SoftBank tests AI that powers down base stations to cut emissions

SoftBank Corp is testing AI software that automatically puts mobile base stations into low-power “sleep” mode to cut energy use and emissions. The operator aims to roll out the system to up to 24,000 sites across Japan, focusing on base stations, which account for more than half of its overall electricity consumption.

In a trial in Chiba prefecture, SoftBank combined the AI controls with solar and wind power, cutting CO2 output by about one-third. The company says more than 90% of the electricity used at its base stations already comes from renewable sources. SoftBank has pledged to make its supply chain effectively carbon neutral by 2050 and to run all of its business on renewable electricity by fiscal 2030.