The impact of artificial intelligence on the defense sector is rapidly deepening, and to reshape this landscape, Nokia has announced a significant €100 million partnership with NestAI. This collaboration is not just a financial investment, but a decisive step towards the smart defense technology of the future.
The Finnish start-up NestAI has been working quietly on what it calls “physical AI”—systems that can sense, decide and act in real time in the field. When Nokia Partners with NestAI, it brings together NestAI’s autonomy platforms with Nokia’s strength in secure connectivity and mission-critical networks. This is exactly the kind of marriage that defence forces and critical infrastructure providers are looking for. With the investment, NestAI will scale its lab, hire robotics and edge-AI talent and accelerate trials across land, air and maritime domains.
When Nokia Partners with NestAI, it’s also a clear signal that Europe intends to build sovereign capability rather than rely wholly on outside technology. Autonomous unmanned vehicles, resilient command-and-control systems, and edge-AI platforms that function under jamming or degraded communications are all within scope. When Nokia Partners with NestAI, the partnership emphasizes not only technology but also governance, export compliance and interoperability with allied systems.
Building the infrastructure for real-world autonomy
For unmanned systems to be effective in defence, they must do more than follow preset instructions. They must sense dynamic environments, adapt to threats and function even when connectivity is limited. That’s where the value of this partnership becomes clear. Nokia Partners with NestAI by combining Nokia’s secure network infrastructure, edge computing and sensing capabilities with NestAI’s autonomy stacks and AI-native platforms. The goal: machines that behave reliably in mission-critical settings.
With their €100 million raise, NestAI will build what it calls “Europe’s leading physical AI lab.” When Nokia Partners with NestAI, this lab becomes a testbed not just for research but for field-ready systems—autonomous logistics vehicles, drones that navigate electronically-contested skies, and command-and-control platforms that bring sensor data into actionable intelligence.
A strategic move for Europe’s defence future
Beyond immediate technology, the partnership is a strategic statement. When Nokia Partners with NestAI, it underscores the push for European defence-tech sovereignty in an era of rising geopolitical tension. With state-owned investor Tesi participating, the message is clear: local technology, developed locally, for the demand ahead. The collaboration also promises to benefit from Finland’s depth in radio engineering, Nokia’s global edge presence, and NestAI’s startup agility.
When Nokia Partners with NestAI, the outcome could reshape how autonomy and AI are deployed in defence and security. The focus is squarely on systems that are dual-use: useful in civilian sectors, adaptable for military domains. And by combining strengths in connectivity, sensing, AI and autonomy, this partnership may set the blueprint for how future systems are built.
For businesses and tech professionals watching the AI wave, the key takeaway is this: Nokia Partners with NestAI isn’t just a funding headline. It is a foundational step toward a new class of machines and systems—machines that think, adapt and act—and for the organisations that adopt them first, control the advantage.
