The transition toward 6G requires more than incremental network enhancements; it calls for a fundamental rethinking of network architecture, native artificial intelligence, and environmental sustainability. At the IEEE Conference on Standards in Communications and Networking (IEEE CSCN 2026) – held September 7–9, 2026, at King’s College London (KCL) – EXIGENCE project partner Dr. Artur Hecker (Huawei Munich Research Centre and NetworldEurope Expert Advisory Group Chair) addressed these challenges during a dedicated special session organised by the NetworldEurope Working Group on Enabling Technologies for Future Vertical Ecosystem Transformation.
The special session brought together international experts to discuss how 5G-Advanced is evolving into an AI-native, intent-driven, and highly autonomous 6G ecosystem. Amid discussions on cross-vendor interoperability and data governance, Artur’s presentation, titled “Towards AI in 6G,” provided a clear strategic vision for integrating AI natively into next-generation telecom architectures.
Key Takeaways from “Towards AI in 6G”
- Architecture Evolution: Artur surveyed expanding 3GPP use cases and compared three emerging 6G core architecture models: establishing a dedicated AI domain, embedding AI capabilities directly within existing network functions, or moving toward an ambitious agent-based core system.
- Adopting “Platform Thinking”: Rather than building isolated, use-case-specific AI services that attempt to compete directly with over-the-top (OTT) applications, Artur argued that telecom networks must adopt a platform mindset. Networks should expose open, highly optimised, and standardised execution capabilities.
- Carbon-Aware & Resource-Efficient Infrastructure: Essential to this platform vision is treating compute, data preparation, and energy metrics as first-class resources. Networks must deliver carbon-aware infrastructure that empowers both OTT providers and end-users to optimise workload placement based on real-time environmental cost.
Alignment with EXIGENCE Mission
Artur’s contributions at IEEE CSCN 2026 directly reflect the core philosophy of the EXIGENCE project. As digital services grow in complexity, local efficiency gains inside specific hardware modules do not automatically guarantee end-to-end energy savings. By advocating for native, resource-efficient platform capabilities in 6G, Artur highlighted the urgent need for structural visibility into service-level energy consumption.
Combining native AI capabilities with transparent, per-service energy metrics ensures that the future 6G network is not only intelligent and autonomous, but also fundamentally sustainable by design.
To read the full summary of presentations and panel outcomes from the event, visit the NetworldEurope Special Session Report.
Author
F6S Innovation
Melissa Tang, Communication Manager at F6S Innovation, plays a pivotal role in various EU-funded initiative., Her expertise, built on a foundation of a BA in Design and Advertising and a Master’s in Communication and Media Studies, is further strengthened by hands-on experience leading communication, dissemination and exploitation efforts in over 15 research and business projects.