Key Points
- Nokia is leading a 42-member consortium to develop drones for infrastructure protection.
- Participants include Nvidia and major European defense firms such as Safran and Saab.
- The EU’s Chips Joint Undertaking partially funds it and allows non-EU participation.
- The initiative could be expanded to military applications in the future.
Nokia announced it is leading a consortium of over 42 organizations to develop an unmanned drone project aimed at protecting and enhancing the resilience of Europe’s most critical infrastructure. The initiative, supported by startups, universities, and major tech and defense firms, is a response to the increasing vulnerability of Europe’s infrastructure amid rising geopolitical threats.
The project will focus on equipping drones and robotic systems—both aerial, ground, and underwater—with advanced capabilities, including laser and radar sensors. These will be built on top of hardware platforms provided by European defense companies. Notable participants include Nvidia, Safran, Leonardo, and Saab.
The need for such a program has become urgent following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which exposed the European Union’s limited ability to protect its energy grids, ports, and transportation systems from modern threats, especially drone warfare. Nokia project lead Thomas Eder emphasized that protecting critical infrastructure has historically been overlooked. Previous attempts to secure EU funding for similar ventures had failed.
This initiative is funded through a combination of contributions from participating nations, companies, and the EU’s Chips Joint Undertaking program—a framework that also enables non-EU countries, such as Israel, to participate. Though Nokia did not disclose the full funding details, the program is expected to generate €90 million ($102.7 million) in revenue by 2035.
A Nokia spokesperson highlighted that defense is becoming a strategic priority for the company, alongside AI and data centers, under its new CEO’s leadership. While the current focus is on civilian infrastructure protection, Eder acknowledged the high likelihood that the project could evolve into a dual-use platform for military applications in the future.
The project will initially span three years, aiming to enhance security for power grids, power plants, railways, and ports across the European Union.
