Nokia Opens Saudi Arabia R&D Center to Build AI-Powered Networks

Key Points

• Nokia has opened its first research and development center in Saudi Arabia.
• The Riyadh center will develop AI software designed to make communications networks more autonomous.
• Its work will cover network automation, self-healing systems, energy efficiency and AI-powered service management.
• Nokia says the center will also explore AI-native 6G technologies and develop “Made in Saudi” software for global customers.
• The initiative is part of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 push to build local technology and AI expertise.

Nokia is expanding its AI ambitions in the Middle East with a new research and development center in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The company says the facility will focus on software that can help communications networks configure themselves, detect problems, optimize performance and use energy more efficiently.

The center is Nokia’s first R&D facility in Saudi Arabia and will focus on AI-powered network automation and orchestration. The goal is to make telecom networks more autonomous, allowing them to respond to changing conditions with less manual intervention.

One area of work will be Service Management and Orchestration, or SMO, which helps operators manage different parts of their networks. Nokia will also work on Self-Organizing Networks, Autopilot and rApps, with a particular focus on automation and energy efficiency.

The technology is being developed for communications service providers and enterprises in Saudi Arabia, but Nokia also plans to use the Riyadh center to create software for customers around the world. The company says its teams will explore AI-native 6G technologies as part of the research program.

That global focus is an important part of the investment. Nokia says the center will contribute “Made in Saudi” software innovations that can eventually be used beyond the Kingdom. The project therefore combines local technology development with an effort to make Saudi Arabia part of Nokia’s wider software and research ecosystem.

The center also fits into Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 strategy, which aims to expand the country’s technology capabilities and reduce reliance on traditional areas of the economy. Nokia says the new facility will create engineering and research positions while providing training programs, boot camps and certifications in AI and automation for Saudi talent.

The broader idea is that telecom networks are becoming increasingly complex as demand for connectivity and digital services grows. Automating parts of network management could allow operators to respond to problems faster, optimize resources and potentially reduce the amount of energy required to operate network infrastructure.

Nokia’s Middle East and Africa President Mikko Lavanti said the company wants to combine its global expertise with Saudi talent to develop networks that are more autonomous, efficient and responsive.

The Saudi government also sees the center as part of its effort to build domestic research capabilities. Eng. Abdulrahman AlMufadda, Deputy Minister for Telecom and Infrastructure at Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, said the facility would support the development of national talent in AI and software while contributing technologies that can serve international markets.

The announcement follows an agreement made earlier this year between Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Communications and Information Technology and Nokia President and CEO Justin Hotard.

For Nokia, the project puts AI directly into the infrastructure that supports digital services. Rather than focusing on an AI application that people interact with directly, the company is working on the underlying networks that allow those services to operate.

The center also gives Saudi Arabia a role in Nokia’s research and development activities as the telecom industry moves toward more automated networks and future 6G technologies. The company says the longer-term aim is to create software and technical expertise in the Kingdom that can serve both domestic and international markets.