Nvidia has announced a major initiative to build an AI-native 5G and 6G wireless stack, collaborating with Booz Allen Hamilton, Cisco, MITRE, ODC, Nokia, and T-Mobile. The project is designed to help next-generation networks manage the growing complexity and data demands driven by AI-powered devices.

As artificial intelligence expands into new domains such as cameras, augmented-reality systems, robotics, and autonomous vehicles, networks will need to handle billions of concurrent connections with greater efficiency. Nvidia’s initiative aims to address these challenges through a unified, AI-optimized wireless infrastructure.

The new stack is based on Nvidia’s AI Aerial platform, integrating technologies from multiple partners. ODC contributes 5G RAN software, Cisco provides user plane and 5G core components, and MITRE together with Booz Allen develops advanced 6G applications. T-Mobile plans to begin pilot deployments next year.

Among the highlighted innovations is an AI-driven spectrum management system developed by MITRE, capable of dynamically optimizing frequency use at cell sites. Unlike traditional methods that disable entire frequency bands when interference occurs, this approach isolates and mitigates only the affected frequencies, improving spectral efficiency and service continuity.

Nvidia also introduced the Aerial RAN Computer (ARC) Pro, a system that enables 5G, 6G, and AI processing to run simultaneously at existing cell sites. The platform is designed to allow network operators to move from 5G to 6G primarily through software upgrades, reducing the need for new hardware.

As part of its broader strategy, Nvidia is investing $1 billion in Nokia to integrate the ARC Pro technology into Nokia’s AirScale RAN portfolio, supporting the development of software-defined, AI-capable wireless infrastructure for future communication networks.