Nokia bets its radio future on NVIDIA silicon

Nokia claims its new platform has demonstrated 20% spectral efficiency gains, with targets of 50% by 2027 and over 100% by 2028. Operators would access these capabilities via software subscriptions rather than hardware refreshes, choosing between GPU-powered plug-ins, standalone nodes, or cloud-server builds. This shift is critical for CEO Justin Hotard, who is tasked with turning around a mobile business that has struggled to deliver acceptable returns.

By leveraging NVIDIA’s silicon and CUDA software, Nokia is cutting back on internal R&D to focus on software margins. However, the 'industry’s first' label faces competition from Ericsson, which is already selling AI-in-RAN software that operates on existing baseband silicon without requiring GPUs. While Nokia defines its platform as unique due to its GPU-accelerated architecture, the reliance on NVIDIA creates a new form of hardware dependency. As the company moves toward commercial availability in 2027, its success depends on whether operators favor this high-performance, GPU-centric path over the silicon-agnostic alternatives currently entering the market.