Nokia unveils GPU-powered radio platform: NVIDIA deal targets 5G-Advanced

Nokia and NVIDIA are rolling out a new radio access network platform built by combining Nokia’s anyRAN software with NVIDIA Aerial on GPUs. Pilot deployments are slated for late 2026, with the idea being more programmable 5G-Advanced networks now and, further out, future 6G systems.

Nokia says it’s the first commercial platform of its kind. The company’s pitch is that radio sites stop being just hardware for moving mobile traffic and start working as infrastructure that can also take on heavier software workloads. For Nokia, it’s also a visible step in the company’s telecom comeback.

In Nokia’s early tests, spectral efficiency improved by more than 20%. The target, the company says, is 50% by 2027 and more than 100% by 2028. If those numbers hold, operators could double capacity on the same spectrum without having to swap out nearly as much hardware. Nokia says the platform will be sold as a software subscription, and operators will be able to deploy it in a few different ways: as a GPU plug-in card, as a standalone radio node, or in the cloud. Nokia also says the partnership includes a $1 billion investment from NVIDIA, while T-Mobile US, Elisa, SoftBank, and Indosat are already involved in tests or demos.

If you work in carrier infrastructure, this is the part of the announcement to watch closely. Ericsson is sticking with existing baseband silicon rather than GPUs, and there are still open questions about cost, performance, and ROI outside dense urban areas. This isn’t something end users will be downloading themselves. According to Nokia, pilot deployments are set for late 2026, with broader operator availability coming in 2027.