Nokia CEO says data centers would be built '2x faster' without supply constraints

Key Points

• Nokia CEO says AI data center demand remains strong despite supply constraints.
• AI customers would build data centers “2x faster” if they could, Hotard says.
• Nokia sees AI infrastructure growth even without new frontier models, even as labs discuss slowing down the pace of AI development.

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The tech industry would build data centers twice as fast without the supply constraints they face, the CEO of Nokia told CNBC, underscoring continued demand for AI even as top executives debate slowing down the pace of development.

"I don't think you can say in any manner we're overbuilding today because reality is that if we could build 2x faster, our customers could build 2x faster, they probably would," Justin Hotard told CNBC's "The Tech Download" podcast.

"So that gives me confidence that we're still in the early days" of the AI buildout, Hotard added.

Shortages of key memory chips and energy are among the supply constraints facing the sector.

Nokia, one of the world's biggest telecommunications equipment makers, has pivoted to become a key player within the AI infrastructure space. It sells the technology required to connect racks of chips within data centers as well as technology that interconnects data centers across different locations.

Nokia's growing role as a "picks and shovels" player in the AI boom appears to have won over investors, with the stock up around 130% over the past year.

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Nokia 1-year stock chart.

But there's been continued debate over whether the industry is building data centers too fast and whether demand will be there to sustain it.

Investments in the AI buildout from data centers to chips and related infrastructure will total $10.3 trillion from 2025 to 2032 — an average of 3.63% of U.S. gross domestic product per year, according to research presented at the Brookings Papers on Economic Activity.

That sparked a knee-jerk sell off in AI-related stocks last month.

Seppo Samuli | Reuters