Developing AI-powered 5G virtualised base station for the telecom market

Kyocera Corporation has begun the full-scale development of an AI-powered 5G virtualised base station, with plans to commercialise the technology.

As digital transformation (DX) accelerates globally, 5G mobile networks have become a critical societal infrastructure. The company uses its proprietary, globally developed telecommunications and virtualisation technologies to bring base station functionality to general-purpose servers, employing the NVIDIA GH200 Grace Hopper Superchip. Using AI, the company's 5G virtualised base stations will improve performance, reduce power consumption, and streamline operations and maintenance. Offering these 5G virtualised base stations as an optimised solution to customers worldwide will support the advancement of 5G systems and help create a prosperous and connected society.

Using AI, the system dynamically manages traffic congestion and optimises frequency allocation, allowing higher upload/download speeds and enhanced quality. AI also monitors traffic to optimise base station power consumption, improving energy efficiency. Also, AI automates and optimises various settings needed for operation and maintenance, allowing more efficient network management.

Employing its advanced antenna technology, the company has developed O-RAN-compliant CU/DU/RU (O-CU/O-DU/O-RU) capable of handling two distinct frequency bands: Sub-6GHz and millimeter-wave. The system can accommodate rapid traffic increases by controlling traffic data from both frequency bands on a general-purpose accelerated computing server. Future next-generation frequency bands are supported through software upgrades.

The innovation permits multiple telecommunications operators to share a single base station (CU/DU or O-RU) to process communication data. This functionality decreases the number of base stations needed, minimising operators' capital expenditures and electricity costs while contributing to more efficient 5G wireless network coverage expansion.

With the company's expertise in software implementation, the system can extend fronthaul distance to more than 40km, allowing broader coverage areas. Also, consolidating CU/DU functions on a single server reduces power consumption.

Kyocera will showcase its innovations at Mobile World Congress 2025, Hall 5, Booth #5E12, on 3-6 March 2025.