Keysight Technologies and Northeastern University Showcase AI-RAN Orchestration at Mobile World Congress 2025

In a significant development within the telecommunications sector, Keysight Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: KEYS) has announced a collaboration with Northeastern University to demonstrate cutting-edge Artificial Intelligence Radio Access Network (AI-RAN) orchestration technology at the Mobile World Congress 2025. The demonstration aims to illustrate how Keysight's advanced testing suite continuously evaluates Northeastern's AI-RAN orchestration solutions, enabling dynamic allocation of artificial intelligence and radio access network workloads.

The AI-RAN initiative, part of the broader AI-RAN Alliance, focuses on integrating AI technologies into both 5G and the upcoming 6G radio access networks. This integration is designed to optimize network performance, automate resource management, and enhance overall efficiency. As modern telecommunications face escalating demands, the innovative AI-RAN approach promises to deliver networks that are not only more adaptive and intelligent but also significantly more efficient.

However, implementing AI-RAN comes with its own set of challenges. These include the complexities involved in managing AI and RAN workloads concurrently, the necessity of real-time data processing with minimal latency, and the critical need to maintain robust security and privacy standards.

To tackle these challenges, Keysight and Northeastern University have partnered to validate the coexistence of AI and RAN. Their joint efforts have resulted in a comprehensive framework for continuous testing and performance benchmarking across various Open Radio Access Network (O-RAN) traffic models and generative AI (GenAI) workloads. This collaboration not only addresses the immediate challenges but also provides scalability to meet the growing demands for shared compute infrastructure at edge data centers.

The demonstration will be held at Keysight’s booth (#5F41 Hall 5) during the Mobile World Congress, where attendees will experience firsthand the innovative solutions crafted by this partnership.

The demonstration makes use of Northeastern University's AI-and-RAN reference system, which operates on a shared O-Cloud compute cluster. Furthermore, it incorporates Keysight's Open RAN Architect (KORA) solutions portfolio for RAN and Core testing. This technical framework is critical in showcasing how AI and RAN can work together seamlessly to deliver reliable and efficient network solutions.

Prof. Tommaso Melodia, the Director of the Institute for the Wireless Internet of Things at Northeastern University, expressed enthusiasm about the collaboration: “Orchestration to share compute infrastructure at edge data centers between RAN and GenAI services while ensuring network reliability represents a crucial step toward intelligent and virtualized next-generation wireless systems. Our partnership with Keysight Technologies enables us to validate AI-and-RAN integration in real-world scenarios, ensuring scalable, high-performance network solutions.”

Peng Cao, Vice President and General Manager of Keysight’s Wireless Test Group, echoed this sentiment: “Our close collaboration with Northeastern University highlights the potential of AI-RAN orchestration to transform traditional RAN systems into intelligent, adaptive, efficient, and reliable networks. This advancement will drive the development of AI-native RAN and accelerate the telecom industry’s progress towards 6G.”

As the telecommunications industry continues to evolve, the collaboration between Keysight Technologies and Northeastern University marks a pivotal moment in the integration of AI into network orchestration. With the promise of improved network efficiency and adaptability, this partnership is set to play a significant role in shaping the future of wireless communications. Attendees of Mobile World Congress 2025 can look forward to witnessing innovations that could redefine the landscape of telecommunications and accelerate the journey towards 6G.