How Samsung and Arm are navigating the coming 6G data deluge

Although we’re still in the 5G era, Samsung is already looking ahead to try and solve the problems that could make a 6G rollout far more difficult.

Samsung Research, the research and development arm of the Korean tech giant, has partnered with Arm to develop technologies that would address parallel packet processing (PPP) technology on 6G networks. PPP is a technology for improving data throughput over networks, allowing networks to handle more data more efficiently. As part of their work together, Samsung and Arm’s efforts will be open-sourced, allowing the broader technology community access to their research and work on improving PPP.

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“Samsung’s work with Arm aims to significantly accelerate the research and development timeline ahead of the surge of data driven by 6G environments,” the company said in a statement.

While the vast majority of wireless users across the US are now running on 5G networks, the future is decidedly in 6G. That next-gen technology, which some experts say could launch by 2030, promises up to 1Tbps speeds and improved coverage, making it a contender — if not a replacement — for home networks.

However, 6G also promises plenty of challenges. With the ever-growing number of devices hitting the market, 6G networks will face more data throughput than ever. And with artificial intelligence now playing a major role in nearly every facet of the industry, having better technology to address the massive data and power requirements of AI will be critical.

“AI is fueling the demand for next-generation technologies like 6G, but the insatiable amount of data creates a vital need for power-efficient processing,” according to Mohamed Awad, senior vice president and general manager of Arm’s Infrastructure Line of Business. Awad added that the partnership between Samsung and Arm will work to “enable the AI infrastructure to run as efficiently as possible.”

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Looking ahead, it’s unclear if Samsung and Arm have established any target milestones and the companies didn’t say exactly when they expect to make progress on improving PPP. But with years to go before 6G becomes a reality, they still have plenty of time to figure it out — and prepare wireless networks for the onslaught of AI data.