Nokia launches AI-RAN platform built on NVIDIA

Nokia introduced its AIRAN platform on July 15, positioning it as a new way for mobile operators to extract more capacity from existing spectrum using AI and NVIDIA’s Aerial system. The company says the platform is based on its anyRAN software and is designed to be sold as a software subscription rather than through a major hardware replacement. According to Nokia, early tests have shown more than 20% improvement in spectral efficiency. The company is targeting 50% by 2027 and more than 100% by 2028, although those figures are future goals rather than current results. Nokia says pilots are planned for later this year, with commercial availability expected in 2027. The launch is also important for Nokia’s broader business strategy. Chief executive Justin Hotard has been pushing to improve the company’s mobile infrastructure operations, and the partnership with NVIDIA is central to that effort. Nokia’s approach differs from rival Ericsson, which already sells a commercial AIinRAN software subscription that runs on existing baseband silicon without GPUs. Nokia argues its platform is a different kind of architecture, but it is still facing competition in a market that is already moving toward AIenabled radio networks.