Intel is testing open-source 5G and O-RAN stacks on the city-scale COSMOS testbed in New York to validate NextG architectures for edge AI and IoT.
Intel has partnered with COSMOS (led by Rutgers, Columbia, and NYU), Airspan Networks, and research institutions to integrate and test OCUDU, maintained by the Linux Foundation, and open-source 5G systems. The collaboration uses COSMOS’s NSF PAWR city-scale testbed in New York City, featuring an FCC Innovation Zone and an O-RAN OTIC, to validate NextG wireless architectures.
Connecting Intel’s silicon directly to open-source 5G/NextG networks, the initiative targets AI, IoT, and edge workloads. The stack combines OCUDU with Intel-backed Aether/SD-Core, Airspan’s commercial O-RAN Radio Units, and Distributed Antenna Systems, keeping Intel deeply embedded in open O-RAN infrastructure.
Success will be measured over 48- to 72-hour test runs using COSMOS/WINLAB’s POET testbed. Key performance indicators focus on stable end-to-end performance, consistent UE attach, sustained data flow, fault reporting, throughput, latency, packet loss, and energy efficiency.
The initiative supports the company’s data centre, AI server, and foundry strategies by demonstrating compatibility with open, modular networks. Future phases will expand to cover SMO/RIC integration, telemetry, exemplar xApps/rApps, zero-touch operations, and a deployable private 5G platform for defence and enterprise sectors targeting 3GPP-aligned 6G standards.
