Nokia Bell Labs and UAE-based telco e& have signed a year-long non-binding memorandum of understanding (MoU) to explore the creation of AI-based use cases for strategic industrial sectors.
According to Nokia Bell Labs, the research arm of Finnish vendor Nokia, the aim of the MoU is to "develop responsible AI solutions for sustainable enterprise and industrial automation applications.
The pair hope that the collaboration will accelerate innovation concepts toward real-world deployments.
Nokia notes that the MoU includes opportunities to work with industry, universities, and research centers.
The vendor added that network connectivity, AI, and advanced computing are crucial in order to help the industrial industry improve a number of factors including productivity, efficiency, safety, health, and sustainability.
"By jointly developing applications and use cases that leverage our expertise in responsible AI, software, and data systems, we will accelerate the digital transformation that provides new technologies for a safer, more productive, and more sustainable future," said Thierry E. Klein, president of Bell Labs Solutions research at Nokia.
"We look forward to co-creating ground-breaking solutions that can unlock new business opportunities for industrial operations in the Middle East and beyond.”
e&, formerly known as Etisalat, stated that the partnership with Nokia Bell Labs is part of the company's commitment to driving responsible AI.
“While we realize the immense potential of AI, we also recognize it's imperative to establish robust safeguards to ensure its responsible development and deployment," added Dena Almansoori, group chief AI and data officer at e&.
"This approach is the cornerstone of our collaboration with Nokia Bell Labs as we both explore the potential of AI in driving sustainable industrial automation."
In September 2023, Nokia announced plans to launch an Open Innovation lab in Dubai, UAE, as part of plans to develop its Cloud RAN push in the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region.
At the time, the company said the lab would be used to speed up the adoption of technologies including AI/ML for network automation and optimization.
Meanwhile, e& is one of the founding members of the Global Telco AI Alliance (GTAA), an alliance that also includes Deutsche Telekom, Singtel, SoftBank Corp., and SK Telecom. The alliance seeks to develop AI technologies for the telecommunications industry.
During this year's Mobile World Congress event, the quintet announced plans to create a multi-lingual Large Language Model (LLM) for telcos.
