Can 6G embedded with artificial intelligence 'green' next-generation networks?

There are some astonishing things about Mobile World Congress (MWC) that make it an experience that is both fascinating and exhausting. There are eight halls packed with bright lights, pageantry and unparalleled technological advancements. Every year I come to see it all, and every year I leave having only seen a third of it.

This year’s theme is “Speed” and the slogan is “Unleash tomorrow’s technology today.” Concepts such as the metaverse, artificial intelligence (AI) and 6G can be seen everywhere. But everything is tied to environmental concerns, with most products positioned to address the technology's growing carbon footprint.

Embracing Green Technology

The problem is getting more and more serious. Huawei storage expert Dr. Peter Zhou said that by 2030, the amount of data generated by enterprises each year will be measured in "gigabytes." This term already exists, if not quite needed yet; it is the largest unit recognized by the International System of Units (SI). Data is only going to go in this direction, and we're already storing so much of it that it's damaging the planet. This question hangs over industries and technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT) and the Metaverse that rely heavily on sensor technology and artificial intelligence.

Huawei used MWC’s Zero Day event to showcase a number of green technology initiatives. Steven Moore, head of climate action at the GSMA, talked about the shelf life of our mobile devices – none of which are 100% renewable. He called on manufacturers to push for longer lifespans, suggesting even a year's extension would be equivalent to taking 4.7 million cars off the road. Likewise, Emmanuel Chatard, SVP Operations and Network Economics at Orange, urged regulating the use of second-hand equipment in mobile networks.

While this may help reduce e-waste, we face a more serious challenge, and that is power consumption - especially on mobile networks. As many people already know, 5G drains phone batteries very quickly. This is partly because the phones themselves are looking for the best signal, but our network signals are also working harder than they need to.

How 6G networks will leverage artificial intelligence

Nicolas Kourtellis, chief research scientist and co-director of Telefonica Research, said in a speech at MWC that 6G promises to significantly increase data consumption and speeds with almost zero latency .

A new generation of mobile network technology appears approximately every decade, and 6G is expected to appear around 2030. However, in order to cope with the shortcomings of 5G, Huawei is currently considering a product called 5.5G, which is expected to improve sensing technology and power efficiency. Ultimately, this is the midpoint of the 6G journey and where things get more exciting.

Several factors will make SSmart and super-fast 6G a reality, including advances in low latency, artificial intelligence and sensor technology. Huawei believes that 6G networks will need to embed artificial intelligence so that they can be classified as artificial intelligence systems themselves.

Part of the intelligence will be used to manage beamforming signals, which are the tools that transmit data to devices. And, with 6G, the network will be smart enough to moderate the signal to enable automation in a low-latency and more efficient way. If Huawei is right, 6G will be both a technological advancement and a fundamental solution to the growing carbon footprint of mobile telecoms.

Use technology to work smarter, not harder

Using artificial intelligence to save the planet is a bit counterintuitive, however, because AI computing is very power-hungry. The idea that we can use energy more efficiently may seem strange, considering it's one of the main culprits behind technology's huge carbon footprint.

"I think that's the interesting part," Carmen Fontana, a member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), told IT Pro. "These processors are getting smarter and they can do more, but they are also energy hogs."

Fontana, who is also Augment Therapy's vice president of operations, said these same energy consumption issues Also plagues blockchain.

We can do all these cool things, but it’s terrible for the environment. So I do think these chip processors, or the cloud environment in general, have to be smarter and make that a priority rather than just more and more power," she continued. "On the other hand, we can Using a large number of these connected devices in applications such as utility grids makes them smarter in how we use utility grids. Maybe we are resisting the use of chips, but it will also allow us to use electricity more efficiently.

There is another dimension here; these initiatives are not only good for the environment but can be leveraged to cut costs. Economic distress has exacerbated a cost-of-living crisis that is impacting the global economy and supply chains. The tech industry is shedding jobs and businesses, particularly in the UK, are grappling with shrinking budgets. Sustainability aside, as important as it is, we all need technology to help us do more with less and work smarter, not harder.

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