Leading chipmaker Nvidia and SoftBank Corp, the telecommunications arm of SoftBank Group (9984.T), have launched the world’s first artificial intelligence (AI) and 5G telecom network, the two companies announced on Wednesday.
This innovative network can simultaneously handle both AI and 5G workloads, a process referred to as an artificial intelligence radio access network (AI-RAN). Potential applications for this network include remote support for autonomous vehicles and control of robotics.
“Every other telecom company will need to follow this new wave,” said Masayoshi Son, CEO of SoftBank Group, during an AI event where he spoke alongside Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang. Huang added that SoftBank was the first to receive its new Blackwell chip designs, which it is integrating into the AI supercomputer it is developing to create its proprietary generative AI model.