AI and Red Hat: Powering the future of cable providers

North American cable providers are in the middle of a massive shift. It's no longer just about delivering TV; it's about being the backbone of high-speed internet, advanced communication, and a whole suite of digital services. To thrive in this evolving landscape, our partners in the cable industry are strategically leaning into Artificial Intelligence (AI). This is precisely where Red Hat's AI technologies come in, offering a comprehensive framework to not only modernize existing infrastructure but also to unlock new revenue streams and significantly enhance operational efficiency and security.

The strategic play: From legacy to smart networks

The core strategy for North American cable providers revolves around building highly agile, intelligent networks. Red Hat is a critical enabler of this strategy by helping transition to Software-Defined Networks (SDN) and edge computing architectures. These aren't just buzzwords; they're the foundation for open, flexible platforms that integrate AI smoothly. For providers, this means:

• Faster service deployment: Launching new services and features quickly to stay ahead of the competition and meet consumer demands.
• Enhanced network intelligence: Using AI to understand network behavior, predict issues, and optimize performance proactively.

Virtualization is another key strategic pillar. Red Hat facilitates the deployment of virtualized cable modem termination systems (vCMTS) on our cloud-native platform built on Red Hat OpenShift. This directly addresses the need for:

• Scalability: Meeting the ever-increasing demands for bandwidth and new services without massive hardware overhauls.
• Cost efficiency: Reducing operational expenditures by moving away from proprietary hardware.
• AI-DOCSIS integration: Supporting AI with DOCSIS based on open standards for a cloud-native platform means dynamic tuning of network access components for a better ability to provide innovative AI-native services crucial for modern networks as we go beyond DOCSIS 4.0.
• AI-RAN integration: Supporting AI-RAN on a common cloud-native platform means dynamic tuning of Radio Access Networks (RAN) for better performance and the ability to roll out innovative AI-native services—crucial for connectivity like 5G and beyond.

Automation: The North American efficiency imperative

For large, complex North American cable networks, automation isn't just a nice-to-have; it’s essential for profitability and operational excellence. Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform is the workhorse here, streamlining network management to:

• Boost operational efficiency: Automating repetitive tasks like configuration, upgrades, and backups allows valuable engineering talent to focus on innovation, translating to cost savings and better utilization of skilled personnel.
• Improve service uptime (MTTR): Event-Driven Ansible proactively responds to network anomalies, drastically reducing downtime and improving Mean Time to Resolution (MTTR). For providers, this means happier customers and fewer service calls.
• Self-healing networks: Our closed-loop automation with Event-Driven Ansible allows networks to intelligently and automatically remediate issues, integrating with existing IT Service Management tools such as ServiceNow for streamlined incident and change management. This is a game-changer for network reliability.

Machine Learning: Gaining a competitive edge

Predictive power and advanced intelligence are strategic differentiators. Red Hat's machine learning (ML) capabilities empower cable providers to:

• Optimize network performance: AI-driven analytics predict traffic patterns, enabling dynamic resource allocation. This is vital for managing peak usage times and ensuring a consistent, high-quality user experience, a top priority for North American consumers.
• Proactive anomaly detection: Small language models (SLMs) pinpoint subtle network deviations, improving efficiency and reliability. For complex issues, SLMs combined with Large Language Models (LLMs) and Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) accelerate root cause analysis, meaning faster fixes and less customer impact.
• Automatic edge compute discovery: Red Hat has worked with CableLabs to provide a platform for compute discovery for compute as well as AI resources. This enables the necessary models to be deployed where a consumer is for the best, low latency, experience possible.

Security: Non-negotiable for trust and compliance

In the North American market, trust and compliance are paramount. Red Hat integrates security into the very foundation of its offerings:

• Platform-level security: Red Hat OpenShift is hardened with advanced security features such asSELinux, proactive monitoring, and encrypted communications, providing a trusted environment for critical network services. This commitment to security protects customer data and upholds regulatory requirements.
• Simplified container security: Our collaboration with industry leaders like CableLabs and Intel, coupled with innovations like image mode for Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL), simplifies managing the operating system (OS) within containers, making security tasks easier for IT teams.
• Comprehensive security services and support: Our subscription model provides ongoing security, proactive support, and access to technical experts. Ansible Automation Platform automates compliance audits, offering clear audit trails to meet stringent North American regulations.

Addressing the future: Multilatency and AI workloads

The strategic path for North American cable includes supporting the most demanding AI workloads. Red Hat is actively addressing challenges like:

• High-speed interconnects: Preparing for 800G and 1.6T Ethernet for AI workloads requires innovation in cooling and power management to maintain performance and reliability.
• Minimizing latency: Optimizing performance for distributed, time-sensitive AI workloads where tail latency is a crucial bottleneck for network efficiency and GPU utilization ensures the network can handle modern applications from smart cities to immersive entertainment.

Maximizing ROI: New revenue streams and Edge AI

Red Hat’s AI and automation technologies are designed not just for efficiency but also for profitability. For North American cable providers, this means:

• Expanding B2B opportunities: Our platform enables cable companies to tap into lucrative B2B services such as managed network services, bulk hotel subscriptions, cloud-based services, unified communications, and Internet of Things (IoT) solutions. This diversification is key for long-term growth and faster ROI.
• Edge AI for autonomous decisions: Deploying small AI language models at the edge empowers autonomous, intelligent decisions for businesses and individual users, leading to:
  • Optimal network efficiency: AI-driven analytics at the edge.
  • Near-zero latency: Processing power closer to the end user for superior performance in streaming, gaming, and real-time applications.
  • Significant cost savings: Through automation at the edge.
  • New services: Supporting modern media, smart home management, and autonomous caching.
  • Enhanced predictive maintenance and security: Real-time monitoring of network health and anomaly detection.
• Sustainable growth: Our platform is optimized for power efficiency in constrained edge environments, reducing Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) and supporting sustainability goals, which are increasingly important for North American businesses and consumers.

In essence, Red Hat’s AI technology empowers North American cable providers to modernize their existing infrastructure while strategically innovating, expanding services into profitable new areas, and securing their position as indispensable enablers of the digital future.

Delivering a combined solution 

Red Hat has worked heavily with operators around the world to take advantage of our capabilities to bring distributed access architecture (DAA), convergence, and multitenancy. Operators have realized ease of use, ease of migration, and the ability to onboard partners and internal development teams faster, thus increasing  productivity. Red Hat helps customers achieve faster time to market for upgrades, mitigate risk of security vulnerabilities, and lower the cost of implementing modern architectures. 

Learn more at SCTE TechExpo 2025

Join us at Booth #H1039 at the upcoming SCTE TechExpo 2025 in Washington, DC (September 29 - October 1) to explore how Red Hat's AI technologies are shaping the future of the cable industry in North America.

Additional resources 

• Reimagining the cable industry by unlocking the power of software-defined networking, AI and edge computing

• Accelerating towards cable convergence with Red Hat and Intel 

• Red Hat cable, media and entertainment resource page