Samsung just inked a major partnership with Japan's SoftBank to develop the next generation of AI-powered wireless networks. The companies signed a memorandum of understanding targeting 6G and AI-based radio access network (AI-RAN) technologies that could reshape how telecom infrastructure operates. This isn't just another tech alliance - it's positioning both giants at the forefront of what promises to be a massive shift in how networks handle AI workloads.
Samsung and SoftBank are betting big on AI-powered networks. The two tech giants just formalized their collaboration through a memorandum of understanding that targets some of the most ambitious telecom projects on the horizon - 6G networks and AI-based radio access network technologies that could fundamentally change how wireless infrastructure operates.
The timing couldn't be more strategic. 2025 marks a pivotal year for 6G standardization, with industry discussions heating up around new frequency bands like the 7GHz spectrum. While most consumers are still getting comfortable with 5G, telecom companies are already racing to define what comes next.
"Through this collaboration with SoftBank, we aim to define meaningful use cases for both operators and end users, while securing key technologies for future commercialization," JinGuk Jeong, Executive Vice President and Head of Advanced Communications Research Center at Samsung Research, told reporters in the official announcement.
The partnership breaks down into four distinct research areas that reveal where the telecom industry thinks it's heading. First, there's straight 6G development - the basic infrastructure that will eventually replace today's 5G networks. But it's the AI integration that makes this collaboration particularly intriguing.
Under what they call "AI for RAN," the companies will develop technologies that use artificial intelligence to optimize wireless networks in real-time. Think of it as networks that can automatically adjust performance, route traffic, and manage resources without human intervention. Then there's "AI and RAN" - orchestration technologies designed to seamlessly blend AI workloads with base station operations.
The fourth area, Large Telecom Models (LTM), hints at something even more ambitious. While details remain sparse, this suggests applying the large language model concept to telecommunications - essentially creating AI systems that understand and can manipulate network operations at scale.
