Nokia Highlights AI Energy Efficiency and 27% Emissions Reduction

Nokia has launched its People & Planet progress hub, highlighting how its AI-era networking technologies, energy efficiency improvements, and sustainability initiatives are reducing environmental impact. Announced on 9 November 2026, the initiative follows a reported 27% reduction in total greenhouse gas emissions across Scopes 1, 2 and 3 in 2025 compared with a 2019 baseline. The company also reported 96% renewable energy use across its facilities and a 66% reduction in supplier emissions over the same period.

 

The launch comes as growing demand for artificial intelligence and digital infrastructure increases pressure on telecommunications networks and data centers to improve energy efficiency. According to Nokia, emissions generated during customers' use of its products accounted for approximately 94% of its total greenhouse gas footprint in 2025. The company is therefore prioritizing more energy-efficient networking equipment and technologies that help customers reduce electricity consumption while expanding computing and connectivity capacity.

 

Nokia highlighted several technological improvements supporting these objectives. Its FP5 network processor consumes 75% less energy than its predecessor while delivering nearly four times the throughput. The company's Infinite Capacity Engine for Data Centers (ICE-D) can reduce power consumption per bit by up to 75%, while its Aurelis data center management architecture can reduce active switches by up to 90% and electricity use by at least 50% compared with conventional systems. These figures represent specific technology comparisons rather than verified savings across all customer deployments.

 

The company also outlined sustainability initiatives involving major customers and partners. E.ON is modernizing its telecommunications infrastructure using Nokia technology, targeting energy savings of up to 50%, while research with KDDI demonstrated up to 40% lower power consumption in 5G base stations at equivalent throughput. Nokia's research and manufacturing campus in Oulu, Finland, incorporates a district heating and cooling system designed to supply recovered heat to approximately 20,000 homes. Circularity remains another priority, with recycled materials accounting for 17% of the more than 73,000 tonnes of hardware, components and materials delivered to customers in 2025.

 

Nokia's sustainability activities also extend to digital inclusion. Between 2023 and 2025, its social digitalization projects reached 829,953 direct beneficiaries through connectivity, education and digital skills initiatives. Subho Mukherjee, who authored the announcement, introduced the People & Planet hub as a platform for communicating these environmental and social developments throughout the year. The company will continue publishing formal sustainability disclosures under the EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), while using the new hub to update stakeholders on its technologies, partnerships, and sustainability programs.

 

Source: Nokia