MWC22 | Intel drives the development of vRAN, launches Xeon processors for network and edge, and strengthens edge software functions
Article Summary:
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Intel announced that it has further enhanced the architecture of the next-generation Intel Xeon Scalable Processor Sapphire Rapids, which will increase the capacity of virtualized radio access network (vRAN) deployments by up to 2 times① .
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Intel introduced the Intel Xeon D series processors, a new Intel system-on-chip (SoC) designed specifically for the needs of software-defined networks and the edge.
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Intel released the OpenVINO toolkit version 2022.1. The previously launched OpenVINO 2021 version has been a great success. Compared with the OpenVINO 2020 version, the number of downloads of the OpenVINO 2021 version by developers has reached a new high, an increase of more than 40%.
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American Tower, AT&T, BT, Ericsson, Rakuten Mobile, Verizon and Zeblok shared their respective collaborations with Intel, including the cutting-edge technological advances they have made together in the 5G field.
As global networks become software-defined and edge inference is dramatically changing industries, Intel announced new programmable hardware and open software during its virtual keynote at Mobile World Congress Barcelona 2022. These two developments will not only enable Intel’s customers and developer community to drive countless innovation projects at scale, but will also continue to drive Intel’s business growth and expand its current market leadership.
Intel released a series of progress and achievements, including new architectural enhancements and future new CPU categories in the next-generation Intel® Xeon® Scalable Processor Sapphire Rapids , as well as Intel's newly developed system-on-chip for software-defined networks and edges - Intel® Xeon ™ D series processors . In terms of software, Intel also demonstrated a comprehensive upgrade of its software product portfolio, including the release of OpenVINO ™ 2022.1 and new software modules in Intel® Smart Edge . These advances can help developers have higher performance and flexibility when innovating at the edge .
Intel also discussed its fundamental role in driving software-defined transformation at the network and edge with industry leaders including leading communications service providers, telecom equipment manufacturers and IoT leaders such as American Tower, AT&T, BT, Ericsson, Rakuten Mobile, Verizon and Zeblok.
As we usher in a new era of innovation in network and edge transformation, now more than ever, we need greater control, adaptability and scalability to enable those who build and operate infrastructure to quickly introduce new capabilities to drive this evolution. Our mission is to provide programmable hardware and open software through a broad ecosystem to best serve our current and future customers and partners. Together, we will lead the next wave of evolution from cloud to network infrastructure.
——Nick McKeown
Intel Senior Vice President and
General Manager of Network and Edge Business Unit
On Sapphire Rapids processors
Advancing vRAN Workloads
As operators around the world deploy vRAN, almost all commercial deployments use Intel technology. Intel is working hard to continue to develop its vibrant vRAN ecosystem, enabling vRAN to have unparalleled performance and meet the key indicators of operators. Intel is working with Samsung, Ericsson, Rakuten Symphony and other leading manufacturers to bring new solutions based on the next-generation Xeon Scalable platform Sapphire Rapids to market.
Information released for the first time at this event includes:
● Unique new 5G-specific signal processing instruction enhancements in the Sapphire Rapids core , developed specifically to support RAN-specific signal processing, can triple the capacity of vRAN② and support advanced features such as high cell density for 64T64R massive MIMO. This paves the way for customers to deploy vRAN in the world’s harshest environments.
● In addition, the Sapphire Rapids series will feature new chips with integrated acceleration capabilities that are optimized for vRAN workloads. With a wide range of options available through the next-generation Intel Xeon Scalable processor family, customers will have greater flexibility and more optimization points when building out their networks.
Intel is dedicated to software-defined networking and edge
New system-on-chip designed
The new Intel Xeon D series processors include specific features for the network and edge during the design process, integrated AI and encryption acceleration, built-in Ethernet, support for timing coordinated computing and time-sensitive networks, and industrial-grade reliability.
When computing processing needs to be performed near where data is generated, the new Intel Xeon D series processors perform well in many use cases, including security equipment, enterprise routers and switches, cloud storage, wireless networks, and artificial intelligence reasoning.
For enterprises, cloud operators and communications service providers, the new Intel Xeon D series processors enable low latency, high performance computing, higher security and high network throughput at the edge. They are also suitable for a wide range of operating environments, including those with space and power constraints. More than 70 leading technology companies are working with Intel to design products using the new Intel Xeon D series processors, including Cisco, Juniper Networks and Rakuten Symphony.
New software investments maximize edge opportunities
As computing power at the edge continues to increase and AI inference becomes a critical workload in nearly every industry, Intel also announced two software updates that provide a powerful edge development experience, ensuring that developers can access Intel hardware capabilities holistically and in an easy-to-programmable way through an open, modern, cloud-native platform.
To help developers further advance AI and take full advantage of new and existing hardware performance, Intel released the biggest upgrade to OpenVINO in more than three years. Three new enhancements in OpenVINO 2022.1 will lead the way:
● Simplified upgrade API makes it easier to import TensorFlow models and significantly improves code portability, thereby accelerating time to market.
● Coverage of more models and enhanced support for natural language processing, double-precision models, and advanced computer vision , resulting in significant performance improvements across a wider range of use cases and model types.
● A groundbreaking new automatic optimization feature that automatically discovers all compute and accelerators on a specific system, and then dynamically balances the load and enhances AI parallel processing capabilities based on memory and compute capacity. This allows software developers to operate without having to know the hardware configuration in advance.
American Tower, Zeblok, and Intel are collaborating to deliver their AI-MicroCloud ™ solution to cities around the world using Intel processors and OpenVINO .
As more and more developers develop innovative new services at the edge, Intel has also added a new software module to its intelligent edge portfolio. This module is fully optimized for Intel Xeon processors to accelerate the workload of 5G user plane functions (UPF) at the edge of the network and help provide the required latency and bandwidth③ . These modules abstract the complexity of the hardware so that developers can write applications on top to take full advantage of the packet processing capabilities of Intel CPUs, providing a simpler path to enhance 5G UPF performance.
Driving a new era of network and edge innovation
Today, through a broad industry ecosystem, customers can leverage Intel’s product portfolio and common software platform to develop innovative solutions and leverage their own software investments to develop future solutions.
① Estimates as of February 10, 2022, comparing Sapphire Rapids architectural improvements to 3rd Gen Intel Xeon Scalable processors with similar core counts, tested with FlexRAN software. Test results may vary.
②Estimates as of February 10, 2022, comparing Sapphire Rapids architectural improvements to 3rd Gen Intel Xeon Scalable processors with similar core counts, tested with FlexRAN software. Test results may vary.
③ Refer to http://www.intel.com/processorclaims - Intel® Xeon® D. Results may vary.
Performance varies by use, configuration, and other factors. Visit http://www.intel.com/PerformanceIndex for more information.
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