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February 02, 2023

A No-Compromise Approach to Open, Cloud-Native 5G RAN

By Peter Carson, Senior Director Solutions Marketing, Marvell

The rise of fully open and optimized vRAN platforms based on globally-proven 5G layer one hardware accelerators, led by Marvell, has given Open RAN operators the industry’s first no-compromise vRAN solution. Unlike the so-called “look-aside” general-purpose alternative, the Marvell architecture is host server CPU agnostic and uniquely enables (1) RAN software programmability, based on open source, industry standard interfaces and (2) inline hardware acceleration that delivers feature, performance and power parity as compared to existing 5G networks -- absolutely critical requirements of mobile operators. Listen to what leading operators are saying about inline vRAN accelerators.

The need for inline accelerators is well established in hyperscale clouds and growing rapidly in the 5G vRAN space. This has led the industry to develop APIs and software development toolkits that abstract the underlying hardware implementation and standardize the programmer access to these accelerators. Marvell is a pioneer in hardware acceleration and remains a leading innovator and standards contributor in forums such as DPDK (Data Plane Development Kit) and the OPI (Open Programmable Infrastructure) project in which it is a co-founder.

With a comprehensive set of inline 5G hardware accelerators, standard PCIe server interface and full Open RAN compliance, software developers can leverage Marvell’s OCTEON Fusion silicon hardware, or for that matter, any Data Processor Unit (DPU) that is compliant with these standards, without the need to know its detailed implementation. Furthermore, the OCTEON Fusion vRAN accelerator, in the form of a PCIe card, is host server CPU agnostic – whether Arm- or x86-based – and supported by multiple OEMs from both the RAN and server segments. Marvell is also working directly with hyperscale cloud customers on vRAN enablement.

Bottom line, there is no vRAN alternative that is as open and optimized and widely supported as the Marvell platform. It uniquely enables cloud scalability, including integration of the largest cloud orchestration and management software platforms, as well as feature, performance and power efficiency on par with today’s most advanced 5G radio networks.

Read more:

Marvell Advances No-Compromise 5G Open RAN with Partners at MWC 2022

Vodafone and Nokia partner to advance Open RAN ecosystem in Europe

Vodafone and Samsung cooperate with Marvell to accelerate Open RAN performance and adoption

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