Nvidia and Nokia are joining forces to develop a new AI platform for mobile networks. The collaboration aims to enable the transition from 5G to 6G. Nvidia is investing $1 billion in Nokia for this purpose.
Nvidia and Nokia have announced a strategic partnership with the goal of accelerating the development of AI-native mobile networks. Central to this is a new AI-RAN platform designed to support mobile operators in the transition from 5G to 6G. For this, Nvidia is launching the Arc Aerial RAN Computer (ARC-Pro), a computing platform that integrates processing power, sensing, and connectivity for mobile networks. Nokia will integrate this platform into a new AI-RAN product, which will become part of its existing RAN portfolio.
$1 Billion
As part of the collaboration, Nvidia is investing $1 billion in Nokia at a share price of $6.01. The investment is intended to accelerate the development of the joint platform. The partnership specifically targets the rapidly growing market for AI-RAN technologies, which analysts predict could be worth over $200 billion by 2030.
T-Mobile US will test the new platform in real-world scenarios starting in 2026. Dell Technologies will supply PowerEdge servers to support Nokia’s AI-RAN solutions.
AI-native 6g Networks
AI-RAN technology is intended to prepare mobile networks for applications such as generative AI, drones, smart glasses, and autonomous vehicles. These applications require computing power at the network edge, close to the user. According to Nokia and Nvidia, by applying AI within the radio access network (RAN), operators can manage bandwidth and energy consumption more efficiently.
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What Can We Expect from the 6g Network?
Nvidia is making its ARC-Pro reference design available to network providers. Nokia will integrate its existing 5G and future 6G software onto Nvidia’s CUDA platform. This should enable mobile operators to more easily migrate from existing networks to new AI-RAN infrastructure.
The partners aim to add new features via software updates without requiring physical upgrades. With this, they are trying to future-proof the infrastructure for further developments towards 6G.