Transition to Virtual RAN with General-Purpose Platforms and ARM-based CPUs

The chapter explores the shift towards Virtual RAN using common IT platforms like x86 servers, emphasizing the advantages of resource sharing and workload optimization. It discusses the dominance of x86 processors in the RAN space, the emergence of ARM-based CPUs as competitors, and the use of accelerators for enhancing specific functions. The debate between in line and look-aside approaches in RAN software execution, focusing on Intel's CPU-centric stance versus Nokia's inline movement onto ASICs, is also examined.