Nokia launches AI networking lab to drive co-innovation with partners and accelerate next era of AI-native data center networking

Nokia AI Networking Innovation Lab accelerates innovation in high-performance networking technologies for large-scale AI training and real-time inference by designing, testing, and validating new data center networking architectures built for AI at scale.Lab serves as a testing ground for Nokia Validated Designs and a co-innovation hub with global AI and cloud partners—validating real-world scenarios, integrating commercial technologies, and advancing next-gen networking solutions to deliver much of the foundational infrastructure that organizations around the world need to make AI investments a success.Early technology partners collaborating in the lab include AMD, Everpure, Keysight, Lenovo, Nscale, Supermicro and Weka

21 May 2026 

Sunnyvale, USA – Nokia today announced the launch of its AI Networking Innovation Lab, a new center designed to drive co-innovation with AI and cloud partners and accelerate the development of next-generation networking technologies for artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure. Located within Nokia’s Sunnyvale, California facility, the lab serves as an innovation hub where Nokia will work across advanced AI networking technologies, architectures and ecosystems with a variety of partners to help shape the future of data center networking.

AI workloads are fundamentally changing how data center networks must operate. The performance, scale, and precision required to support large-scale AI training and distributed, real-time inference place unprecedented demands on networking infrastructure. To address these challenges, Nokia is adopting a new approach to how technologies are integrated, tested, and deployed from the ground up for the AI era.

The AI Networking Innovation Lab provides an environment where emerging commercial technologies can be developed and validated. Within the lab, Nokia brings together advanced AI networking protocols, cutting-edge switching silicon and hardware platforms, and new architectural concepts designed specifically for AI-driven data centers. These technologies are tested and accelerated in close collaboration with a global ecosystem of partners.

The AI Networking Innovation Lab is built upon three fundamental pillars: Technology Innovation, Ecosystem Collaboration, and Validation.

Technology Innovation: The lab provides a dedicated space for AI partners to experiment with next-gen solutions across the entire networking stack – driving emerging standards forward with pioneering approaches to new protocols, switching silicon, congestion control, real-time telemetry, and automation.

“Partnering with Nokia in the AI Networking Innovation Lab has enabled us to benchmark and optimize AI networks under real-world conditions. Keysight emulated AI training workloads at scale across a range of AI transports, from UEC and RoCEv2 to emerging lossless fabric architectures. Together, we are helping accelerate AI network adoption by giving operators and hyperscalers the validated insights needed for confident, large-scale deployment,” said Ram Periakaruppan, Vice President and General Manager, Network Applications and Security business at Keysight.

Ecosystem Collaboration: True progress depends on a strong ecosystem of technology providers – silicon manufacturers, GPU developers, system, storage and test vendors, and cloud platforms – that work together to create highly-compatible AI-ready solutions. This facilitates joint testing for interoperability, improves integration, and ensures roadmaps are aligned across different hardware, software, and orchestration layers.

“AMD believes customer collaboration and an open ecosystem are fundamental to accelerating AI innovation. By co-developing solutions with partners, such as Nokia in their AI networking innovation lab, we ensure our AMD enterprise AI solutions are tested with Nokia data center switches on real-world workloads and network demands. An open, standards-driven approach empowers customers to integrate seamlessly across heterogeneous environments, avoiding lock-in and fostering industry-wide advancement in AI,” said Travis Karr, Corporate Vice President, HPC and Sovereign AI, AMD.

Validation: This positions the lab as the testing ground for Nokia Validated Designs, where customers and partners rigorously validate multi-vendor data center architectures under authentic AI training and inference workloads. By testing failure scenarios, congestion behavior, and operational automation, the lab turns NVDs into proven, deployable solutions — enabling predictable performance, faster deployment, and reduced operational complexity and risk for organizations navigating the AI era.

“Nokia is a strategic networking partner for Nscale as we build towards AI Grid, and the engineering rigour behind their Validated Designs reflects the kind of innovation needed to enable next-generation AI infrastructure. The depth of hardware, software and failure testing behind those blueprints is what will give operators the confidence to deploy complex AI environments faster, with fewer integration risks and less operational disruption. We're excited to collaborate in the AI Networking Innovation Lab to help push the boundaries of AI-native networking and validate the next generation of solutions before they reach production,” said Arno van Huyssteen, Vice President of Global Telecommunications for Nscale.

The AI Networking Innovation Lab supports Nokia’s broader strategy to accelerate the next era of AI-driven connectivity. As demand for AI infrastructure continues to grow, data center networking has become one of the most critical foundations of the global AI ecosystem. Through this investment, Nokia is strengthening its capabilities in AI and cloud infrastructure while advancing its vision of AI-native networking.

“The launch of Nokia’s AI Networking Innovation Lab marks a major milestone in our commitment to drive the next era of AI-native connectivity. As the industry continues to evolve with solutions like scale-across and AI-Grid, this lab is poised to accelerate AI networking technology that will not only support but optimize these emerging industry offerings. This center gives our customers and partners early access to new technologies, deeper collaboration with the world’s leading AI ecosystem players, and the confidence that their networks are validated under more realistic AI conditions. By accelerating innovation and reducing deployment risks, we’re enabling the industry to deliver faster, more reliable, and more sustainable AI experiences to people and businesses everywhere,” said Rudy Hoebeke, Vice President of Software Product Management at Nokia.

Multimedia, technical information and related news

Webpage:        AI Networking Innovation Lab

Blog:               Building the future of AI-native networks | Nokia

Webpage:        Data Center Networks Design Hub for Nokia NFVs

Webpage:        Nokia Data Center Networks

Press Release: Nokia strengthens leadership in AI-ready data center networks with successful end-to-end Ultra Ethernet test across data center switch family

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