Nokia extends agreement with Microsoft for data center routers, switches

Nokia on Thursday announced a five-year extension of its multi-year agreement to supply Microsoft Azure with data center routers and switches.

Nokia’s data center network portfolio will improve the resilience and reliability of Azure data centers around the world. The partnership will expand Nokia’s global footprint to more than 30 countries and strengthen its role as a strategic supplier of Microsoft’s global cloud infrastructure.

As part of the expansion, Nokia will provide its 7250 IXR-10e platform to deliver multi-terabit-scale connectivity within Microsoft’s data centers.

Nokia will continue to bring its widely used advanced management switch to the Azure network, the company said.

Nokia SONiC-based data center routers and switches will be used both in green areas and used to support Microsoft’s migration from 100GE to 400GE connectivity within existing facilities.

“Thanks to this new agreement, Nokia will further increase the resilience and reliability of Microsoft Azure data centers around the world. This win demonstrates Nokia’s commitment to being a strategic provider for top-tier companies, and highlights that our multi-year strategic investment has put us on the right track,” said Vach Kompella, SVP and General Manager of the IP Networks business at Nokia. .

This will enable Microsoft to meet the growing traffic needs of the coming years with Nokia’s exceptional network performance and reliability. Shipments of the Nokia 7250 IXR-10e will begin in February.

David Maltz, Technical Fellow and Business Vice President, Microsoft Azure Networking, said that as leaders in the development of cloud computing, we continue to expand our global footprint to support significant growth in workloads.
“For the past six years, we have worked with Nokia engineers to develop their routers that use SONiC to rapidly improve our expansion at the level our customers want,” he added.