As global enterprises transition toward high-performance AI Factories, Palo Alto Networks has announced a major expansion of its security ecosystem to protect this rapidly evolving industrial backbone. During Mobile World Congress 2026, the company introduced four strategic collaborations with Nokia, U Mobile, Aeris, and Celerway Communication. Together, these partnerships aim to help enterprises scale sovereign AI initiatives and secure the autonomous edge without sacrificing performance.
As AI infrastructure demands multi-terabit throughput and continuous data exchange across 5G and IoT environments, securing these systems has become a strategic necessity. Therefore, Palo Alto Networks is embedding AI-powered cybersecurity directly into data centers, telecom networks, and edge environments to ensure AI ecosystems remain secure by design.
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“We are establishing the secure foundation for the AI economy through extensive ecosystem collaboration. By seamlessly integrating our AI-powered security services directly from the datacenter into the most vital 5G and IoT networks globally, we are ensuring the AI Factory is secure by design. These partnerships enable us to create a secure digital infrastructure capable of managing the multi-terabit throughput required for training AI models,” said Anand Oswal, Executive Vice President, Palo Alto Networks.
One of the most significant collaborations announced involves Nokia, where both companies are aligning their technologies to support the rise of European AI “Gigafactories.” By combining Nokia’s AI Data Center infrastructure with Palo Alto Networks’ AI-driven security platforms, organizations can scale high-performance AI workloads while meeting strict data sovereignty requirements. As European nations push for independent AI capabilities, this integration ensures that infrastructure security extends from network layers to AI workloads.
“In the race to build the world’s AI Factories, you cannot leave the door open at the infrastructure layer. Nokia and Palo Alto Networks jointly envision comprehensive architectural and operational frameworks that expand security solutions from the network layer to workloads. The validated architecture will allow our customers to build future-proof, sovereign data centers. We aren’t just providing connectivity, we are protecting the physical and digital integrity of industrial digitization at scale,” said Greg Dorai, Senior Vice President and General Manager, IP Networks, Nokia.
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In addition to this data center initiative, Palo Alto Networks introduced three other collaborations that extend protection beyond core telecom infrastructure.
First, through a newly signed memorandum of understanding with U Mobile, Malaysia’s newest 5G provider, the company will embed Security-as-a-Service (SECaaS) capabilities directly into 4G and 5G infrastructure. By integrating Next-Generation Firewalls and AI-driven threat prevention at the network level, U Mobile aims to deliver proactive protection for both consumers and enterprises against evolving cyber threats.
Second, Palo Alto Networks is working with Aeris to strengthen IoT security across global device fleets. As industries such as healthcare, manufacturing, retail, and utilities deploy millions of connected devices, attack surfaces expand dramatically. By integrating Aeris IoT Watchtower with Prisma SASE 5G, enterprises can apply zero-trust policies and data loss prevention controls from a centralized interface. Consequently, organizations gain unified visibility and close longstanding security gaps at the wireless edge.
Finally, Palo Alto Networks has partnered with Celerway Communication to extend enterprise-grade security to distributed and mobile edge environments. Through integration with VM-Series Next-Generation Firewalls (NGFWs), first responders and remote teams can maintain encrypted communications and consistent security postures even in high-mobility or harsh conditions far from centralized hubs. This ensures mission-critical operations remain protected wherever they operate.
Collectively, these partnerships reinforce Palo Alto Networks’ strategy to secure the AI economy from the data center to the distributed edge. As AI Factories become the backbone of industrial digitization, the company is positioning its ecosystem to deliver scalable, sovereign, and performance-driven security across every layer of modern infrastructure.
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