NVIDIA and Telecom Industry Leaders to Develop AI-Native Wireless Networks for 6G

Rhea-AI Summary

NVIDIA has announced major partnerships with T-Mobile, MITRE, Cisco, ODC, and Booz Allen Hamilton to develop AI-native wireless network hardware, software, and architecture for 6G technology. The collaboration aims to create networks capable of connecting billions of devices while maximizing spectral efficiency.

The initiative will build upon NVIDIA's AI Aerial platform, which provides software-defined radio access networks. The partnership will focus on developing an AI-native wireless network stack that fully embeds AI into network software, promising enhanced spectral efficiency and lower operational costs.

Key developments include:

• T-Mobile expanding their AI-RAN Innovation Center collaboration
• MITRE researching AI-driven services for network orchestration
• Cisco providing mobile core and network technologies
• ODC delivering layer 2 and 3 software for virtual RAN
• Booz Allen developing AI RAN algorithms and security measures

Positive

• Strategic partnerships with major telecom industry leaders
• Expansion of existing AI-RAN Innovation Center with T-Mobile
• Growing adoption of Aerial Research portfolio with 2,000+ developer program members
• Potential new revenue streams for telecommunications companies

Negative

• Early-stage development with no immediate revenue impact
• Significant R&D investment required for 6G technology development
• Complex integration challenges with multiple partnership coordination

Insights

Financial Analyst

NVIDIA's strategic partnerships with T-Mobile, MITRE, Cisco, ODC, and Booz Allen Hamilton to develop AI-native wireless networks for 6G represent a significant long-term growth catalyst. This initiative places NVIDIA at the heart of next-generation telecom infrastructure development, extending its AI dominance beyond current markets into the massive wireless sector.

The collaboration leverages NVIDIA's AI Aerial platform, which provides software-defined radio access networks on NVIDIA's accelerated computing platform. This makes perfect strategic sense as it expands NVIDIA's total addressable market into telecom infrastructure while creating potential new recurring revenue streams.

What's particularly notable is NVIDIA's approach of being involved from the ground up in 6G development rather than retrofitting existing networks with AI capabilities. This early-mover advantage could lead to embedded technology positions that generate revenue for years, similar to how CUDA became foundational for AI development.

The telecommunications market represents an enormous opportunity. By creating an ecosystem where AI is woven directly into network architecture from inception, NVIDIA is positioning to capture value in both hardware and software segments of future wireless infrastructure spending. While financial terms weren't disclosed, and immediate revenue impact will be minimal, this represents NVIDIA methodically expanding its reach into another massive industry vertical beyond its current strongholds.

Telecommunications Expert

This announcement demonstrates NVIDIA's shrewd strategic positioning in the telecommunications value chain. By partnering with these industry heavyweights, NVIDIA is effectively inserting its technology into the fundamental architecture of future networks rather than merely supplying components.

Spectral efficiency—the rate at which data can be transmitted over given bandwidth—is highlighted as a key benefit. This matters tremendously because spectrum is the most constrained and valuable resource in wireless communications. Even modest improvements in spectral efficiency translate to billions in potential savings for carriers or dramatically improved performance without additional spectrum costs.

The involvement of T-Mobile signals carrier interest in this approach, while Cisco's participation suggests integration with core network functions. This creates a complete stack solution rather than a fragmented offering. Booz Allen Hamilton's focus on security addresses a critical concern for any AI-integrated communications infrastructure.

The expansion of NVIDIA's Aerial Research portfolio with the Aerial Omniverse Digital Twin Service, Commercial Test Bed on MGX, and Sionna 1.0 indicates this isn't merely a partnership announcement but a comprehensive platform play. The mention of 2,000 members in the NVIDIA 6G Developer Program and 150+ educational institutions shows ecosystem-building activities well underway.

While 6G deployments remain years away, this positions NVIDIA to shape standards and architectural decisions that could lead to embedded technology positions when commercial deployments begin later this decade.

T-Mobile, MITRE, Cisco, ODC and Booz Allen Hamilton to Collaborate on Development of AI-Native Network Stack for 6G on NVIDIA AI Aerial Platform

SAN JOSE, Calif., March 18, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- GTC -- NVIDIA today unveiled partnerships with industry leaders T-Mobile, MITRE, Cisco, ODC, a portfolio company of Cerberus Capital Management, and Booz Allen Hamilton on the research and development of AI-native wireless network hardware, software and architecture for 6G.

Next-generation wireless networks must be fundamentally integrated with AI to seamlessly connect hundreds of billions of phones, sensors, cameras, robots and autonomous vehicles. AI-native wireless networks will provide enhanced services for billions of users and set new standards in spectral efficiency — the rate at which data can be transmitted over a given bandwidth. They will also offer groundbreaking performance and resource utilization while creating new revenue streams for telecommunications companies.

“Next-generation wireless networks will be revolutionary, and we have an unprecedented opportunity to ensure AI is woven in from the start,” said Jensen Huang, founder and CEO of NVIDIA. “Working with leaders in the field, we’re building an AI-enhanced 6G network that achieves extreme spectral efficiency.”

Open Ecosystems Drive Innovation
Research-driven breakthroughs harnessing the power of AI are necessary to maximize the performance and benefits of AI-native wireless networks. To drive innovation, NVIDIA is collaborating with telco and research leaders to develop an AI-native wireless network stack based on the NVIDIA AI Aerial platform, which provides software-defined radio access networks (RANs) on the NVIDIA accelerated computing platform.

Developers across the globe are building AI-RAN as a precursor to AI-native 6G wireless networks. AI-RAN is a technology that brings AI and RAN workloads together on one platform and embeds AI into radio signal processing.

To deliver enhanced spectral efficiency and lower operational complexity and costs, AI will be fully embedded into the network stack’s software and hosted over a unified accelerated infrastructure, capable of running both network and AI workloads. Also at the solution’s core will be end-to-end security and an open architecture to foster rapid innovation.

T-Mobile and NVIDIA will expand their AI-RAN Innovation Center collaboration announced last year with the goal of providing additional research-based concepts for AI-native 6G network capabilities, working alongside these new industry collaborators.

“This is an exciting next step to the AI-RAN Innovation Center efforts we began last September at our Capital Markets Day in partnership with NVIDIA,” Mike Sievert, CEO of T-Mobile. “Working with these additional industry leaders on research to natively integrate AI into the network as we begin the journey to 6G will enable the network performance, efficiency and scale to power the next generation of experiences that customers and businesses expect.”

As the founding research partner, MITRE, a not-for-profit research and development organization, will research, prototype and contribute open, AI-driven services and applications, such as for agentic network orchestration and security, dynamic spectrum sharing and 6G-integrated sensing and communications.

“MITRE is working with NVIDIA to help make AI-native 6G a reality,” said Mark Peters, president and CEO of MITRE. “By integrating AI into 6G in the beginning, we can solve a wide range of problems, from enhancing service delivery to unlocking required spectrum availability to fuel wireless growth. Through all of our collaborations with NVIDIA, we look forward to creating impact in 6G, AI, simulation, transportation and more.”

Cisco plans to take a lead position in this collaboration as the provider of mobile core and network technologies and will tap into its existing service provider reach and expertise.

“With 6G on the horizon, it’s critical for the industry to work together to build AI-native networks for the future,” said Chuck Robbins, chair and CEO of Cisco. “Cisco is at the forefront of developing secure infrastructure technology for AI, and we are proud to work with NVIDIA and the broader ecosystem to create an AI-enhanced network that improves performance, reliability and security for our customers.”

ODC, a portfolio company of Cerberus Capital Management, L.P., will deliver cutting-edge layer 2 and layer 3 software for distributed and centralized units of virtual RAN as part of the AI-native radio access stack. Tapping into decades of experience in large-scale mobile systems, ODC is pioneering next-generation AI-native 5G open RAN (ORAN), surpassing existing networks and seamlessly paving the way for 6G evolution.

“The mobile industry has always taken advantage of advances in other technology fields, and today, no technology is more central than AI,” said Shaygan Kheradpir, chairman of the advisory board of ODC. “ODC is at the forefront of developing and deploying AI-native ORAN 2.0 networks, enabling service providers to on-ramp seamlessly from 5G to 6G by taking advantage of the vast AI ecosystem to redefine the future of connectivity.”

As a leader in AI and cybersecurity to the federal government, Booz Allen will develop AI RAN algorithms and secure the AI-native 6G wireless platform. Its NextG lab will conduct functional, performance integration and security testing to ensure the resiliency and security of the platform against the most sophisticated adversaries. The company will lead field trials for advanced use cases such as autonomy and robotics.

“The future of wireless communications starts today, and it’s all about AI,” said Horacio Rozanski, chairman and CEO of Booz Allen. “Booz Allen has the technologies to make AI-native 6G networks a reality and revolutionize secure communications for an entirely new generation of intelligent platforms and applications.”

Expanded Aerial Research Portfolio
These collaborations build on NVIDIA’s AI-RAN and 6G research ecosystem, supported by advancements in the NVIDIA Aerial™ research portfolio for developing, training, simulating and deploying groundbreaking AI-native wireless innovations.

New additions to the NVIDIA Aerial Research portfolio, also announced today, include the Aerial Omniverse Digital Twin Service, the Aerial Commercial Test Bed on NVIDIA MGX™, NVIDIA Sionna™ 1.0 — building on the open-source Sionna library, which has nearly 150,000 downloads since its launch in 2022 — and the Sionna Research Kit on the NVIDIA Jetson™ accelerated computing platform. 

The NVIDIA Aerial Research portfolio serves over 2,000 members through the NVIDIA 6G Developer Program. Industry leaders and more than 150 higher-education and research institutions from the U.S. and around the world are harnessing the platform to accelerate 6G and AI-RAN innovation — paving the way for AI-native wireless networks.

Learn more by watching the NVIDIA GTC telecom special address and register for sessions from NVIDIA and industry leaders at the show, which runs through March 21.

About NVIDIA
NVIDIA (NASDAQ: NVDA) is the world leader in accelerated computing.

For further information, contact:
Janette Ciborowski
Enterprise Communications
NVIDIA Corporation
+1-734-330-8817
jciborowski@nvidia.com

Certain statements in this press release including, but not limited to, statements as to: the benefits, impact, availability, and performance of NVIDIA’s products, services, and technologies; the collaboration and partnership between NVIDIA and third parties and the benefits and impact thereof; third parties adopting NVIDIA’s products and technologies and the benefits and impact thereof; next-generation wireless networks being revolutionary; and working with leaders in the field, NVIDIA building an AI-enhanced 6G network that achieves extreme spectral efficiency are forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause results to be materially different than expectations. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include: global economic conditions; our reliance on third parties to manufacture, assemble, package and test our products; the impact of technological development and competition; development of new products and technologies or enhancements to our existing product and technologies; market acceptance of our products or our partners' products; design, manufacturing or software defects; changes in consumer preferences or demands; changes in industry standards and interfaces; unexpected loss of performance of our products or technologies when integrated into systems; as well as other factors detailed from time to time in the most recent reports NVIDIA files with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, including, but not limited to, its annual report on Form 10-K and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. Copies of reports filed with the SEC are posted on the company's website and are available from NVIDIA without charge. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and speak only as of the date hereof, and, except as required by law, NVIDIA disclaims any obligation to update these forward-looking statements to reflect future events or circumstances.

Many of the products and features described herein remain in various stages and will be offered on a when-and-if-available basis. The statements above are not intended to be, and should not be interpreted as a commitment, promise, or legal obligation, and the development, release, and timing of any features or functionalities described for our products is subject to change and remains at the sole discretion of NVIDIA. NVIDIA will have no liability for failure to deliver or delay in the delivery of any of the products, features or functions set forth herein.

© 2025 NVIDIA Corporation. All rights reserved. NVIDIA, the NVIDIA logo, NVIDIA Aerial, NVIDIA Jetson, NVIDIA MGX and Sionna are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of NVIDIA Corporation in the U.S. and other countries. Other company and product names may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated. Features, pricing, availability and specifications are subject to change without notice.

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FAQ

What is NVIDIA's new 6G partnership announcement about?

NVIDIA announced partnerships with T-Mobile, MITRE, Cisco, ODC, and Booz Allen Hamilton to develop AI-native wireless networks for 6G, focusing on enhanced spectral efficiency and connectivity for billions of devices.

How will NVIDIA's AI-native 6G network technology improve performance?

The technology will enhance spectral efficiency, lower operational costs, and enable seamless connectivity for billions of devices by embedding AI directly into the network stack's software.

What role will T-Mobile play in NVIDIA's 6G development?

T-Mobile will expand their existing AI-RAN Innovation Center collaboration with NVIDIA to research and develop AI-native 6G network capabilities.

What security measures are being implemented in NVIDIA's 6G network development?

Booz Allen Hamilton will lead security development, conducting functional testing and ensuring platform resilience against sophisticated threats through their NextG lab.

How many institutions are currently using NVIDIA's Aerial Research portfolio?

Over 150 higher-education and research institutions globally are using NVIDIA's Aerial Research portfolio through the NVIDIA 6G Developer Program, which serves over 2,000 members.