Michael Sikand
Investor, Autopilot Portfolio, Founder of Sikand Media
Nokia is a long, not a trade: a telecom giant with a fast-growing AI segment. AI & Cloud revenue rose 105% to €446M in Q2, about 9% of the group, and orders tripled to €2.8B, roughly half converting within 12 months. Optical reached 18% of revenue, lifting a sum-of-parts estimate to about $17.20, and buying NXP's Chandler plant for InP adds capacity. Headline results were weak and capacity constrains supply, so pure-play optical names may move faster near term. x.com x.com
Nokia has major upside, and its insiders are buying millions of dollars of stock on the open market, even at all-time highs. Per KawzInvests, Nokia is expanding its Allentown, Pennsylvania photonic chip facility tenfold, one of a handful of US sites packaging optical modules for AI infrastructure. The stock is chopping after a big run, normal once a stock becomes consensus; moving higher needs more exceptional AI networking growth and a clearer read-through on NVIDIA's 6G partnership. x.com x.com x.com x.com
Nokia's AI and cloud orders are set to turn into revenue, with about half of Q2's EUR 2.8B intake expected to convert over the next 12 months. Its San Jose fab ramps in Q4, Pennsylvania test and packaging capacity expands 10x from Q3, and an NXP Chandler fab lease for indium phosphide chips starts in early 2027, all for demand expected in 2027-28. Nokia targets EUR 2.7-3.2B of comparable operating profit by 2028, up from EUR 2.1-2.6B guided for 2026. x.com
Nokia's AI networking demand remains strong, and supply rather than demand is now its constraint. In Q2, AI and cloud customer revenue rose 105%, optical 20% and IP 16%. AI and cloud orders reached EUR 2.8B, up from EUR 1B in Q1, with about half expected to convert to revenue within 12 months. Management did not raise full-year guidance because supply of key parts such as indium phosphide devices and lasers limits delivery; as supply eases, the backlog should keep turning into revenue. x.com … Show more
Nokia looks overhyped for now, and a weak Q3 could bring a short-term pullback despite a bright long-term setup. Management said Q3 will be flat because high-margin software revenue was pulled into Q2, and restructuring charges of €390M still weigh. AI and cloud revenue rose 105%, with €2.8B of binding Q2 orders, but memory and optical supply limits are capping growth. Q4 needs to confirm the thesis before buying, likely toward year-end. x.com x.com x.com
Nokia is becoming a credible Western AI infrastructure pick, though only its Network Infrastructure half. The Infinera deal added in-house photonic chip fabs and hyperscaler access, Nvidia's $1B stake brings AI-RAN co-design, and the segment grew 23% in FY25 with EUR2.4B of AI and cloud orders. Licensing at near-100% gross margin and EUR4.9B of net cash add support, while Mobile Networks is a commoditizing anchor. Risks: AI capex peaking before Nokia wins optical share, and synergy slippage. … Show more
Nokia's agentic-AI work with Nvidia adds another bullish development to its network-automation case. Nokia says their models and network intelligence help operators act on insights while keeping control of sensitive data. L&T Technology Services also announced engineering and R&D work with Nokia in India; after strong Q3 results, the shares still look ridiculously priced. x.com x.com
Nokia's expected 2028 earnings do not make the stock particularly attractive at today's multiple. Even assuming EUR3.5bn of operating profit and a 17x multiple, the implied value is about $12.40, leaving the thesis dependent on multiple expansion. Datacenter and optical progress is good, but more growth in satellite communications and subsea would strengthen the case. x.com x.com x.com
Nokia is well positioned for data centers' shift from copper to optics because it makes and packages indium phosphide optical chips in-house, and could eventually double. Through Infinera it owns scarce InP fab capacity, is expanding San Jose 20-fold and buying NXP's Chandler campus, and grew US photonic packaging tenfold, avoiding Coherent or Lumentum markups. Q2 AI and cloud sales rose 105% on EUR 2.8B of orders, with backlog at 6.3x quarterly segment revenue. Curbs on Chinese optics help. … Show more
Repeat orders and larger new-customer orders are driving SmartOptics' growth. Q3 revenue rose 80% and EBIT 340%, with strong cash flow. Ciena and Nokia are busy serving hyperscalers; SmartOptics should scoop up all other smaller customers. Its 300M revenue target by 2030 suggests more growth. x.com
Nokia's guidance raise was just an accounting shift, leaving a steep climb to its profit target. The bump to €2.1-2.6 billion came from moving two business lines into discontinued operations; JPMorgan asked why operating targets weren't raised. With about €735 million of H1 operating profit, Nokia needs €1.8-1.9 billion in H2 for the top end, so delays risk a miss. Memory and optics remain bottlenecks, and only about half of €2.8 billion in AI and Cloud orders converts within 12 months. x.com … Show more
Nokia looks set for a quick rebound. x.com
