SoftBank's AI Revolution: Building Japan's Most Powerful AI Supercomputer and Pioneering 5G AI-Driven Telecom Networks

Jakarta, INTI - At the NVIDIA AI Summit in Japan, SoftBank Corp. announced its groundbreaking initiatives in AI, laying out an ambitious vision to drive Japan’s leadership in global technology. SoftBank, in collaboration with NVIDIA, is set to build Japan's most powerful AI supercomputer using NVIDIA’s Blackwell platform, as well as develop a unique AI-enabled 5G network that could unlock billions in new revenue opportunities for telecom industries worldwide.

During the keynote, NVIDIA’s CEO Jensen Huang emphasized SoftBank’s role in transforming industries through AI and 5G. "With SoftBank’s significant investment in our full-stack AI technology and 5G AI-RAN platforms, Japan is leaping into the AI industrial revolution," Huang said. “This transformation will drive growth across telecommunications, healthcare, and other critical sectors."

Pioneering Japan's Most Powerful AI Supercomputer

One of SoftBank’s primary goals is to establish Japan’s leading AI supercomputer, which will utilize NVIDIA’s DGX™ B200 systems and Blackwell-powered DGX SuperPOD. This AI infrastructure aims to advance the nation’s AI research and support AI-driven projects across various sectors, including education, healthcare, and transportation. When completed, the supercomputer will enable SoftBank to provide services not only for its projects but also for universities, research institutions, and commercial businesses across Japan. Additionally, SoftBank’s next supercomputer will feature the NVIDIA Grace Blackwell platform, optimized for handling complex AI workloads and large language model development.

SoftBank’s World-First 5G AI-RAN

In a technological milestone, SoftBank has partnered with NVIDIA to develop the world’s first AI and 5G combined telecom network, called AI-RAN (Artificial Intelligence Radio Access Network). By leveraging NVIDIA’s Aerial platform, this network allows telecom operators to utilize unused network capacity for AI tasks, thus opening significant new revenue streams. In a trial in Kanagawa Prefecture, SoftBank demonstrated how AI-RAN can run AI inference workloads while maintaining carrier-grade 5G performance. According to NVIDIA and SoftBank estimates, this AI-RAN could yield up to $5 in AI inference revenue for every $1 spent on capital expenditure.

AI Marketplace: Local and Secure Computing Power

To meet the growing demand for secure and localized AI services, SoftBank plans to create an AI marketplace powered by NVIDIA AI Enterprise software. This marketplace will act as an AI grid for Japan, enabling businesses, consumers, and enterprises to access AI training and edge AI inference. By establishing this marketplace, SoftBank intends to provide AI services to support industry needs, offering a reliable platform for data storage, management, and high-level computing capacity. This move positions SoftBank as a leader in offering scalable AI solutions for Japan’s public and private sectors, facilitating an AI ecosystem that benefits industries nationwide.

Efficiency and Scalability in the AI-RAN Network

SoftBank’s AI-RAN infrastructure, powered by NVIDIA’s AI computing platform, is designed to support both 5G and AI workloads dynamically. Using a fully software-defined 5G radio stack optimized by NVIDIA’s Aerial CUDA®-accelerated libraries, SoftBank aims to maximize efficiency and reduce power consumption by 40% compared to traditional 5G systems. For real-world applications, the AI-RAN network has already proven its capabilities, handling tasks such as autonomous vehicle support, robotics control, and edge-based AI inference. These AI-driven services can now operate effectively within SoftBank’s network, further demonstrating the potential for AI to reshape telecommunications and beyond.

Collaborations with Key Industry Partners

As part of this initiative, SoftBank has engaged with industry leaders such as Fujitsu and Red Hat, enhancing the AI-RAN’s robustness and functionality. This collaborative network not only validates the technology’s feasibility but also offers a model for AI-RAN commercialization. SoftBank’s AITRAS (Artificial Intelligence Telecom Radio Access System) was developed through a five-year collaboration with NVIDIA, integrating AI and RAN workloads to improve communication efficiency. The system optimizes dense cell networks on a single NVIDIA-accelerated GPU server, supporting a new era of AI-driven business models for telecom operators.

Meeting Dynamic Demand with AI-RAN

To support AI demand surges, SoftBank’s AI-RAN system has been designed to flexibly allocate computing power based on real-time requirements. With NVIDIA’s serverless APIs and SoftBank’s orchestrator, AI inferencing jobs can be dynamically dispatched to AI-RAN servers, ensuring that services are both localized and low-latency. This technology could potentially increase revenue fivefold for every dollar invested in AI-RAN, making it a powerful tool for telecom operators looking to expand into AI.

Ronnie Vasishta, NVIDIA’s Senior Vice President of Telecom, highlighted the economic impact of AI-RAN, saying, “SoftBank’s live field trial is a significant step toward commercialization, validating both the performance and economic benefits of this groundbreaking technology.”

Future Outlook: Leading the AI Era

With its extensive AI infrastructure, innovative AI-RAN technology, and dedication to secure AI computing, SoftBank is positioned to be at the forefront of the AI revolution. By investing in AI and 5G, SoftBank is not only setting the stage for future growth but also establishing Japan as a leader in sovereign AI initiatives, bringing both social and economic benefits. The company's collaboration with NVIDIA underscores a commitment to driving transformative change across industries, creating a roadmap for other nations to follow.

In the words of Junichi Miyakawa, SoftBank’s President and CEO, “SoftBank is leading this transformation with an extremely powerful AI infrastructure. With AITRAS and our distributed AI-RAN solution, we will accelerate innovation not only across Japan but globally, transforming the future of telecommunications.”