Nokia lifts lid on tech suite to meet AI demands

Nokia has announced a new set of optical networking products designed to cope with growing data traffic from AI workloads and data centre links. The company argues that demand has outgrown what minor upgrades to older systems can handle, so it has reworked how its optical transport gear is built. The suite includes coherent optical products, a compact amplifier tailored for high-capacity fibre, and a new type of full-band transponder.

Nokia claims the changes will let operators carry up to 40 times more services in the same physical space while cutting total cost of ownership by as much as 70 per cent, and simplifying network operations. The company says these "AI-era" products are meant to improve economics and power use, with initial samples planned for mid-2027 and broader rollout later that year.