Sovereign AI data center networks

Empowering telecommunication providers with network infrastructure to lead the AI economy

Telecommunication providers have long built infrastructure that powers communication and connects people. Now a new opportunity is emerging: delivering sovereign AI infrastructure that lets enterprises, governments and consumers unlock the full potential of artificial intelligence (AI) while keeping data under local control.

Why are telecommunication providers uniquely positioned to seize the AI opportunity?

Data localization mandates and regulatory requirements make sovereign services a strategic imperative for organizations seeking compliance and reduced dependence on foreign cloud providers. Telecommunication providers are uniquely positioned to build sovereign AI infrastructure that will help organizations maintain control of their digital assets. They bring three decisive advantages:

Trusted local partnerships

Long-standing relationships with businesses, governments and regulators make telecommunication providers the preferred partners for data sovereignty initiatives.

Strategic real estate footprint

Ownership of data centers and geographically distributed sites give telecommunication providers a solid real estate foundation that can be repurposed to create hardened environments for AI workloads.

End-to-end network control

Full ownership of the transport network guarantees deterministic performance for the most critical applications.

These strengths translate into a clear competitive edge that positions telecommunication providers at the forefront of the emerging AI economy.

The shift toward digital sovereignty has become a central pillar for many organizations that are prioritizing localized, compliant infrastructure to mitigate cyber threats and geopolitical risks.

20%

of workloads are shifting from global hyperscalers to local sovereign providers

$US 110bn

sovereign cloud IaaS spending projected in 2027

36%

growth in sovereign cloud IaaS spending

Source: Gartner

What network infrastructure is needed for sovereign AI?

AI ambition requires the right foundation. Telecommunication providers can achieve it by evolving their infrastructure to create a sovereign AI ecosystem:

Access and transport networks

Increase capacity and lower latency to move massive data sets securely and deterministically across the network.

Edge nodes for inference

Deploy compute close to end users to deliver faster, latency-sensitive AI services.

AI-ready data centers

Transform existing data centers into AI factories that host GPU-intensive workloads for custom model training and specialized applications.

By making targeted investments and evolving their infrastructure, telecommunication providers can create the sovereign digital backbone for their nations.

White paper

Network the cloud - The critical role of the network in cloud evolution

Lit fibre optic cables fanned out like a fishtail

Report

Global network traffic report

Topic

Critical connectivity for modern data centers

Nokia solutions for sovereign AI data center networks

Nokia offers a comprehensive data center networking portfolio that spans from the core of the data center to the farthest edge of the access network. The portfolio addresses the demands of sovereign data center networks with:

High-speed, lossless intra-data center connectivity, which reduces AI job completion time and maximizes throughput inside AI factories.
Data center gateways and optical interconnect, which provide high-performance links between data centers, public clouds, wide area networks (WANs) and the internet.

Our portfolio is designed to help telecommunication providers build sovereign AI infrastructure that is fast, secure, reliable and ready for the most demanding workloads.

Explore our data center networks portfolio

Why choose Nokia for sovereign AI data center networks?

Telecommunication providers are recognized for delivering highly reliable services with “five-nines” availability. Their customers now expect the same ultra-reliable performance from sovereign AI cloud services to support their business- and mission-critical applications.

We help providers meet these expectations by building on a proven track record that includes decades of experience delivering carrier-grade WANs. We also apply a quality-first philosophy to deliver data center networks that “just work.”

Start building the AI infrastructure of tomorrow

Partner with Nokia to turn your data center and network assets into a sovereign AI platform that delivers compliance, performance and a competitive advantage.