The AI-RAN Alliance is pleased to announce the appointment of
Dr. Alex Jinsung Choi, Principal Fellow of SoftBank Corp.'s
Research Institute of Advanced Technology, to Chair. As the Chair
of the AI-RAN Alliance, Choi is fully committed to working
alongside prominent technology, industry and academic institution
members to help accelerate the adoption and growth of AI-RAN
(artificial intelligence-radio access networks) technology,
supported by 5G and 6G technologies.
"The AI-RAN Alliance is set to transform telecommunications
through AI-RAN advancements, increased efficiency, and new economic
opportunities," said Choi. "As Chair, I’m excited to lead this
AI-RAN initiative, working with industry leaders to enhance mobile
networks, reduce power consumption, and modernize infrastructure
with 5G and 6G with AI/ML. Our goal is to drive societal progress
through AI-RAN, transitioning from traditional to next-generation
communications infrastructure."
Choi brings over 30 years of experience in the telecom industry,
having served many past corporate leadership roles in research and
development of various technological domains such as mobile
networks and AI/ML (AI/machine learning). He has also been a
distinguished figure in industry associations, formerly as the
Chairman of the O-RAN ALLIANCE where he had played an integral part
in driving the successful delivery of O-RAN specifications and
transforming RAN towards open and intelligent solutions.
Under Choi's leadership, the AI-RAN Alliance will leverage the
collective expertise of its members to advance research and
innovation in three main areas: AI-for-RAN, which focuses on
enhancing radio access network capabilities with AI to improve
spectral efficiency; AI-and-RAN, which integrates AI with RAN
processes to optimize infrastructure use and create new revenue
opportunities; and AI-on-RAN, which deploys AI services at the
network edge to increase operational efficiency and provide new
services to mobile users. Network operators in the alliance will
spearhead the testing and implementation of these technologies,
developed through the collaborative efforts of member companies and
universities.
Supporting Quotes from Founding Members:
Satadal Bhattacharjee, Sr. Director of Marketing, Infrastructure
BU, ARM, said, “We're excited to collaborate with Choi, the Chair
of the AI-RAN Alliance. Like Choi, we believe that AI will
fundamentally change the way wireless services are deployed,
fostering broad innovation and enhancing operational efficiency. We
look forward to working with key industry leaders from silicon to
software to fulfill the promise of ubiquitous AI and 6G.”
Jim Shea, Co-founder and CEO of DeepSig, said, “As a pioneer in
AI-native communications together with his prior experience growing
the O-RAN ALLIANCE, Choi will lead this important initiative that
is shaping the future of intelligent radio access networks.
DeepSig's extensive AI/ML wireless expertise will play a key role
in this exciting collaboration to leverage advanced technologies to
help the industry unlock unprecedented network efficiency and
accelerate innovation.”
Mathias Riback, VP & Head of Advanced Technology U.S.,
Ericsson, said, "I'm thrilled to welcome Dr. Choi as Chair of the
AI-RAN Alliance. As a non-standardization organization, the
Alliance can uniquely complement the work of existing SDOs by
focusing on shaping innovative use cases that integrate AI with
RAN. In addition to realizing benefits from AI in RAN
implementations, it will be important to advance 'AI on RAN' use
cases, where mobile networks play a critical role in enabling AI
applications. Ericsson is fully committed to fostering a
collaborative environment that unites all players in the evolving
AI ecosystem to shape the future of telecom together."
Shawn Hakl, VP of 5G Strategy, Microsoft, said, "At Microsoft,
we recognize artificial intelligence (AI) as a pivotal technology
of our era. We are excited to be a part of the AI-RAN Alliance and
are particularly pleased to see Choi step into the role of Chair.
Choi's leadership will be key as we collaborate to leverage AI in
optimizing RAN infrastructure investments and expanding the
capabilities of RAN to introduce new AI-driven services for modern
mobile applications.”
Ari Kynäslahti, Head of Strategy and Technology, Mobile Networks
at Nokia commented, “Nokia is proud to be part of the AI-RAN
Alliance and contribute towards integrating AI into radio access
networks. The potential of AI to optimize networks, predict and
resolve issues, and enhance performance and service quality is
significant. As we embark on this transformative journey,
collaboration is essential to harness our collective expertise. We
are pleased to see Dr. Alex Choi appointed to this role, and look
forward to him guiding our efforts to achieve these goals.”
Tommaso Melodia, William L. Smith Professor, Northeastern
University, said, “We are pleased to have Choi as the Chair of the
AI-RAN Alliance, leading our efforts to transform the industry.
Choi has been a strong advocate for the evolution towards a more
open, software-driven, and AI-integrated future. Under Choi's
leadership, the AI-RAN Alliance is set to fast-track the
development of new services and use cases by leveraging openness,
softwarization, and AI integration to enhance network performance,
energy efficiency, spectrum sharing, and security, ultimately
redefining the landscape of global communications.”
Soma Velayutham, GM, AI and Telecoms, NVIDIA, said, “The AI-RAN
Alliance is a critical initiative for advancing the convergence of
AI and 5G/6G technologies to drive innovation in mobile networks.
The consortium’s new leadership will bring a fresh perspective and
focus on delivering the next generation of connectivity.”
Dr. Ardavan Tehrani, Samsung Research, AI-RAN Alliance Board of
Directors Vice Chair, said, "We are excited to have Dr. Alex Choi
leading the AI-RAN Alliance as the Chair of the Board. The Alliance
will play a pivotal role in fostering collaboration, driving
innovation, and transforming future 6G networks utilizing AI. Under
Dr. Choi's leadership, the Alliance will strive to deliver
substantial value to end users and operators through pioneering
AI-based use cases and innovations.”
Ryuji Wakikawa, VP and Head of Research Institute of Advanced
Technology, SoftBank Corp., said, "SoftBank is committed to
realizing an AI-powered network infrastructure, and we strongly
believe that Choi’s extensive background and expertise will be a
great force in advancing AI-RAN technology and driving significant
progress for the mobile industry in this AI era with lightning
speed."
John Saw, EVP and CTO, T-Mobile, said, “We are thrilled to have
Alex Choi as Chair of the AI-RAN Alliance. AI is advancing at an
unprecedented rate and with our 5G network advantage we have a
unique opportunity to harness this momentum. By developing
solutions that make the most of both RAN and AI on GPUs — and
working alongside Choi and the top industry leaders within the
Alliance — we believe there is potential for change that will
revolutionize the industry.”
Dr. Akihiro Nakao, Professor, The University of Tokyo, said,
“Dr. Alex Jinsung Choi’s appointment as Chair of the AI-RAN
Alliance represents a pivotal step in advancing AI within the
telecommunications sector. His leadership is expected to unite
academic and industry efforts, nurturing the next wave of
innovators who will drive the future of AI and telecommunications.
This initiative will not only fast-track the adoption of AI across
diverse applications but also foster international collaboration
and set new standards for efficiency, energy management,
resilience, and the development of AI-driven services that will
reshape the telecommunications industry and benefit society
worldwide.”
About AI-RAN Alliance
The AI-RAN Alliance is a collaborative consortium focused on
enabling the evolution and advancement of AI integration into RAN.
Established in 2024, the alliance strives to promote innovation,
establish best practices, and drive the development of AI
technologies that enhance the performance, efficiency, and
flexibility of RAN systems used in telecommunications. For more
information, visit: https://ai-ran.org/
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240815774457/en/
For more information, contact: Jessie Hennion AI-RAN Alliance
Public Relations (781) 876.6280 jhennion@virtualinc.com