Nokia’s AI-focused pivot drives $80B valuation and data center surge

Nokia has successfully transitioned from a cyclical 5G vendor to a vital supplier of AI-ready optical transport, capturing non-telco capital expenditure from big tech hyperscalers. This shift protects the company from the slowing carrier spend hitting competitors like Ericsson, which remains valued at approximately $40 billion. For the video industry, this infrastructure evolution supports the massive low-latency compute required for AI-driven semantic video processing and global content distribution. Watch for Q2 2026 revenue split data to confirm if high-margin network infrastructure continues to outpace mobile hardware as a primary profit driver.

Nokia's transformation accelerated following the appointment of Justin Hotard as CEO in April 2025, a move specifically intended to leverage his background leading Intel’s Data Center and AI Group. Per Reuters and Bloomberg (February 2025), Hotard was hired to diversify the company's revenue streams as traditional 5G equipment sales hit a plateau. Under his leadership, the company hosted a pivotal Capital Markets Day in November 2025, where it announced a new target to increase comparable operating profit to as much as €3.2 billion by 2028, according to official company releases.

Recent financial data from June 2026 indicates that this strategy is yielding significant results in the webscale market. Per Zacks Equity Research (June 2026), Nokia's AI and cloud-related revenues surged 49% in the first quarter of 2026, outperforming broader industry growth rates. This momentum has allowed Nokia to raise its long-term network infrastructure market growth forecast from 9% to 14% as hyperscalers increase their capital expenditure toward $700 billion annually to support AI server clusters.

However, this rapid valuation growth has introduced new volatility and competitive pressures. MarketScreener reported in June 2026 that both Nokia and Ericsson saw sharp share price fluctuations following rumors of Nvidia’s potential expansion into the telecom chip market. While analysts at JPMorgan noted that Nokia’s existing partnership with Nvidia could actually benefit the firm, the reaction highlights the intensifying competition as traditional networking vendors and silicon giants converge on the data center gold rush.