The Architecture of AI and Communication Integration towards 6G: An O-RAN Evolution

Zexu Li; Qingtian Wang; Yue Wang; Tao Chen

doi:10.1145/3636534.3701550

The Architecture of AI and Communication Integration towards 6G: An O-RAN Evolution

Zexu Li, Qingtian Wang^*, Yue Wang, Tao Chen

^*Corresponding author for this work

BA6401 Connectivity solutions

China Telecom Research Institute (CTRI)

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference article in proceedings › Scientific › peer-review

1 Citation (Scopus)

Abstract

The evolution of communication architecture shifts towards virtualization and cloud-native network functions, setting the stage for the flexibility and integration of emerging technologies. Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) as intrinsic elements in network design are some of the crucial visions and requirements for 6G. This paper, from the perspective of O-RAN, explores how current network architectures should evolve towards the integration of communication and intelligence in 6G. It begins with a comprehensive analysis and comparison of the AI-related work conducted by various standard organizations. Building on this, an end-to-end AI integration framework is proposed, which leverages AI technologies, data services, and digital twin (DT) technologies to achieve an integrated intelligent 6G communication system. After that, the key enabling technologies for cross-domain AI, service-based RAN, programmable RAN and digital twins are discussed. At last, the paper analyzes the challenges and opportunities for O-RAN evolution.

Original language	English
Title of host publication	ACM MobiCom 2024 - Proceedings of the 30th International Conference on Mobile Computing and Networking
Publisher	Association for Computing Machinery ACM
Pages	2329-2334
Number of pages	6
ISBN (Electronic)	9798400704895
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1145/3636534.3701550
Publication status	Published - 29 Dec 2024
MoE publication type	A4 Article in a conference publication
Event	30th International Conference on Mobile Computing and Networking, ACM MobiCom 2024 - Washington, United States Duration: 18 Nov 2024 → 22 Nov 2024

Conference

Conference	30th International Conference on Mobile Computing and Networking, ACM MobiCom 2024
Country/Territory	United States
City	Washington
Period	18/11/24 → 22/11/24

Funding

This work was partially funded by the National Key R&D Program under Grant 2022YFB2902100, and partially supported by 6G-Cloud project which have received funding from EU Horizon Europe programme under GA No. 101139073.

Keywords

6G
AI/ML
integrated architecture
O-RAN

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10.1145/3636534.3701550

Cite this

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title = "The Architecture of AI and Communication Integration towards 6G: An O-RAN Evolution",

abstract = "The evolution of communication architecture shifts towards virtualization and cloud-native network functions, setting the stage for the flexibility and integration of emerging technologies. Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) as intrinsic elements in network design are some of the crucial visions and requirements for 6G. This paper, from the perspective of O-RAN, explores how current network architectures should evolve towards the integration of communication and intelligence in 6G. It begins with a comprehensive analysis and comparison of the AI-related work conducted by various standard organizations. Building on this, an end-to-end AI integration framework is proposed, which leverages AI technologies, data services, and digital twin (DT) technologies to achieve an integrated intelligent 6G communication system. After that, the key enabling technologies for cross-domain AI, service-based RAN, programmable RAN and digital twins are discussed. At last, the paper analyzes the challenges and opportunities for O-RAN evolution.",

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author = "Zexu Li and Qingtian Wang and Yue Wang and Tao Chen",

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address = "United States",

note = "30th International Conference on Mobile Computing and Networking, ACM MobiCom 2024 ; Conference date: 18-11-2024 Through 22-11-2024",

}

Li, Z, Wang, Q, Wang, Y & Chen, T 2024, The Architecture of AI and Communication Integration towards 6G: An O-RAN Evolution. in ACM MobiCom 2024 - Proceedings of the 30th International Conference on Mobile Computing and Networking. Association for Computing Machinery ACM, pp. 2329-2334, 30th International Conference on Mobile Computing and Networking, ACM MobiCom 2024, Washington, United States, 18/11/24. https://doi.org/10.1145/3636534.3701550

The Architecture of AI and Communication Integration towards 6G: An O-RAN Evolution. / Li, Zexu; Wang, Qingtian; Wang, Yue et al.
ACM MobiCom 2024 - Proceedings of the 30th International Conference on Mobile Computing and Networking. Association for Computing Machinery ACM, 2024. p. 2329-2334.

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference article in proceedings › Scientific › peer-review

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AB - The evolution of communication architecture shifts towards virtualization and cloud-native network functions, setting the stage for the flexibility and integration of emerging technologies. Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) as intrinsic elements in network design are some of the crucial visions and requirements for 6G. This paper, from the perspective of O-RAN, explores how current network architectures should evolve towards the integration of communication and intelligence in 6G. It begins with a comprehensive analysis and comparison of the AI-related work conducted by various standard organizations. Building on this, an end-to-end AI integration framework is proposed, which leverages AI technologies, data services, and digital twin (DT) technologies to achieve an integrated intelligent 6G communication system. After that, the key enabling technologies for cross-domain AI, service-based RAN, programmable RAN and digital twins are discussed. At last, the paper analyzes the challenges and opportunities for O-RAN evolution.

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The Architecture of AI and Communication Integration towards 6G: An O-RAN Evolution

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