This Aether community member profile features Ajay Lotan Thakur. Ajay is a Cloud Software Architect at Intel Corporation and is based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Ajay has been an active contributing member of the Aether community since its beginning in 2020. From its inception he has been deeply involved in shaping the technical direction and architecture of the Aether platform, with a focus on the advancement of Aether’s 5G SD-Core.
One of his most significant contributions was in delivery of a robust, scalable, and API-driven open-source 5G SD-Core project. This core is a foundational component of Aether, enabling reliable deployments and serving as a reference implementation for many in the broader open source and telecom communities. He also led the architecture and development of gNBSim, a unique and powerful gNodeB simulator. This tool fills a critical gap in the open source ecosystem by allowing users to simulate RAN behavior without requiring physical hardware. It has proven invaluable not only for Aether users but also for researchers, developers, and operators working on 5G networks globally.
Ajay also architected and implemented several major features, including the metrics architecture, which provides deep observability into the system’s performance and health. These architectural designs have been widely adopted as reference models by newcomers and other contributors in the community.
Within Intel, Aether has been a key component in several strategic initiatives. Most notably, successful demonstration of Aether on Intel’s edge platform as part of the conclusion of the DARPA-funded Project Pronto. This demonstration showcased Aether’s capabilities in delivering programmable, cloud-native 5G infrastructure at the edge. Following the initial success, Intel Labs has continued to work on multiple phases and extensions of Project Pronto which I have provided technical consultation. to the Intel Labs team—particularly to Gabriel and Christian, with Gabriel also serving as a member of the Aether Technical Steering Team (TST). My involvement has helped ensure that Aether’s integration into these research efforts remains aligned with its architectural principles and performance goals.
In parallel, Ajay has been collaborating with Purdue University on research initiatives conducted in partnership with Intel Labs. This collaboration offered him the opportunity to mentor PhD students working on Aether-related projects. Together, they explored ways to enhance Aether’s scalability and gain deeper insights into its performance characteristics under various deployment scenarios. These efforts led to feeding back improvements to Aether as well as contributions to advance the broader research community’s understanding of open source 5G systems.
“I feel truly fortunate to be part of the Aether community. Over the years, I’ve had the incredible opportunity to collaborate with researchers and students from around the world, as well as work closely with startups such as Kajeet and Monogoto, and companies like GS Lab \ GAVS, who have adopted and integrated Aether into their solutions. Being part of this open source ecosystem has been an inspiring experience. It offers rare opportunities for global collaboration, innovation, and real-world impact. These experiences are truly unique and not easily found elsewhere. I am deeply grateful to the Aether community for welcoming me and allowing me to contribute to the project’s growth and evolution.” – Ajay Thakur
Ajay began his academic journey with a Bachelor’s degree in Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering from SVPM’s Engineering College, Malegaon (BK), affiliated with Pune University. From his early college days, he was deeply curious about computers and programming, and was fortunate to have access to an excellent infrastructure that allowed him to explore and nurture this interest. He later pursued a Master’s degree in Telecommunication Engineering from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore.
Professionally, Ajay has spent most of his career in the datacom and telecom industries, in architect and technical leadership roles. His work has focused on open source technologies, distributed systems, and cloud-native platforms, including next-generation mobile networks such as 5G.
Ajay is a Senior Member of IEEE and a Fellow of the British Computer Society (BCS), where he actively mentors new members and contributes to professional development. As part of his IEEE contributions he serves as a Technical Program Committee (TPC) member and program committee member for multiple research conferences where he reviews papers in the areas of distributed systems, networking, and AI/ML, helping to shape the direction of emerging research in these fields.
Beyond his industry and academic contributions, Ajay has authored multiple technical articles for online platforms and serves as an editorial team member for the IEEE ComSoc TechBlog. His research includes papers on User Plane design using P4 and the architecture of Aether/SD-Core, focusing on performance, scalability, and programmability in modern mobile networks. These contributions have helped advance the understanding and adoption of open-source 5G core technologies.
Ajay was born in a village called Dondaicha, located in the Dhule district in the northern part of Maharashtra, India and spent most of his childhood in Pune, a city renowned for its rich educational heritage and vibrant academic environment. Growing up in Pune provided access to excellent learning opportunities that helped shape his early interest in technology and engineering.
In his free time, Ajay enjoys spending quality time with his daughter and wife. They often explore hidden trails across the Greater Toronto Area, discovering new paths and experiencing nature together. During the winter months, he takes his daughter out for snow activities and ice skating. He and his family enjoy visiting local libraries, where they spend time reading, checking out new topics, and encouraging curiosity and learning as a family. These visits offer them a way to unwind, discover new ideas, and stay connected with the community. Whether it’s hiking, skating, or browsing bookshelves, Ajay values these family experiences and the balance they bring.
