Cloudera joins AI-RAN Alliance to boost AI in telecoms sector
The AI-RAN Alliance, whose founding members include NVIDIA, also counts Dell, SoftBank, T-Mobile, KT and LG U+ among its participants. The group aims to address the integration of AI within current and emerging telecommunications networks and to standardise the use of AI for optimising shared infrastructure, accelerating edge AI application development, and providing reliable deployment models for AI in telecoms.
Cloudera's entry into the alliance follows a period of growing interest among telecommunications providers in using AI to optimise network operations and reduce operational costs. Virtualisation and new infrastructure architectures are key drivers, and AI is seen as an important means of improving service efficiency and enabling new business opportunities for operators.
The complexities associated with deploying AI at scale across distributed edge environments present significant challenges for the sector. Telecoms need to take an enterprise-wide approach to operationalise these technologies within the radio access network (RAN) if they are to unlock commercial benefits.
As a member of the AI-RAN Alliance, Cloudera will participate in the 'Data for AI-RAN' working group, which is tasked with standardising data orchestration, large language model driven network automation, and hybrid-enabled MLOps across telecommunications and AI workloads. According to the company, this involvement will aim to align data and AI pipeline development with operational requirements, thereby supporting quicker innovation and the deployment of AI-native use cases.
Cloudera will also support the Alliance's three stated objectives-AI-for-RAN, AI-and-RAN, and AI-on-RAN-and will work to accelerate the use of AI in real-world scenarios. Potential applications include service level agreement-driven network availability and real-time anomaly detection. The company plans to develop and evaluate reference architectures that telecoms operators can deploy in live environments, facilitating shorter development cycles and improving collaboration around model reusability.
Another focus is demonstrating the use of Cloudera's platform for real-time decision-making at the network edge. This will involve enabling scalable preparation of training data and MLOps, as well as operationalising AI inference at scale, while maintaining governance and edge-to-core orchestration.
Keir Garrett, Regional Vice President for Cloudera Australia and New Zealand, said, "Joining the AI-RAN Alliance enhances our ability to drive innovation and operational excellence for telecommunications providers across Australia and New Zealand. Leading telcos are already leveraging AI to optimise networks, improve engagement, and streamline operations, with edge computing enabling scalable transformation. Now, we're focused on guiding them through the next phase-unlocking greater value while future-proofing infrastructure. Just as smart highways enhance outdated roads, this shift ensures telcos meet growing user demand with speed, reliability, and adaptability-paving the way for the future of connectivity."
Speaking about the company's contribution to the Alliance, Abhas Ricky, Chief Strategy Officer at Cloudera, commented, "Cloudera is proud to bring its data and AI expertise to the AI-RAN Alliance. The network is the heart of the telecom business, both in driving margin growth and in service transformation, and AI can unlock substantial value across those dimensions. Given our leadership in the domain - having powered data and AI automation strategies for hundreds of telecommunications providers around the world, we now look forward to accelerating innovation alongside fellow AI-RAN Alliance members and bringing our customers along. Our goal is to help define the data standards, orchestration models, and reference architectures that will power intelligent, adaptive, and AI-native networks of the future."
Jemin Chung, Vice President Network Strategy at KT, said, "We are proud to collaborate with Cloudera and fellow AI-RAN Alliance members in the 'Data for AI-RAN' working group. As AI becomes increasingly central to next-generation networks, the ability to harness data securely and at scale will be a key differentiator. Through this initiative, we look forward to defining best practices that enable AI-centric RAN evolution and improve operational intelligence."
Dr Alex Jinsung Choi, Principal Fellow, SoftBank's Research Institute of Advanced Technology, and Chair of the AI-RAN Alliance, said, "Cloudera is an incredible addition to the AI-RAN Alliance, which has grown rapidly as demand for improved AI access and success increases across the industry. The company's leadership in data and AI, combined with their extensive telecommunications footprint, will play a vital role in advancing our shared vision of intelligent, AI-native networks."
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