Telecoms equipment vendor Nokia has won a five-year expansion of its existing multi-year agreement to supply Microsoft Azure with data centre routers and switches.
Nokia’s says its data centre networking portfolio in Azure data centres around the world will grow the vendor's global footprint to over 30 countries and strengthen its role as a strategic supplier for Microsoft's worldwide cloud infrastructure.
"The new agreement also builds upon the companies’ existing collaboration around open source SONiC, and highlights Nokia's continued innovation in developing and expanding SONiC capabilities, including in the area of chassis-based support for high-capacity network roles within the data centre," Nokia stated in its announcement.
Under the expansion agreement, Nokia will supply its 7250 IXR-10e platform to deliver multi-terabit-scale interconnectivity within Microsoft’s data centres.
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The Nokia SONiC-based data centre routers and switches will be deployed both in greenfield locations and used in support of Microsoft's migration from 100GE to 400GE connectivity within existing facilities.
According to Nokia, this will enable Microsoft to meet increasing traffic demands in coming years.
Deployment of the Nokia 7250 IXR-10e will begin in February.
Vach Kompella, Senior Vice President and General Manager of IP Networks business at Nokia, said the new deal will further increase the scalability and reliability of Microsoft Azure data centres around the world.
“We are pleased to move to the next phase of our relationship with Microsoft by expanding the agreement’s product scope, geographical reach and time commitment to five years," Kompella said.
"This win affirms Nokia's commitment to being a strategic supplier for tier one hyperscaler companies, and highlights that our multi-year strategic investments and approach have put us on the right trajectory.”