AI-RAN vision: AI embedded in every layer of the RAN

The AI-RAN Paradigm Shift

AI-RAN represents a fundamental shift from rule-based to learning-based radio access networks. Traditional RANs rely on handcrafted algorithms — fixed codebooks for beamforming, heuristic schedulers, and threshold-based handover decisions designed decades ago. AI-RAN replaces these with machine learning models that learn optimal behavior from data. Neural networks predict the best beam without exhaustive search. Reinforcement learning agents allocate radio resources by adapting to traffic patterns in real time. AI-RAN is not a single feature but a vision where AI permeates every RAN layer…