$1 Billion Strategic Investment
NVIDIA and Nokia have entered a strategic partnership, marked by NVIDIA’s $1 billion investment in Nokia priced at $6.01 per share, to expedite the development and deployment of AI-native mobile networks and AI networking infrastructure for 6G. This collaboration seeks to combine NVIDIA’s AI capabilities with Nokia’s telecom infrastructure expertise to foster innovation in the burgeoning AI-RAN (Radio Access Network) market.
Integration of AI-RAN Technology
The investment underscores the significance of the partnership, which aims to integrate NVIDIA-powered, commercial-grade AI-RAN products into Nokia’s RAN portfolio. This integration will empower communication service providers to launch AI-native 5G-Advanced and 6G networks leveraging NVIDIA platforms, signifying the beginning of the AI-native wireless era and paving the way for AI-powered consumer experiences and enterprise services at the edge.
Market Opportunity
The collaboration is strategically positioned to capitalize on the expanding AI-RAN market, projected by Omdia to exceed a cumulative value of $200 billion by 2030. By combining their strengths, NVIDIA and Nokia intend to deliver distributed edge AI inferencing at scale, creating new growth opportunities for telecom providers and solidifying NVIDIA’s role in the future of telecommunications.
T-Mobile Trials and Testing
T-Mobile U.S. will collaborate with Nokia and NVIDIA to drive and test AI-RAN technologies as part of its 6G innovation and development process. Trials are slated to commence in 2026, with a focus on field validation of performance and efficiency improvements. This initiative is expected to result in significant enhancements supporting generative, agentic, and physical AI applications on consumer devices, as well as powering future AI-native devices such as drones and augmented- and virtual-reality glasses.
NVIDIA Aerial RAN Computer Pro (ARC-Pro)
To facilitate the transition to AI-native networks, NVIDIA has introduced the Aerial RAN Computer Pro (ARC-Pro), a 6G-ready accelerated computing platform. This platform integrates connectivity, computing, and sensing capabilities, enabling telecom operators to migrate from 5G-Advanced to 6G through software upgrades. The ARC-Pro is designed to provide the necessary infrastructure for AI-driven network enhancements.
Nokia’s Strategic Implementation
Nokia plans to accelerate the availability of its 5G and 6G RAN software on the NVIDIA CUDA platform and expand its RAN portfolio with ARC-Pro at the core of its new AI-RAN solution. This strategy will facilitate a seamless transition from existing RAN networks to future AI-RAN systems through Nokia’s anyRAN approach, which simplifies software-defined RAN evolution across Cloud RAN and purpose-built RAN architectures.
Executive Perspectives
Jensen Huang, Founder and CEO of NVIDIA
“Telecommunications is a critical national infrastructure—the digital nervous system of our economy and security. Built on NVIDIA CUDA and AI, AI-RAN will revolutionize telecommunications—a generational platform shift that empowers the United States to regain global leadership in this vital infrastructure technology. Together with Nokia and America’s telecom ecosystem, we’re igniting this revolution, equipping operators to build intelligent, adaptive networks that will define the next generation of global connectivity.”
Justin Hotard, President and CEO of Nokia
“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. 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.”
John Saw, President, Technology and Chief Technology Officer of T-Mobile
“With America’s best network, T-Mobile remains committed to advancing next-generation technologies that redefine the customer experience. Our collaboration with industry leaders Nokia and NVIDIA marks an important step toward shaping the future of connectivity as we develop the innovations that will power the 6G era. Building on the foundation established by the RAN Innovation Center in 2024, this strategic initiative reinforces T-Mobile’s leadership in driving the U.S. wireless industry forward. Beginning in 2026, T-Mobile will conduct field evaluations and testing of advanced AI-RAN technologies to ensure they meet the evolving needs of our customers as we move toward 6G.”
Industry Impact and Future of Connectivity
The partnership between NVIDIA and Nokia is anticipated to have significant implications for the future of connectivity. By integrating AI into the RAN, the collaboration aims to create more intelligent and adaptive networks capable of supporting the demands of next-generation applications and services. The focus on 6G technology ensures that the infrastructure being developed is future-proof and capable of delivering enhanced performance and efficiency. This initiative strengthens the positions of NVIDIA and Nokia in the telecommunications market and sets the stage for a new era of AI-driven wireless connectivity.
