The AI-native era: Nokia’s new AI networking lab promises to shape the future

Referred to as the Nokia AI Networking Innovation Lab, Nokia’s new offering will seek to accelerate innovation in high-performance networking technologies for large-scale AI training and real-time inference.

It will also work to test and validate new data centre networking architectures that are built for AI.

Technology partners collaborating in the lab to date include AMD, Everpure, Keysight, Lenovo, Nscale, Supermicro, VIAVI and Weka, Nokia said last week.

“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,” said Rudy Hoebeke, VP of software product management at Nokia Rudy Hoebeke, VP of software product management at Nokia. “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 optimise these emerging industry offerings.”

The company’s new lab is located within Nokia’s facility in Sunnyvale, California, and serve as an innovation hub where Nokia will work across advanced AI networking technologies to shape the future of data centre networking.

It will also serve as a testing ground for Nokia Validated Designs and a co-innovation hub with global AI and cloud partners. This will include validating real-world scenarios, integrating commercial technologies and advancing next-generation networking solutions to deliver the foundational infrastructure that businesses need to make AI investments a success.

Within the lab, Nokia said emerging commercial technologies can be developed and validated. It will bring together advanced AI networking protocols, cutting-edge switching silicon and hardware platforms and new architectural concepts designed specifically for AI-driven data centres. Nokia said these technologies are then tested and accelerated in close collaboration with a global ecosystem of partners.

The lab supports Nokia’s broader strategy to accelerate AI-driven connectivity, particularly as demand for AI infrastructure rises. AI workloads are ultimately changing how data centre networks must operate and placing increased pressure on networking infrastructure to support training and inference of the technology.

With this in mind, Nokia’s strategic aim is to strengthen its AI and cloud infrastructure capabilities, while also advancing its vision of AI-native networking. This will help support data centre networking, which has become a more critical pillar of the global AI ecosystem.

“This centre 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,” Hoebeke continued.

“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.”

Nokia continues to reap the rewards of the AI data centre boom, as rising workloads have led to increased demand for its services, specifically its optical equipment. AI orders across the business have surged by 49%, as reported yesterday, with demand for the technology and its infrastructure leading to Nokia experiencing one of the strongest-performing stocks of 2026 so far.

Nokia doubles down on optical and AI-era connectivity after Infinera integration

T964, Nokia ink deal at Capacity Middle East to advance Iraq’s digital infrastructure