Nokia CEO Says Data Centers Would Build 2x Faster Without Chip and Power Constraints
Updated
Updated · CNBC · Oct 5
Nokia CEO Says Data Centers Would Build 2x Faster Without Chip and Power Constraints
2 articles · Updated · CNBC · Oct 5
Summary
Justin Hotard said customers would likely build data centers twice as fast if shortages of memory chips and power were eased, arguing the AI infrastructure boom is still in its early stages.
Those bottlenecks are slowing construction even as demand remains strong, he said, pushing back on concerns that the industry is overbuilding capacity for AI.
Hotard added that AI demand does not depend solely on new frontier-model releases, saying existing models alone could support years of deployment and infrastructure spending.
Nokia has leaned into that buildout by supplying data-center and inter-data-center networking gear, helping lift its shares about 130% over the past year.
The comments come amid a wider debate over whether projected AI infrastructure spending—estimated at $10.3 trillion from 2025 to 2032—can be sustained.