xDevSM: An Open-Source Framework for Portable, AI-Ready xApps Across Heterogeneous O-RAN Deployments
Angelo Feraudo, Stefano Maxenti, Andrea Lacava, Leonardo Bonati, Paolo Bellavista, Michele Polese, Tommaso Melodia
TL;DR
Open RAN aims to enable intelligent xApps but faces interoperability and low-level protocol challenges across heterogeneous stacks. The authors present xDevSM, a modular, open-source framework that unifies observability and near-real-time control by exposing O-RAN E2 service models (KPM and RC) through a portable xApp runtime. They validate the framework on real-world testbeds with COTS devices, USRP SDRs, and Foxconn radios across multiple stacks, demonstrating KPM-based monitoring, slice-level PRB allocation, and mobility-aware handovers. By providing standardized data pipelines, multi-model xApps, and an automated CI/CD workflow, xDevSM lays a practical foundation for AI-driven RAN optimization in heterogeneous deployments.
Abstract
Openness and programmability in the O-RAN architecture enable closed-loop control of the Radio Access Network (RAN). Artificial Intelligence (AI)-driven xApps, in the near-real-time RAN Intelligent Controller (RIC), can learn from network data, anticipate future conditions, and dynamically adapt radio configurations. However, their development and adoption are hindered by the complexity of low-level RAN control and monitoring message models exposed over the O-RAN E2 interface, limited interoperability across heterogeneous RAN software stacks, and the lack of developer-friendly frameworks. In this paper, we introduce xDevSM, a framework that significantly lowers the barrier to xApp development by unifying observability and control in O-RAN deployment. By exposing a rich set of Key Performance Measurements (KPMs) and enabling fine-grained radio resource management controls, xDevSM provides the essential foundation for practical AI-driven xApps. We validate xDevSM on real-world testbeds, leveraging Commercial Off-the-Shelf (COTS) devices together with heterogeneous RAN hardware, including Universal Software Radio Peripheral (USRP)-based Software-defined Radios (SDRs) and Foxconn radio units, and show its seamless interoperability across multiple open-source RAN software stacks. Furthermore, we discuss and evaluate the capabilities of our framework through three O-RAN-based scenarios of high interest: (i) KPM-based monitoring of network performance, (ii) slice-level Physical Resource Block (PRB) allocation control across multiple User Equipments (UEs) and slices, and (iii) mobility-aware handover control, showing that xDevSM can implement intelligent closed-loop applications, laying the groundwork for learning-based optimization in heterogeneous RAN deployments. xDevSM is open source and available as foundational tool for the research community.