Nokia opens first Saudi Arabia R&D centre for AI network automation
Nokia has opened its first research and development centre in Saudi Arabia, establishing a facility in Riyadh dedicated to AI-powered network automation software. The centre will work on service management and orchestration (SMO), Self-Organizing Networks (SON), Autopilot capabilities, and rApps designed to help communications networks self-configure, self-heal, and reduce energy consumption with minimal human intervention.
The launch follows a bilateral agreement announced earlier in 2026 between Nokia's president and chief executive Justin Hotard and Saudi Arabia's Minister of Communications and Information Technology. Nokia did not disclose headcount targets, capital expenditure figures, or a timeline for the centre reaching full operational capacity.
What the centre will build
The Riyadh team will develop AI-native software for both Saudi and international communications service providers, with an explicit remit to create "Made in Saudi" products for Nokia's global customer base. The centre also carries a mandate to explore 6G technology, placing it at an early stage of a standards cycle that the International Telecommunication Union expects to begin formalising before 2030.
Mikko Lavanti, president of Nokia's Middle East and Africa division, said the centre would combine Nokia's global engineering expertise with locally trained Saudi talent to produce automation software that makes networks "more autonomous, efficient and responsive." Abdulrahman AlMufadda, deputy minister for telecom and digital infrastructure at Saudi Arabia's MCIT, framed the opening as part of the kingdom's ambition to become "a global hub for intelligent network technology innovation."
The centre will offer training programmes, boot camps, and AI and automation certifications, directly addressing Saudi Vision 2030's objective of building a domestic high-skilled engineering workforce rather than importing finished technology.
Market and competitive context
Network automation is a crowded and strategically important segment. Nokia's principal competitors, Ericsson and Huawei, have both invested in Gulf region R&D partnerships over the past several years, with Huawei running a substantial regional operation in the UAE and Saudi Arabia. Ericsson has pursued managed-services contracts with Saudi Telecom Company and other regional operators. The Gulf Cooperation Council countries represent one of the faster-growing markets for 5G infrastructure and private network deployments, making the region attractive for vendors seeking long-cycle software licence revenue.
Nokia's focus on SMO and SON aligns with the O-RAN Alliance's open architecture, which Saudi operators have signalled interest in adopting as they build out next-generation networks. O-RAN-compliant rApps are becoming a commercial battleground, with a number of specialist software vendors, including some backed by hyperscaler investment, competing for operator wallet share alongside the traditional network equipment providers.
The centre's 6G remit is longer-dated but politically significant. Several Gulf states are positioning themselves as early adopters and co-developers of 6G standards, partly to reduce dependency on any single vendor nationality. A Nokia R&D footprint in Riyadh gives the company a credible local-innovation narrative that may support future spectrum and infrastructure bids as Saudi Arabia's 6G planning accelerates toward the end of this decade.
Nokia did not name any Saudi operator customers that will receive early access to the centre's output, nor did it publish benchmarks for the automation capabilities under development. Analysts and customers will watch for named deployments and independently validated efficiency gains as the key proof points in the next 12 to 18 months.