Xilinx Zynq UltraScale+ RFSoC
AMD
As the metaverse becomes a larger part of the enterprise, business, and our personal lives, the need to ensure high-speed, reliable and secure wireless communications into the metaverse – across the globe –becomes increasingly more important. To that end, AMD has just announced that its recently acquired Xilinx Zynq UltraScale+ RFSoC is being used in the development of multiple Evenstar radio units (RUs). The ultimate goal with these RUs is to accelerate the adoption of Open RAN deployments worldwide and grow the 4G/5G global mobile network infrastructure to better support nascent, connected technologies, like the metaverse.
Evenstar is the name of an initiative Meta (formerly Facebook) and its partners formed to build adaptable and efficient reference Open Radio Access Networks (Open RAN, or O-RAN), in an effort to spur the design and manufacture of flexible radios for 4G and 5G networks, in-line with the 3GPP and O-RAN Alliance specifications.
AMD 5G Technologies.
AMD
“The development of Evenstar radios with our adaptive radio technology inside is a significant achievement for AMD,” said Dan Mansur, vice president, Data Center and Communications Group, AMD. “We are proud to be an ecosystem partner with Meta Connectivity and look forward to continuing our collaborative designs for Evenstar to deliver flexible, scalable, and efficient wireless solutions.”
Open Radio Access Networks, or Open RAN (O-RAN), is a potential disrupter for CSPs and the wider market for a multitude of reasons. The overarching goal of the Open RAN project is to disaggregate the Radio Unit (RU), Distributed Unit (DU), and Centralized Unit (CU) in radio access networks and open the protocols and interfaces between them, to allow mobile network operators to deploy purpose-built equipment from different vendors and manufacturers, while at the same time ensuring broad compatibility and seamless interoperability.
Open RAN Metaverse-Ready Networks.
AMD
“We are excited to see AMD’s RFSoC solutions incorporated into Evenstar RUs in collaboration with our ecosystem partners,” said Jaydeep Ranade, director of wireless engineering for Meta Connectivity. “As we continue to champion open, disaggregated solutions for the industry, we look forward to unlocking new ways to accelerate the pace of innovation as networks evolve.”
There is still much work to be done before Open RAN deployments supplant today’s common single-vendor, fully integrated solutions, but the recently-formed AMD/Xilinx team working with Meta is sure to spur additional collaborations and interest, to drive further critical traction for Open RAN.
