NVIDIA, Korea Collaborate on AI-driven Communication Networks

Korea’s collaboration with NVIDIA extends beyond the simple supply of graphics processing units (GPUs). They have agreed to join forces in developing artificial intelligence radio access networks (AI-RAN), a key infrastructure for the autonomous driving era, and supporting promising startups to secure future growth engines in the AI sector.

The Ministry of Science and ICT announced on Oct. 31 that it signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for AI network cooperation with NVIDIA, Samsung Electronics, the three major telecommunication companies SK Telecom, KT, and LG Uplus, the Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI), and Yonsei University. The seven institutions and companies agreed to cooperate on joint research and commercialization of AI-RAN technology, which integrates NVIDIA GPUs into communication base stations to enable AI computing functions. Starting next year, they plan to make Korea a global AI-RAN hub through research and development (R&D), demonstration network construction, and specialized service discovery.

AI-RAN can process data more immediately than data centers due to its ability to compute within a 2km radius of the user. Simultaneously, it is a medium-scale infrastructure that can mobilize more abundant computational resources than on-device AI embedded in devices. It is gaining attention as a key infrastructure for implementing physical AI services that need to process complex data such as text, images, and video with almost no delay for safety, as in autonomous vehicles or robots. AI-RAN is also considered essential for 6th generation (6G) mobile communications to offer differentiated services from 5th generation (5G) when commercialized around 2030. According to Dell’Oro Group, the global AI-RAN market size is expected to reach $10 billion (about 14 trillion won) by 2029.

In response, Samsung Electronics, a telecommunications equipment company, signed a technology research agreement with SoftBank on Oct. 29 to address the AI-RAN field. Samsung Electronics and the three major telecommunication companies have also successively joined the international group AI-RAN Alliance to strengthen global cooperation. NVIDIA is expanding its GPU ecosystem by providing customized solutions targeting the demands of telecommunication companies worldwide. The company also decided to invest $1 billion (about 1.4 trillion won) in Nokia, a global telecommunications equipment company, on Oct. 29 (local time) for development cooperation including AI network technology.

The Ministry of SMEs and Startups is expanding support for AI startups through cooperation with NVIDIA. It is pursuing plans to expand and operate the N-UP Program, which supports startups’ scale-up and overseas expansion by utilizing global companies’ infrastructure and technology, focusing on key areas such as physical AI. The N-UP Program is a program that supports startups using global companies’ infrastructure and technological and management capabilities. It started in 2020 and has supported 151 companies, including AI startups, until last year. This year, it is also in progress for 39 companies. The government expects that the expanded operation of the N-UP Program will contribute to the advancement of the industrial ecosystem.