Arm launches 5G Solutions Lab where companies can collaborate and test new innovations

Semiconductor company Arm has announced a new cross-partner 5G Solutions Lab that will allow organizations working on 5G projects to gain easy access to the hardware and software needed to test new products and speed innovation.

“The Lab will provide secure access to partners and operators to validate solutions and gain confidence in new technologies across a range of critical use-cases such as small cells, macro cells, private 5G networks, cloud RAN, RAN Intelligence Controller (RIC), and core network,” said Chris Bergey, SVP and GM of Arm’s Infrastructure Line of Business.

SEE: 5G: What it means for edge computing (free PDF) (TechRepublic)

In a release announcing the founding of the lab, Bergey said that new infrastructure and technology will be needed to achieve the true potential of 5G. “The rapid pace of deployment underscores how critical it is that we achieve faster development of network and edge infrastructure solutions to unleash the benefits of 5G to everyone, including those in emerging economies with limited or no access to connectivity,” Bergey said. 

It makes sense that Arm, a company that has been largely overlooked for the past couple of decades, is now founding an innovation incubator with partners the likes of Google, GSMA, Qualcomm, NVIDIA and others: It’s in a position to be the leader in chip architecture in the next decade.

Arm licenses chip architecture to companies like Apple (the Apple M1 is Arm-based), Qualcomm (the Snapdragon series in an Arm chip), Samsung, AMD — the list can go on, with Arm recently passing the 190 billion chips shipped to date mark, said Bergey, who also said in the release linked above that Arm will be powering the majority of 5G devices and infrastructure that is built in the coming years. 

The Arm 5G Solutions Lab, therefore will be a place where Arm and its partner companies (and those testing their own products using the lab’s technology) can “come together to define KPIs, blueprints and deployment guides to help bring innovations in 5G alive and ultimately, generate revenue faster,” Bergey said. 

Bergey said that the lab will be a physical space, and that limited access can be granted to participants and clients as needed, but that the lab itself is being designed as a remote space where clients connect from their own offices and labs to run tests on the Lab’s equipment. 

SEE: Edge computing adoption to increase through 2026; organizations cautious about adding 5G to the mix (TechRepublic Premium)

“There are so many people in the 5G ecosystem that it’s hard for people to replicate everything they need,” Bergey said, adding that the Lab will be that space. “Arm is dominant cpu provider to traditional enterprise networking providers, and the lab will be a place where the ARM ecosystem connects to software devs, CSPs and operators can participate in solutions labs, testing and other projects,” Bergey said. 

The Arm 5G Solutions Lab, built in partnership with Tech Mahindra, is expected to be made available in early 2022. Organizations interested in using or partnering with the 5G Solutions Lab can find more information at the Lab’s website, and those attending this week’s Arm DevSummit will have a chance to learn more about it there as well. 

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