Enabling the dynamic 5G infrastructure with Arm-based solutions

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By Chris Bergey, SVP and GM, Infrastructure Line of Business, Arm

June 30, 2021 -- The convergence of edge and 5G technologies are driving rapid evolution in the type of compute needed to develop and deploy the next-generation infrastructure solutions for network and edge applications. The increasing movement from traditional RAN to a more cloudified network, and the gaining momentum behind Open RAN indicates that operators are looking to expand choice and flexibility for future systems.

When we look at the compute requirements across the network and where Arm fits in, it’s clear that in addition to hardware, software-defined innovation is critical. Our Neoverse roadmap is rooted in specialized processing, delivering performance where it’s needed from DSP, to packet processing and even machine learning. Arm plays an important role in enabling end-to-end 5G networks, and we continue to work alongside our vast ecosystem to demonstrate what is possible.

Already we’ve seen innovative solutions from operators like Vodafone and Dish Networks. Our vast partner ecosystem makes this innovation possible by adopting Arm as its compute platform as we have seen with Lenovo, Marvell, Sunsea, Cap Gemini, Radisys and many more.

This week at Mobile Word Congress (MWC) Barcelona, the momentum for Arm in 5G was on display as our ecosystem demonstrated new technologies that will continue to drive innovation across 5G:

• NVIDIA discussed plans to bring more choice to the 5G ecosystem by extending support for Arm in the Aerial A100 telecommunications platform. NVIDIA BlueField-3 A100, powered by 16 Arm Cortex-A78-based processors, will assist enterprises and network equipment makers in delivering high-performance 5G RAN and AI platforms in a highly optimized platform.
• Marvell brought Neoverse N2 to market in the OCTEON 10 DPU, delivering 3x the performance and 50 percent lower power compared to previous generations of OCTEON. The newly announced solution is not only the first Neoverse N2 core, but the first designed on a 5nm process.
• Finally, it’s not MWC without demos. Arm and partners are demonstrating scalable, 5G-enabled Open RAN systems based on Arm Neoverse N1 CPUs. These solution demos are showcased on the O-RAN Alliance virtual exhibition and show the applicability of the Arm Neoverse platform for a range of use cases from distributed small cells to private networks and macro deployments.

The promise of 5G will bring high speed, high-bandwidth service to a growing universe of people and things, transforming industries and impacting our daily lives. Alongside our ecosystem, we’re hard at work on the future hardware and software required to deliver the technologies that will reduce TCO and support open standards. And we are doing this while also delivering best-in-class compute performance, performance-per-watt, and scalability needed to address a broad range of network elements.

The showcase at MWC is just a sample of the great energy around Arm powering the next-generation 5G infrastructure, and we expect this to continue as partners bring more Arm-based 5G innovations to life.

About Arm

Arm technology is at the heart of a computing and data revolution that is transforming the way people live and businesses operate. Our energy-efficient processor designs and software platforms have enabled advanced computing in more than 190 billion chips and our technologies securely power products from the sensor to the smartphone and the supercomputer. Together with 1,000+ technology partners we are at the forefront of designing, securing and managing all areas of AI-enhanced connected compute from the chip to the cloud.

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