ORAN Development Company closes $45M funding round backed by Nvidia, AT&T, Nokia
The ORAN Development Company (ODC) has raised $45 million in Series A funding to build AI-native radio access networks. Nvidia, AT&T, Nokia, Booz Allen, Cisco Investments, MTN Group, and Telecom Italia all participated in the round.
ODC develops software and hardware for 5G networks that can run artificial intelligence workloads at cell sites. The company plans to use the funding to scale production and add more telecom operators as customers.
What ODC is building
The company calls its platform a "Distributed Compute Grid" - essentially converting cell towers into data centers capable of running AI models and sensing applications. Rather than sending all data to distant cloud servers, computations happen at the network edge.
ODC integrates Nvidia's Aerial platform, which combines 5G processing with sensor data collection. This setup lets networks handle real-time tasks like autonomous vehicle coordination without the latency of cloud computing.
Industry momentum
AI-native RAN networks were a central topic at Mobile World Congress 2026. Nokia and Nvidia both announced plans to develop the technology, signaling broad industry interest beyond ODC.
Ronnie Vasishta, senior vice president of telecom at Nvidia, said the shift toward software-defined networks "will be essential for the Physical AI era." He described ODC's stack as a "key enabler" for turning 5G infrastructure into distributed computing fabric.
ODC chairman Dr. Shaygan Kheradpir framed the funding as validation that wireless networks will become the primary computing platform for AI applications. "The wireless Edge is the next frontier for AI," he said.
What comes next
ODC expects to announce additional commercial partners throughout 2026. The company previously raised seed funding from affiliates of Cerberus Capital Management and backing from Phoenix Venture Partners.
Your membership also unlocks:
