Feb 21, 2023 11:58 JST

Source: NEC Corporation

NEC collaborates with Intel to achieve market-leading low power consumption in 5G core network UPF to support green networks

TOKYO, Feb 21, 2023 - (JCN Newswire) - NEC Corporation (TSE: 6701) has reduced the CPU power consumption of the User Plane Function (UPF) for 4G / 5G networks by more than 30% in a dynamic, near-commercial environment. By using the Intel Xeon Scalable processor telemetry for the UPF's load determination logic, NEC has enabled the dynamic control of hardware resources in real time for optimal power consumption. This was accomplished in a UPF performance test of a containerized standalone converged core network and will help telecommunications carriers to meet their energy consumption and cost reduction goals for 4G / 5G network operations.

The acceleration of 5G, has led to an increased demand for improved UPF performance. As such, the reduction in power consumption has become critical. So far, UPF applications that handle user data traffic often appear to consume 100% of CPU resources. Moreover, the applications have high energy usage and power consumption as they constantly poll the Network Interface Card (NIC), (i.e. transmit and receive data to confirm processing procedures) regardless of traffic volume. NEC was able to optimize power consumption by dynamically adjusting the Xeon processor usage with real time traffic in consideration of operations on a commercial network.

Specifically, NEC customized the load determination logic to fit real commercial traffic and implemented the logic in the Data Plane Development Kit (DPDK) that is incorporated into NEC's UPF. Moreover, NEC established a mechanism for dynamically controlling the hardware resources of the Intel CPU. As a result, even in an environment close to the commercial network where traffic rates fluctuate and momentary increases in packet volume occur, there is no packet loss while CPU power consumption is reduced.

Drawing on their extensive expertise and collaboration, NEC and Intel have achieved this industry-leading reduction in energy consumption. Going forward, NEC and Intel will continue to develop and co-create technologies aimed at reducing power consumption and achieving carbon neutrality.

"Reducing energy consumption drives tangible business benefits for operators and is key to supporting energy efficient networks in the telecoms industry," said Patrick Lopez, Global VP of Product Management for 5G Products at NEC. "NEC is proud to be leading the way in promoting green networks. We're working closely with Intel to deliver the cutting-edge innovation that will enable operators to move to a new era of energy and cost efficiency today."

"The collaboration with NEC continues to strengthen and adapt to meet the challenges of the market, including the modernization of network infrastructure and transformation to a cloud-native 5G core," said Alex Quach, Intel VP and GM, Wireline and Core Network Division. "Our combined efforts showcase the value of the Intel Xeon Scalable processors' capabilities via advanced power management software to yield the cost savings and reduced power consumption that operators seek while continuing to meet the performance required to deliver the right 5G experiences."

NEC is planning to expand UPF innovation by applying this technology to the user plane processing on RAN and the control plane on the Core / RAN, thereby contributing to the power saving of the entire 5G network.

This press release is based on results obtained from "Research and Development Project of the Enhanced Infrastructures for Post-5G Information and Communication Systems" (JPNP20017), commissioned by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO).

About NEC Corporation

NEC Corporation has established itself as a leader in the integration of IT and network technologies while promoting the brand statement of "Orchestrating a brighter world." NEC enables businesses and communities to adapt to rapid changes taking place in both society and the market as it provides for the social values of safety, security, fairness and efficiency to promote a more sustainable world where everyone has the chance to reach their full potential. For more information, visit NEC at www.nec.com.

Source: NEC Corporation
Sectors: Telecoms, 5G, Wireless, Apps

Copyright ©2025 JCN Newswire. All rights reserved. A division of Japan Corporate News Network.

Related Press Release


NEC DGDF Headquarters relocates to Zurich to accelerate growth and enhance management globally
April 28 2025 15:03 JST
 
NEC invests in U.S.-based "Geodesic Alliance Fund" aiming to strengthen economic security business
April 24 2025 09:23 JST
 
NEC Face Recognition Ranks First in NIST Accuracy Testing
April 09 2025 10:09 JST
 
NEC Orchestrating Future Fund invests in Rescale, Inc., provider of a leading digital engineering platform for cloud high-performance computing (HPC)
April 08 2025 15:42 JST
 
SITA and NEC Collaborate to Drive Global Adoption of Digital Identities in Travel
April 08 2025 15:11 JST
 
NEC has developed technologies that enable a secure workflow for personalized cancer vaccines and has proven their capabilities
April 01 2025 15:15 JST
 
NEC and COEDO Brewery develop the second edition of "The taste of life created by brewers and AI -- Agentic AI x Craft Beer"
March 28 2025 12:08 JST
 
NEC provides 25G tunable SFP extended reach optical transceiver
March 26 2025 13:41 JST
 
NEC receives order for walkthrough gates leveraging face recognition technology to facilitate more seamless airport arrival and departure procedures
March 25 2025 16:14 JST
 
NTT, DOCOMO and NEC Demonstrate World's Fastest 140 Gbps Bidirectional Wireless Transmission in 80 GHz Band
March 25 2025 15:40 JST
 
More Press release >>

Latest Press Release


More Latest Release >>