Swedish vendor Ericsson has announced a partnership with the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, aimed at researching AI and Edge computing.

Terms of the partnership were not disclosed, but Ericsson confirmed the collaboration is a long-term one for joint research in the area of AI, compute, and radio.

The partnership will also see the two parties work towards developing novel AI and distributed compute technology towards 6G research.

Ericsson has outlined the importance of AI and compute towards its 6G networks, as the compute offload needs to be managed dynamically at Edge.

“In the commitment towards Digital India and making India the hub of technological innovation, this collaboration with Ericsson will be effective for next-generation technology significantly," said Virendra Kumar Tewari, director of IIT Kharagpur.

"6G networks integrated with artificial intelligence will enable AI-powered applications to run faster and more efficiently. In the 6G era, IIT Kharagpur aims to contribute to radio access technology and network, core network, RF & device technologies, VLSI design, neuromorphic signal processing, services, and applications."

Rival vendor Nokia opened a 6G Lab at its R&D center in Bangalore, India, in October.

At the time Nokia said the lab would explore the development of innovative use cases underpinned by 6G technology.

The Bharat 6G Vision is essentially a strategy to create 6G technology in India by 2030, and includes participation from Airtel, Jio, Vodafone Idea, and Tech Mahindra.