Northeastern University Open6G Named an AI-RAN Alliance-Endorsed Lab

The AI-RAN Alliance has announced that Northeastern University’s Open6G experimental platforms are now part of the first wireless laboratories endorsed by the organization. These state-of-the-art platforms offer a unique range of solutions for AI-RAN research, development, and testing—from large-scale hardware-in-the-loop emulation and over-the-air software-defined radios to continuous testing of RAN workloads and a private 5G network built on open and programmable software.

Open6G serves as a hub for developing and testing next-generation wireless networks that leverage open, programmable RANs and AI-driven systems. It builds on the world-class research, testbeds, and facilities at the Institute for the Wireless Internet of Things (WloT) at Northeastern University. Open6G supports the research and development of Open RAN solutions, provides testing and integration services through the Open6G OTIC, and spearheads system integration activities.

The development and evaluation of AI-based solutions for RANs is a priority as the industry moves toward 6G standardization. As a founding member of the AI-RAN Alliance, Northeastern University will support AI pipelines and frameworks for the development of AI-RAN solutions and will act as a neutral testing ground for the performance and functional evaluation of algorithms, use cases, and systems developed by the Alliance’s three working groups:

• AI-for-RAN: This group explores how AI can enhance the performance, capabilities, and efficiency of radio access networks—for example, by improving spectral and energy efficiencies. The open and programmable nature of Northeastern’s experimental platforms allows for seamless integration and testing of innovative algorithms and techniques aimed at enhancing RAN performance.
• AI-and-RAN: Focused on integrating AI and RAN workloads on a common shared infrastructure, this group works to maximize resource utilization and enable new services such as edge AI inferencing. Northeastern operates a microservice-based RAN infrastructure equipped with orchestrators that facilitate the implementation of AI-and-RAN coexistence techniques.
• AI-on-RAN: This group is dedicated to enabling the RAN to run AI and generative AI applications by identifying the necessary network requirements. It benchmarks application performance on 5G and beyond, while also determining future network needs. The full-stack, end-to-end nature of Northeastern’s experimental platforms makes it possible to efficiently deploy and test AI applications on accelerated hardware and compute systems.

Additionally, the Northeastern Open6G lab will collaborate closely with two other AI-RAN Alliance initiatives focusing on developing data pipelines and testing methodologies for AI-RAN.

For more information, please visit: https://www.open6g.us/