Nokia has opened its first research and development centre in Saudi Arabia, creating a Riyadh-based operation focused on artificial intelligence-powered network automation and orchestration software for customers in the kingdom and international markets.The Finnish telecoms equipment group said the centre will develop software designed to help communications networks configure and heal themselves, optimise performance, cut energy consumption and operate with greater autonomy. Its work will centre on service management and orchestration, self-organising networks, Nokia’s Autopilot capabilities and rApps used for automation and energy efficiency.
The facility will also explore AI-native technologies for future 6G networks, while developing software intended for deployment by communications service providers and enterprises. Nokia said innovations created by the Riyadh teams could be supplied to customers worldwide under a “Made in Saudi” approach, giving the centre an export-oriented role alongside its domestic research mandate.
Mikko Lavanti, Nokia’s president for the Middle East and Africa, said networks were becoming critical infrastructure for wider adoption of artificial intelligence across industries. He said the Riyadh centre would combine Nokia’s global expertise with Saudi talent to build automation tools that make networks more autonomous, efficient and responsive.
The opening follows an agreement reached earlier this year between Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Communications and Information Technology and Nokia President and chief executive Justin Hotard. Nokia said the collaboration supports Saudi Vision 2030 objectives aimed at expanding advanced research, developing technology skills and increasing the kingdom’s participation in the global digital economy.
Abdulrahman AlMufadda, Deputy Minister for Telecom and Digital Infrastructure at the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, described the centre as a step towards strengthening Saudi Arabia’s position in intelligent network technology. He said it would help localise advanced research and development, build national capabilities in AI and software, and create technology that could serve global markets.
The company said the centre would create high-value engineering and research positions and provide training programmes, boot camps and certifications in artificial intelligence and network automation. Those programmes are intended to build a local pool of software and telecoms specialists able to work on increasingly automated network operations.
Network automation has become a major area of investment for telecoms vendors and operators as 5G networks grow more complex and service providers seek to reduce operating costs, improve reliability and manage energy use. AI tools are increasingly being applied to network planning, fault detection, optimisation and service orchestration, with vendors developing systems intended to move operations towards higher levels of autonomy.
Nokia’s Riyadh centre is expected to work on software that can analyse network conditions and trigger actions with less manual intervention. Self-organising network technology can adjust radio parameters and capacity based on changing traffic, while service orchestration platforms coordinate network resources and applications across multiple domains.
The company’s rApps, or RAN applications, are designed to support specialised functions on radio access networks, including optimisation and energy-saving tasks. Nokia has been expanding its autonomous-network portfolio as operators prepare for broader use of AI across radio, core, transport and cloud infrastructure.
For operators, the practical aim is to shift more network management from reactive human intervention towards software that can anticipate faults, balance capacity and automate service changes. That could become important as AI workloads place demands on connectivity.
The Saudi investment comes as the kingdom increases spending on artificial intelligence, cloud computing and data-centre capacity while seeking to build domestic technology capabilities. Government-backed initiatives have placed greater emphasis on local research, skills development and technology exports as part of the economic diversification programme under Vision 2030.
Riyadh has also become a growing regional venue for technology investment announcements. The Nokia opening was disclosed during the LEAP technology event, where telecoms operators, equipment suppliers and technology companies have been outlining partnerships tied to AI infrastructure, network modernisation and digital services.
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