Palo Alto Networks unveils partnerships to secure AI factories

Palo Alto Networks has announced a string of partnerships aimed at securing the data centres and networks that underpin the rapidly expanding world of artificial intelligence.

Speaking at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, the company revealed collaborations with Nokia, Malaysian operator U Mobile, IoT platform Aeris, and connectivity firm Celerway. Together, the deals are designed to embed cybersecurity directly into 5G infrastructure, IoT networks, and edge devices, creating what Palo Alto Networks calls “secure by design” AI factories.

“We are establishing the secure foundation for the AI economy through extensive ecosystem collaboration,” said Anand Oswal, executive vice president at Palo Alto Networks. “By seamlessly integrating our AI-powered security services directly from the data centre into the most vital 5G and IoT networks globally, we are ensuring the AI factory is secure by design.”

The centrepiece of the announcement is a tie-up with Nokia to bolster security for European “gigafactories”. The two firms plan to combine Nokia’s AI data centre infrastructure with Palo Alto Networks’ security platforms, allowing customers to scale high-performance AI workloads while meeting data sovereignty requirements.

Greg Dorai, senior vice president and general manager for IP networks at Nokia, said the collaboration goes well beyond simple connectivity. “In the race to build the world’s AI factories, you cannot leave the door open at the infrastructure layer,” he said. “The validated architecture will allow our customers to build future-proof, sovereign data centres.”

Elsewhere, the company signed a memorandum of understanding with U Mobile, Malaysia’s newest 5G provider, to develop a network-embedded security-as-a-service offering. The solution would integrate next-generation firewalls and AI-powered threat detection directly into U Mobile’s 4G and 5G networks, giving subscribers built-in protection against cyber threats.

The partnership with Aeris, meanwhile, targets the billions of IoT devices feeding data into AI systems. By pairing Aeris’s IoT Watchtower platform with Palo Alto Networks’ Prisma SASE 5G, enterprises in sectors such as healthcare, manufacturing, and utilities will be able to apply zero-trust security policies to millions of wireless devices from a single point of control.

The final collaboration, with Norway-based Celerway, focuses on extending enterprise-grade security to remote and mobile environments. The integration allows first responders and field teams to maintain data centre-level protection on 5G edge devices, even in harsh or high-mobility conditions.

The announcements reflect a broader industry push to ensure that the infrastructure behind AI development is protected from the outset, rather than bolted on as an afterthought. As AI workloads grow and data sovereignty regulations tighten across markets, demand for integrated security solutions is expected to accelerate.