is playing the long game on 6G.

“It is unclear how many operators would go for AI RAN with 5G, but 6G isn’t far away and they’re prepping to be a part of it.”