Romain Beurdouche, a doctoral researcher in Communication Systems at EURECOM, recently discussed key updates on integrating hardware accelerators with the Open Air Interface (OAI) 5G RAN stack, with a particular focus on the role of RISC-V platforms. In this interview, he outlines both the technical strides made so far and the expected outcomes from ongoing research.
Romain reflects on the early stages of hardware integration in the OAI project, which began with a forward error correction (FEC) accelerator embedded within an FPGA card specifically built for 5G operations. Although this initial attempt marked a significant milestone, the integration was suboptimal. Key inefficiencies stemmed from underutilised APIs and an inability to effectively share the accelerator across different workloads.
The COREnext initiative provided a critical opportunity to address these issues. As Romain Beurdouche explains, the project focused on refining the efficiency of integration by revisiting how the OAI stack interfaces with acceleration hardware. Improvements were made in workload distribution and in aligning the accelerator’s capabilities more closely with the software stack’s needs. This laid the groundwork for more robust, scalable, and flexible integrations moving forward.
The role of RISC-V in coarse-grained acceleration
Attention is now turning to RISC-V, an open standard instruction set architecture (ISA), as a promising platform for coarse-grained acceleration. While still emerging in terms of commercial adoption (with no widespread availability of RISC-V laptops or servers for professional use) the technology holds potential for more efficient and cost-effective computing.
Romain notes that the drive toward energy and cost efficiency, alongside regulatory pressures, necessitates exploration of such architectures. RISC-V, particularly when used in conjunction with inline acceleration within the same system-on-chip (SoC), aligns with these broader technological and regulatory shifts.
COREnext provides access to sample hardware and expert insights that the OAI community may not independently possess. This ecosystem-level collaboration allows OAI to experiment with and adapt to newer computing paradigms, positioning the platform for next-generation network demands.
Anticipated feedback from open-source integration environment
Looking ahead, Romain anticipates that open-sourcing the integration environment will serve as a catalyst for innovation across the telecommunications landscape. Historically, hardware and software vendors have sought integration with OAI as a means of demonstrating the viability and performance of their solutions in a full-stack, real-world network environment.
This approach benefits both the vendors, by showcasing their products in a demanding and publicly visible setting, and the wider research and development community, which gains access to a tested and transparent platform for experimentation. Similar interest and collaboration following the release of the RISC-V-based integration tools are expected, as it provides an essential proving ground for components within the 5G and eventually 6G ecosystem.
The interview with Romain Beurdouche highlights a forward-thinking trajectory for Open Air Interface, facilitated by both improved hardware integration and a deliberate move toward RISC-V acceleration. By enhancing the efficiency of the 5G stack and providing an open-source environment for validation and collaboration, OAI continues to serve as a key enabler for innovation in modern mobile networks.
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