SoftBank announced an order for NVIDIA Blackwell DGX B200 systems to build Japan's most powerful AI supercomputer, with plans to follow with Grace Blackwell infrastructure. In parallel, SoftBank completed a live outdoor trial of AI-RAN (artificial intelligence radio access network) that simultaneously runs 5G workloads and AI inference, using spare carrier network capacity. SoftBank and NVIDIA estimate telecom operators can generate 5 dollars of AI inference revenue per 1 dollar of AI-RAN capex, with SoftBank projecting 219 percent ROI per server. This signals a new revenue stream for telecom operators and validates a use case for edge AI inference at scale. For financial institutions, the announcement extends NVIDIA's TAM from hyperscaler and enterprise data centers into telecommunications infrastructure, and tests whether telecom operators can monetize dormant network capacity to offset AI infrastructure capex.
437 other tracked developments touching the same claims.