Nokia secures $1 billion NVIDIA investment to drive AI-powered 6G networks

Nokia will expand its RAN portfolio with AI-RAN products that are based on NVIDIA technology, and that allow service providers to move 5G workloads to 6G as the capabilities of those networks mature.

T-Mobile U.S. will work with Nokia and NVIDIA for AI-RAN validation trials beginning in 2026.

The cooperation is intended to serve the maturing AI-RAN market, which according to an Omdia report could top $200 billion by 2030, and facilitate new AI-powered consumer and enterprise services.

“The next leap in telecom isn’t just from 5G to 6G – it’s a fundamental redesign of the network to deliver AI-powered connectivity, capable of processing intelligence from the data center all the way to the edge,” says Justin Hotard, president and CEO, Nokia. “Our partnership with NVIDIA, and their investment in Nokia, will accelerate AI-RAN innovation to put an AI data center into everyone’s pocket. We’re proud to drive this industry transformation with NVIDIA, Dell Technologies, and T-Mobile U.S., our first AI-RAN deployments in T-Mobile’s network will ensure America leads in the advanced connectivity that AI needs.”

Dell Technologies will supply the PowerEdge server infrastructure to increasingly support Nokia’s circular economy initiatives with fully sustainable end-to-end products that are modular and engineered for reuse as well as recycling.

Future-proofing networks for 6G, powering software-defined upgrades and underpinning AI-driven applications including drones and AR/VR devices is a focus of the collaboration.

Nokia and NVIDIA will also explore AI networking solutions, including data center switching and optical technologies, to enhance AI infrastructure.

Nokia, Intel and others recently launched a private 5G and AI-powered edge innovation hub in Switzerland to support startups and nonprofits.

Article Topics

6G  |  AI-RAN  |  edge computing  |  Nokia  |  Nvidia  |  telecommunications