Nokia has announced a five-year expansion of its multi-year agreement to supply Microsoft Azure with data center routers and switches. Nokia’s networking portfolio will enhance the scalability and reliability of Azure data centers around the world.
The partnership expands Nokia's global footprint to over 30 countries and strengthens its role as a strategic supplier for Microsoft's worldwide cloud infrastructure.
The new agreement also builds on the companies’ existing collaboration around open-source SONiC, and highlights Nokia's continued innovation in developing and expanding SONiC capabilities, including chassis-based support for high-capacity network roles within the data center.
As part of the expansion, Nokia’s 7250 IXR-10e platform will deliver multi-terabit-scale interconnectivity within Microsoft’s data centers.
The Next Phase of Nokia-Microsoft Partnership
Nokia will continue to deliver its custom-developed top-of-rack switch that is used extensively throughout the Azure network. The Nokia SONiC-based data center routers and switches will be deployed both in greenfield locations and used in support of Microsoft's migration from 100GE to 400GE connectivity within existing facilities. This will enable Microsoft to meet increasing traffic demands for years to come with Nokia’s exceptional networking performance and reliability. Deployment of the Nokia 7250 IXR-10e will begin in February.
Vach Kompella, Senior Vice President and General Manager of IP Networks business at Nokia, said, “We are pleased to move to the next phase of our relationship with Microsoft by expanding the agreement’s product scope, geographical reach and time commitment to five years. As a result of this new deal, Nokia will further increase the scalability and reliability of Microsoft Azure data centers around the world.”
This win also affirms Nokia's commitment to being a strategic supplier for tier one hyperscaler companies. The company’s multi-year strategic investments and approach have put it on the “right trajectory.”
David Maltz, Technical Fellow and Corporate Vice President, Microsoft Azure Networking, added, “As leaders in the advancement of cloud compute, we are continuously expanding our global footprint to support the massive growth in compute workloads. Over the past six years we have worked with Nokia's engineers to develop their routers running SONiC to rapidly advance our expansion at the quality our customers demand.”
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