Nokia and Lenovo team up on AI flavoured data centres

These data centre solutions will be a combination of Lenovo ThinkSystem servers and storage and various Nokia products related to data centre fabric, IP routing, DDoS security portfolios, and network automation. The combined solutions are pitched as helping to meet the processing and network performance requirements of modern workloads, by which it largely seems to mean AI.

As the release puts it: “As AI models are trained, data centres for inferencing will be needed where AI clusters are networked both within and between the data centres at the edge, which requires high-speed, reliable and secure interconnectivity.”

The integration of all these component parts with something called a validated blueprint architecture enables ‘seamless automation of AI/ML and compute-intensive workloads with enhanced observability, programmability, and extensibility’, so we are told.

“Our partnership with Lenovo exemplifies Nokia’s commitment to innovation and excellence in data centre solutions,” said Vach Kompella, Senior Vice President and General Manager of IP Networks business at Nokia. “By combining Nokia's Data Center Fabric and Event Driven Automation with Lenovo's ThinkSystem AI portfolio, we deliver a high performance, scalable data centre networking solution designed to efficiently manage and automate AI/ML workloads, with a strong emphasis on security and energy efficiency.

“This collaboration not only enhances the performance and reliability of data centre operations, but also underscores our dedication to providing innovative solutions that meet the evolving needs of our customers. Together, we are setting new standards in the industry and driving forward the future of data centre technology.”

Charles Ferland, Vice President Edge and Communications Service Providers at Lenovo added: “Lenovo has a longstanding commitment to deliver the most reliable and sustainable AI infrastructure. Our partnership with Nokia to bundle AI solutions is a natural alignment. Together, we provide a robust platform that meets the needs of telecommunications and enterprise sectors, enabling them to deploy AI clouds and manage their data efficiently.

“With Nokia’s automated data fabric and Lenovo’s leading automated compute and storage solutions with industry-leading Neptune liquid cooling technology, enterprises can confidently deploy cutting-edge sustainable infrastructure. This collaboration not only generates cost savings but also opens new revenue streams for providers through innovative AI and data consumption models.”

The combined offering will be marketed to enterprises, telcos, and digital infrastructure and cloud providers, and Nokia and Lenovo will no doubt be looking to ride the ubiquitous AI hype wave in doing so.