Nokia launches AI and edge platform to help mining and construction industries, public safety, and defense organizations run safer, more resilient field operations

Press Release

Nokia introduces Cognitive Operations (CO), a new commercially available platform that unifies mission-critical communications, edge computing and operational AI in a single field-deployable system, initially for the mining, public safety and defense markets.
Nokia’s CO gives operational teams real-time site and asset intelligence, combining AI assistance, 3D digital twins, video analytics, predictive maintenance and resilient hybrid connectivity to improve visibility, reduce downtime and keep mission-critical operations running in tough environments.
New platform supports deployments on-premises with local IT infrastructure or hosted on Microsoft Azure Marketplace.

10 September 2026

Espoo, Finland – Nokia today launched Cognitive Operations (CO), a new platform that unifies mission-critical communications, accelerated edge computing, and operational AI for industries where failure in field operations is not an option.

Nokia’s CO enhances site and asset intelligence for operational teams, whether they are managing and keeping a mine site connected, enabling emergency vehicles to share live incident awareness, or operating on the battlefield. These teams will benefit from AI-agentic assistance, a live 3D digital twin of operations, real-time video analytics, predictive maintenance and autonomous safety monitoring. The result is greater operational resilience, reduced downtime and continuous visibility. 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.

“The convergence of AI, edge computing, and mission-critical communications is becoming a key requirement for organizations 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,” said Ildefonso de la Cruz Morales, Senior Principal Analyst, Omdia.

At the edge of the new platform is Nokia’s Cognitive Edge Node (CEN), a rugged network and edge compute platform that combines advanced connectivity, AI-driven multi-access networking and accelerated edge computing. With embedded on-device GPU-accelerated computing, the Cognitive Edge Node increases intelligence in field-deployed vehicles and remote locations.

“This launch is a defining step in Nokia’s promise to deliver connected intelligence. Our Cognitive Operations solution extends AI directly into the field, enabling real-time intelligence where physical operations happen. Together with our partners Microsoft Azure and Rajant, we are building a future-ready system for autonomous mission-critical infrastructure, with public safety agencies, defense forces, and mining/construction companies leading the way,” said Lelio Di Martino, General Manager of Cognitive Operations for Nokia.

The CEN is designed with an ecosystem of partners in mind. Among other access technologies, Nokia has collaborated with Rajant, the pioneer of Kinetic Mesh® wireless networking, to integrate Rajant’s InstaMesh® technology directly into the Cognitive Edge Node.

“This collaboration offers the best of both companies’ core strengths to customers, whether it’s a more resilient wireless network or an integrated AI platform,” said Sagar Chandra, Executive Vice President of Global Sales, Rajant Corporation.

CO is launching with three vertical applications:

Cognitive Operations for mining is Nokia’s flagship product for the mining industry, bringing CO’s full AI platform to the mine operations through resilient communications delivered by the Cognitive Edge Node. CO for mining is available for both on-premises deployment and for on-cloud deployment through the Microsoft Azure Marketplace, enabling mining operators to deploy the solution 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 trucks, and ambulances self-organize into a distributed field intelligence network at the incident scene, sharing a live 3D situational picture, processing video analytics locally, and maintaining communications across 5G, Wi-Fi and satellite.

For defense and tactical military operations, Cognitive Operations for defense 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-organizing node in a distributed tactical network. Forces 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.

Multimedia, technical information and related news
Website: Cognitive Operations solution page
Website: Nokia Cognitive Edge product page
Data sheet: https://www.nokia.com/asset/215508
Brochure: https://www.nokia.com/asset/215507

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Nokia is the world's leading provider of network technology and enables a new era of artificial intelligence. We are developing the networks of the future that connect people, devices and intelligence. Our network solutions span fixed and mobile networks, as well as IP, optical, core, and data center networks. Our secure, AI-native network infrastructure enables the application and utilization of AI on a global scale.

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