SK Telecom said on Feb. 26 it developed "AI-RAN" in cooperation with companies in South Korea and abroad, combining artificial intelligence with communications infrastructure, and succeeded in demonstrating a trial network.

AI-RAN is a next-generation base station technology that provides communications and AI services simultaneously from a single piece of equipment. It can provide AI services smoothly while keeping network quality stable. SKT said it worked with Nokia, HFR and Intel to develop an AI-RAN architecture using GPU-based general-purpose servers and verified it in a real network environment.

With Nokia, it developed and verified outdoors an architecture that uses both GPUs for AI computing and communications-dedicated accelerators that handle some communications functions. A communications-dedicated accelerator is a specialised semiconductor designed to process large volumes of communications data efficiently on general-purpose servers. With South Korean telecom equipment company HFR, it demonstrated a method that processes communications functions and AI services simultaneously using only GPUs.

With Intel, it verified AI-based integrated resource management technology in a virtualised base station environment. The technology enables AI to analyse and predict in real time the load and status of each server's CPU and efficiently reallocate radio network resources. SKT stressed that the technology is a key element in commercialising AI-RAN.

SKT plans to unveil AI-RAN and virtualisation and AI-based integrated resource management technology at MWC26. It will also exhibit on-device AI-based antenna optimisation technology, AI agents, and integrated communications and sensing technology.

Ryu Tak-ki (류탁기), head of network technology at SKT, said, "The demonstration of AI-RAN and AI-based integrated resource management technology is a meaningful achievement that accelerates the evolution of wireless networks into autonomous networks that judge and optimise on their own."