Samsung Electronics and SoftBank Corp have announced a new collaboration to jointly develop AI-powered 6G network technologies, marking a major step toward the next generation of global telecommunications. The partnership will focus on integrating artificial intelligence into radio access networks (AI-RAN) to enhance network performance, energy efficiency, and user experience.
The collaboration is designed to create a foundation for the upcoming 6G era, where AI will play a central role in automating network management, optimizing signal quality, and enabling new use cases in connected devices and immersive communications. The companies confirmed that trials for AI-RAN will begin in 2025, with a focus on large-scale deployment across Asia in the coming years.
“AI-driven innovation will be the cornerstone of next-generation networks,” said a Samsung Electronics spokesperson. “Through this collaboration, we aim to accelerate the evolution of RAN toward intelligent, self-optimizing networks that can adapt dynamically to real-world conditions.”
SoftBank’s President and CEO, Junichi Miyakawa, emphasized that the partnership aligns with the company’s long-term vision of AI-integrated connectivity. He noted that AI will be essential in addressing the growing complexity of 6G networks, which are expected to manage massive data flows, low-latency services, and an expanding array of IoT devices.
The collaboration will primarily focus on the AI-RAN framework, which applies machine learning models to analyze data from network operations, user behavior, and environmental conditions. This enables networks to predict demand spikes, adjust bandwidth allocation, and reduce energy consumption without human intervention.
According to Samsung, its AI-RAN technology has already demonstrated strong performance in initial trials, achieving up to 45 percent energy savings and faster real-time adaptation to traffic fluctuations. SoftBank plans to integrate these technologies into its advanced network testing environments in Japan before expanding globally.
The upcoming 6G network infrastructure, expected to roll out commercially by the early 2030s, aims to deliver speeds more than 50 times faster than current 5G networks. The addition of AI is expected to enhance key parameters such as network reliability, spectral efficiency, and automation, enabling seamless experiences for future applications including autonomous systems, virtual worlds, and industrial robotics.
Industry analysts view the Samsung–SoftBank partnership as a strategic response to the global race for 6G leadership. With the U.S., China, South Korea, and Japan heavily investing in early-stage R&D, partnerships between telecom operators and technology manufacturers are emerging as key accelerators in defining the next telecom standard.
“AI integration is no longer an optional feature for telecom networks—it is becoming the structural backbone of 6G,” said Dr. Keisuke Ito, a Tokyo-based telecommunications expert. “Collaborations like this are critical to ensuring interoperability, security, and scalability as we move toward a fully intelligent network ecosystem.”
Both companies have previously collaborated on 5G-related projects, including Open RAN and virtualized RAN (vRAN) systems. Their experience in scalable architectures will serve as a technical foundation for the AI-RAN initiative, which aims to make networks more autonomous, resilient, and environmentally sustainable.
In addition to AI-RAN development, Samsung and SoftBank plan to explore edge AI integration for 6G networks. This would enable low-latency AI inference directly at base stations, reducing dependence on centralized data centers. The approach could enhance real-time decision-making for critical use cases such as autonomous vehicles, remote surgery, and smart city infrastructure.
The companies are also expected to contribute to international 6G standardization efforts, including work with global forums such as the Next G Alliance and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). Samsung’s prior publication of its “6G Vision” whitepaper, outlining AI-native network design principles, aligns with this goal.
For SoftBank, the move reflects its broader investment in AI-led network transformation, extending beyond mobile communications to satellite systems and enterprise connectivity. The company has been exploring AI-driven solutions for network traffic prediction and automated maintenance through its advanced data science division.
While AI integration promises major gains, experts caution that it will also raise new challenges related to security, bias, and data governance. AI systems that control network decisions must be transparent, auditable, and compliant with data protection standards to avoid unintended outcomes. Both companies have emphasized their commitment to responsible AI development as part of their research initiatives.
The collaboration between Samsung and SoftBank signals how telecom innovation is becoming increasingly data-driven, intelligent, and globally interconnected. As 6G technologies move closer to reality, such partnerships are expected to redefine how communication networks are designed, deployed, and managed in the coming decade.
The first phase of Samsung and SoftBank’s AI-RAN trials will begin in early 2025, with results expected later in the year. If successful, the initiative could serve as a blueprint for future telecom collaborations focused on AI-native network architectures—potentially transforming global connectivity from the ground up.