Nokia bolsters MX Industrial Edge capabilities to meet digitalization demands

Nokia today announced it is working with other industry-leading technology providers as it boosts the capabilities of the off-the-shelf, Mission-Critical Industrial Edge (MXIE) to manage the growing digitalization demands of industries. Nokia will also make it possible for many more enterprises to realize the value of operational technology (OT) data with the introduction of MXIE in a Hardware-as-a-Service (HaaS) model.

As enterprises implement a growing number of Industry 4.0 use cases, such as autonomous robots in a factory or warehouse leveraging real-time situational awareness for safety, or zero-fault manufacturing using advanced real-time video analytics for efficiency, demand is growing for high-capacity, on-premise edge processing. To support this, Nokia is introducing a new high-performance, high-capacity infrastructure platform from Dell Technologies, beginning with the Dell PowerEdge XR11 server to further increase the processing power of the MXIE to handle the most demanding and complex workloads.

The new Dell PowerEdge XR11 server-based MXIE featuring 3rd Generation Intel® Xeon® Scalable Processor introduces physical graphics processing unit (GPU) support. The high-performance NVIDIA A2 Tensor Core GPU enables versatile *AI inference acceleration.

This, for example, will unlock business-critical use cases that rely on real-time monitoring of video feeds and alerts using applications such as Nokia Scene Analytics or Atos Computer Vision Platform, which uses Artificial Intelligence (AI) for quality assurance and video analytics solutions for mission-critical applications.

Future compute-intensive applications — such as Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AI/ML) — will also benefit specifically from the compute power provided by the GPU. This includes data intelligence analyzing real-time OT data at the edge, which will be used to fuel advanced analytics where Nokia continues its technical collaboration with Intel.

By offering MXIE in a HaaS model, Nokia will enable more enterprises to begin their digitalization journey. This will reduce up-front capital investment, and allow them to benefit from MXIE capabilities on a subscription basis.

Kyle Dufresne, Global SVP and GM, OEM Solutions, Dell Technologies, said: “The Dell PowerEdge server family includes high-performance and ruggedized systems designed for deployment in the most extreme environments. The PowerEdge XR11 server with NVIDIA Tensor Core GPU support offers a robust platform for Nokia MXIE and can support Nokia enterprise customers wanting to implement use cases such as widespread automation at remote ports and mines, as well as in factories and warehouses.”

Stephan Litjens, Vice President of Enterprise Campus Edge Solutions at Nokia, said: “In 2022 we began building a large installed base for MXIE as it was integrated with the Digital Automation Cloud (DAC) private wireless solution, allowing enterprises to experience how it supports their Industry 4.0 application needs. Leveraging Dell PowerEdge servers, we are boosting the processing power and capabilities of the Nokia MXIE to meet our customers’ growing demands for advanced Industry 4.0 implementations. Additionally, the new MXIE GPU capabilities will support use cases that leverage AI and machine learning, such as real-time video and OT data analytics. By introducing MXIE in a Hardware-as-a-Service model, we are further lowering the upfront cost of our industrial edge for businesses, to accelerate their digitalization journey.”

The Nokia MXIE is a future-ready, on-premise, as-a-service subscription-based industrial edge, deployed as part of the Nokia Digital Automation Cloud solution. Leading enterprises are recognizing how MXIE can accelerate their digital transformation beyond connectivity and are using it to support OT data applications and workloads.

As a leader in 4.9G/LTE and 5G private wireless, Nokia is helping more than 560 enterprises digitalize operations and unlock the value of their OT data to achieve their business goals.

CT Bureau