DOCOMO and NTT to Begin the World's First Demonstration of Coordinated Control of Workload Shifting and Energy Management at Radio Base Stations

This is a press release issued by the organization named below — not KaneAIJapan editorial.

News Highlights:

- DOCOMO and NTT will begin the world's first demonstration of AI-coordinated control at radio base stations, in which workload shifting—the transfer of communications-processing loads between sites—is integrated with energy management for solar power generation and battery storage.
- This demonstration will evaluate this new technology in three scenarios: normal operations, periods of tight electricity supply and demand, and power outages. It will assess the potential to maximize renewable energy use, contribute to power-grid stability, and keep communications services running longer during outages.
- The two companies aim to help build sustainable, disaster-resilient social infrastructure for the 6G/IOWN era.

TOKYO, JAPAN, October 23, 2026 - (JCN Newswire) - NTT DOCOMO, INC. and NTT, Inc. announced today that they have developed a technology that uses AI to optimally coordinate and control radio base station communications-processing workloads and the operation of distributed energy resources,*1 including solar power generation and storage batteries. The two companies will jointly begin a demonstration on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, to verify this new technology's effectiveness in increasing the use of renewable energy, supporting demand response (DR)*2 during periods of tight electricity supply and demand, and improving communications service continuity during disasters. This is the world's first demonstration at base stations using this technology.*3

In recent years, the spread of generative AI and other developments have accelerated society's digital transformation, and the electricity consumed by communications networks has been rising. At the same time, expanding the use of renewable energy to help achieve a decarbonized society and strengthening communications infrastructure to prepare for large-scale disasters are important social challenges. At conventional base stations, however, communications and power equipment have generally been controlled independently, primarily according to their respective operating conditions. As a result, it has been difficult to operate communications equipment in response to renewable energy generation under normal conditions, or to coordinate the use of limited power with the operations of communications equipment during outages caused by disasters and other events.

This demonstration will use workload shifting (WLS) technology,*4 which moves communications-processing workloads between base stations, together with DOCOMO's energy management system (EMS) platform,*5 which manages distributed energy resources such as solar power generation and storage batteries. Based on operating plans calculated by AI, NTT will control the communications load at each base station, while DOCOMO will control the storage batteries. This will enable the companies to coordinate and optimize communications and power equipment as an integrated system.

NTT will build a verification environment using open-source software (OSS)*6 to simulate the communications processing performed by a virtualized radio access network (vRAN). The environment will be connected to DOCOMO's base stations. Using this setup, DOCOMO and NTT will test WLS operations that take into account the status of distributed energy resources and assess the technology's effectiveness across all three scenarios: normal operations, periods of tight electricity supply and demand, and power outages.

Configuration of the Demonstration

This technology links workload shifts between sites with the charging and discharging of storage batteries. DOCOMO and NTT aim to increase renewable energy use and help stabilize the power grid through DR when electricity supply and demand are tight. This will enable base stations that handle communications processing to be switched flexibly in response to renewable energy generation, making effective use of renewable energy that was previously underutilized.

In particular, during DR, this technology will help ease pressure on electricity supply and demand by reducing power consumption at the participating site, both by discharging storage batteries and by shifting communications-processing workloads to other sites. During power outages caused by disasters and other events, workloads can be shifted to other sites to reduce power consumption at the affected site. This can extend the backup time provided by storage batteries and help maintain communications services longer.

Conceptual Application of this new coordinated optimization technology

DOCOMO and NTT plan to complete the demonstration by the end of December 2026 and evaluate this new technology's effectiveness. Going forward, the two companies will consider linking the technology with data centers and extending it to a wider range of energy resources. They aim to help build sustainable, disaster-resilient social infrastructure for the 6G/IOWN era.

DOCOMO and NTT will have a booth showcasing this initiative at NTT R&D FORUM 2026, which will be held at the NTT Musashino R&D Center on November 18 - 20 and November 24 - 25, 2026.

*1 Relatively small-scale energy resources installed in a distributed manner close to consumers, in contrast to large power plants. Examples include solar power generation and fuel cells. In this demonstration, the term covers these resources as well as storage batteries.

*2 A mechanism for maintaining the balance between electricity supply and demand by having users, such as businesses and households, adjust their electricity use, for example, by conserving energy, in response to supply-and-demand conditions.

*3 Based on research by DOCOMO and NTT as of October 20, 2026.

*4 A technology for moving computational workloads handled by servers and other systems distributed across multiple sites from one site to another in response to electricity supply-and-demand conditions and other factors.

*5 A system that uses information technology to optimally control and manage energy equipment, such as solar power generation and storage batteries.

*6 Software whose source code is publicly available and that anyone may freely modify and redistribute at no charge.

About NTT DOCOMO

NTT DOCOMO, Japan's leading mobile operator with over 91 million subscribers, is one of the global leaders in 3G, 4G and 5G mobile network technologies. Under the slogan “Bridging Worlds for Wonder & Happiness,” DOCOMO is actively collaborating with global partners to expand its business scope from mobile services to comprehensive solutions, aiming to deliver unsurpassed value and drive innovation in technology and communications, ultimately to support positive change and advancement in global society. https://www.docomo.ne.jp/english/

About NTT

NTT is a leading global technology innovator, providing a broad range of services to both consumers and businesses. As a mobile operator and provider of infrastructure, networks, and services, NTT is dedicated to promoting a sustainable future through cutting-edge innovations. Our portfolio includes business consulting, AI-powered solutions, application services, global networks, cybersecurity, data center and edge computing, all supported by our deep global industry expertise. Generating over $90 billion in revenue and employing 340,000 professionals, we allocate 30% of our annual profits to fundamental research and development. With operations spanning more than 70 countries and regions, our clients include over 75% of Fortune Global 100 companies, alongside thousands of enterprises, government organizations, and millions of consumers.