How AI and 5G will drive the next wave of innovation

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AI is expected to transform every industry in the next decade, and the catalyst for this change is 5G. Together, these two technologies will enable the rapid, secure, and cost-effective deployment of IoT devices and intelligent networks.

Ronnie Vasishta, senior vice president of telecommunications business at graphics chip maker and software platform developer NVIDIA, said in a special address at the 2021 Mobile World Congress in Barcelona a few weeks ago that AI-driven 5G networks will accelerate "the fourth industrial revolution, creating unprecedented opportunities for business and society."

“Billions of things are distributed across networks and data centers. Ubiquitous 5G networks will connect these data centers and intelligent things at the rates, latency, cost, and power that applications demand,” Vasishta said. “As this network transforms to accommodate 5G, AI will not only drive innovation, but it will also be required to manage, organize, and improve the efficiency of the network itself.”

Unlike previous generations of wireless technology, 5G was born in the cloud era and is designed for the Internet of Things. 5G can connect billions of sensors, such as cameras, to edge data centers for AI processing.

Every industry will change

Here are four real-world examples of how the combination of AI and 5G connectivity is reshaping industries:

• Thousands of cameras monitor automated vehicle assembly. Visual inspection software with deep learning algorithms is used to identify vehicle defects. This enables automakers to analyze and identify quality issues on the assembly line.
• Urban planning and traffic management for smart cities. In environments where large numbers of people and things interact, AI-based visual inspection software monitors all moving and non-moving elements to improve urban safety, space management, and transportation.
• Conversational AI and natural language processing support the services of the future. Chatbots, voice assistants, and other messaging services are helping to automate customer support across industries. Conversational AI is evolving to include new ways to communicate with humans using facial expressions and situational awareness.
• Powerful edge computing for extended reality. Cables no longer tether virtual and augmented reality to workstations. Thanks to advanced wireless technologies like 5G, industry professionals can make real-time design changes in AR or virtually be anywhere in VR.

NVIDIA has been developing AI solutions for more than a decade, working with a broad ecosystem of independent software vendors and startups on the NVIDIA platform. The company recently partnered with Google Cloud to establish an AI-on-5G Innovation Lab that network infrastructure and AI software providers will use to develop, test and release 5G/AI applications.

NVIDIA's AI-on-5G portfolio includes a unified platform, servers, software-defined 5G virtual radio area networks, enterprise AI applications, and software development kits such as Isaac and Metropolis. The commercial version of NVIDIA AI-on-5G will be launched in the second half of this year.

NVIDIA AERIAL A100 Built for the 5G Era

Back in April, NVIDIA introduced the Aerial A100, which, according to Vasishta, is a "new computing platform designed for the (network) edge, combining AI and 5G into EGX for the enterprise." NVIDIA EGX is an accelerated computing platform that allows for continuous data streaming between 5G base stations, warehouses, stores, and other locations. When implementing EGX with the Aerial A100, organizations get a full suite of AI capabilities.

Today's 5G and AI infrastructure are inefficient because they are deployed and managed separately. For enterprises, running AI and 5G on the same computing platform can reduce equipment, power, and space costs while providing greater security for AI applications. For telecom companies, deploying AI applications on 5G opens up new use cases and revenue streams. They can convert each 5G base station into an edge data center to support 5G workloads and AI services.

Telecommunications companies and enterprises can benefit greatly from converged platforms like NVIDIA’s AI-on-5G, where 5G serves as a secure, ultra-reliable, and cost-effective communications fabric between sensors and AI applications.