Nokia Defense and NestAI, one of Europe’s fastest-growing AI labs for defence, are advancing their technology partnership with the first operational capabilities being developed under the collaboration established alongside Nokia’s and Tesi’s €100 million joint investment in NestAI in November 2025.

As European defence investment reaches its highest level in decades, defence forces are accelerating the integration of AI-enabled capabilities into their operations. A defining challenge is ensuring resilient, trusted connectivity in denied environments, where communications, sensing and mission- planning must work seamlessly together for AI-enabled operations to succeed in the field.

The partnership is delivering three integrated operational capabilities:

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‍• AI-enabled command-and-control on deployable 5G networks: bringing together Nokia’s deployable 5G networks with NestOS, NestAI’s adaptive operating system for modern battlefield operations, to help European forces maintain command and control, support autonomous systems and reduce reliance on fixed communications infrastructure.

‍• Mission planning with assured connectivity: integrating Nokia’s radio- network planning models into NestOS mission-planning tools, enabling forces to assess, plan and adapt connectivity as part of the mission while reducing the risk of coverage gaps during fast-moving multidomain operations.

• Earlier threat detection and response: combining Nokia’s Integrated Sensing and Communications (ISAC) early-detection capability with NestAI’s multi-sensor tracking to provide operators with earlier, wide-area threat awareness and support faster, more informed decision-making in, even in contested environments with limited connectivity.

These capabilities are built for the conditions modern forces now face: denied communications, active electronic attack, and emerging drone threats that must be detected before dedicated sensors acquire a target. The partnership addresses all three with European-developed technologies built to NATO operational requirements.

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"Defence is moving quickly to adopt AI-enabled capabilities, from mission planning to unmanned operations. But AI only works in the field when it has secure, resilient connectivity behind it. Together with NestAI, Nokia is accelerating the sovereign technologies NATO needs to operate, decide and act in the next generation of missions,” said Mikko Hautala, Chief Geopolitical & Government Relations Officer and Chairman, Nokia Defense.

“Most defence AI is built on assumptions about connectivity, sensor access, and infrastructure that do not hold in contested environments. What we are building with Nokia addresses the real conditions European forces face, from the network underneath to the threats at the edge, on technology that Europe develops and controls,” said Peter Sarlin, Founder and Executive Chairman, NestAI.

Nokia Defence provides secure, intelligent connectivity for defence in the AI era. Built on Nokia’s global leadership across fixed, mobile, and transport networks, it delivers resilient, mission-ready communications solutions that strengthen national security and support critical operations worldwide. For more information: www.nokia.com/defense-communications
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About Nokia

Nokia is a global leader in connectivity for the AI era. With expertise across fixed, mobile, and transport networks, we’re advancing connectivity to secure a brighter world.

About NestAI

NestAI is a European AI lab for defence that delivers the adaptive operating system for modern battlefield operations. Through NestOS, the company enables adaptive intelligence for unmanned and command systems, AI that continuously learns from operational data and adapts to changing conditions. NestOS is an open, modular and interoperable platform that enables multi-endor integration without vendor lock-in and preserves long-term European control over critical AI capabilities.

Founded in 2025, NestAI has raised €100M from Nokia and Tesi and grown to a team of close to 200 engineers and scientists, working with the Finnish Defence Forces and other European defence forces as well as leading industry partners including Patria and Bittium.

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