Xilinx announced it will supply Xilinx Versal AI Core series devices for NEC’s 5G radio units (RUs) that are expected to be available for deployment in 2022.
Xilinx said its 7nm Versal AI Core series devices, which are currently shipping in volume production, will enable greater performance in the new NEC RUs.

These latest NEC 5G massive MIMO RUs utilize digital beamforming for more efficient communication and wider bandwidth. NEC RUs will support a range of 5G frequencies, including C-Band. The Xilinx Versal AI Core series devices used within the NEC RUs enable advanced signal processing and beamforming, while also integrating O-RAN capabilities.

“NEC’s massive MIMO radios using Xilinx’s commercially-proven beamforming capabilities will enable an improved wireless end-user experience as use cases continue to grow and evolve in the future,” said Liam Madden, executive vice president and general manager, Wired and Wireless Group at Xilinx.

“In the highly competitive 5G base station market, the integration of Xilinx technology within NEC RUs will provide valuable advantages to our customers who demand highly-capable and feature-rich RUs that deliver the performance needed to scale for nearly any application,” said Kenichi Ito, general manager, 1st Wireless Access Solutions Division at NEC.