Nokia looks to gain AI edge for more resilient field operations

Artificial intelligence (AI) has established itself in many areas of industrial and manufacturing operations, but in field operations, system failure is not an option. To offer assurance for those in such demanding environments, Nokia has launched the Cognitive Operations (CO) platform to unify mission-critical communications, accelerated edge computing and operational AI. Fundamentally, Nokia’s CO is designed to enhance site and asset intelligence for operational teams, such as those managing and keeping a mine site connected , enabling emergency vehicles to share live incident awareness, or operating on the battlefield. The tech firm strongly believes that such firms will now be able to benefit from AI-agentic assistance, a live 3D digital twin of operations, real-time video analytics, predictive maintenance and autonomous safety monitoring. Nokia’s CO also creates a dynamic hybrid wireless network fabric with no single point of access failure, helping keep mission-critical operations running in the toughest environments. Hosted on Microsoft Azure Marketplace , the platform supports deployments on premises with local IT infrastructure. It is also attributed with being able to create a dynamic hybrid wireless network fabric with no single point of access failure, helping keep mission-critical operations running in tough environments. The overall result, claims Nokia, is greater operational resilience, reduced downtime and continuous visibility. At the edge of the platform is the Cognitive Edge Node (CEN), a rugged network and edge compute platform that combines connectivity, AI-driven multi-access networking and accelerated edge computing. With embedded on-device GPU-accelerated computing, the CEN is designed to increase intelligence in field-deployed vehicles and remote locations. The CEN is designed for a partner ecosystem in mind, and among other access technologies, Nokia has collaborated with kinetic mesh wireless networking firm Rajant to integrate directly the latter’s InstaMesh technology. Read more about edge AI solutions Qualcomm gains AI edge with Modular acquisition : Connected comms tech platform provider makes strategic buyout to accelerate adoption of edge-to-cloud AI platforms by developers, OEMs, ODMs, cloud service providers and model creators. 36 months to modernise networks before AI overwhelms capacity : Research finds capacity and performance the top network challenge for UK organisations, with 81% of respondents saying their network does not have room to house evolving AI demands. Extreme Connect 26: Agent ONE takes forward network AI : Network firm launches ‘smarter, faster, autonomous’ approach to enterprise networking, with its operating model moving from assistive AI to autonomous, always-on operations. Nokia, AWS demo agentic AI network slicing with Du, Orange : ‘Industry-first’ intent-based 5G-Advanced slicing with agentic AI to offer providers with premium network slicing services that respond to real-world situations and enable autonomous intelligence. CO is launching with three vertical applications: Cognitive Operations for Mining; Cognitive Operations for Emergency Services; and Cognitive Operations for Defence. The flagship product for the industry, Cognitive Operations for Mining is built to bring a full AI platform to the mine operations through resilient communications delivered by the CEN. CO for mining is available for both on-premise deployment and for on-cloud deployment through the Microsoft Azure Marketplace, enabling mining operators to deploy the service in days. For public safety and emergency services, Cognitive Operations for Emergency Services introduces the vehicle as a node (VaaN) concept, where every response vehicle equipped with the Cognitive Edge becomes an autonomous intelligence and communications node. Police cars, fire engines and ambulances self-organise into a distributed field intelligence network at the incident scene, sharing a live 3D situational picture, processing video analytics locally while maintaining communications across 5G, Wi-Fi and satellite. For defence and tactical military operations, Cognitive Operations for Defence extends the platform to the battlefield edge, where resilience and real-time intelligence are critical. Every vehicle, unit and forward asset becomes a secure, self-organising node in a distributed tactical network. Forces can share a live, unified situational picture, leveraging on-device AI for sensor fusion, video analytics and threat detection, while maintaining assured communications across 5G, tactical radio and satellite in contested environments. Ildefonso de la Cruz Morales, senior principal analyst at Omdia , said: “The convergence of AI, edge computing and mission-critical communications is becoming a key requirement for organisations seeking to improve operational performance and worker safety. Nokia’s Cognitive Operations platform demonstrates how these capabilities can be integrated to provide actionable intelligence and more reliable, resilient operations across industrial environments.” Lelio Di Martino, general manager of cognitive operations for Nokia, described the launch as a defining step in the company’s promise to deliver connected intelligence. “Our Cognitive Operations solution extends AI directly into the field, enabling real-time intelligence where physical operations happen,” he said. “Together with our partners, Microsoft Azure and Rajant, we are building a future-ready system for autonomous mission-critical infrastructure, with public safety agencies, defence forces and mining/construction companies leading the way.”