Intel has secured a much-needed win, with the embattled chip maker continuing its partnership with Nokia to use its Xeon 6 processors to power the Finnish firm’s 5G network applications.

Nokia signed on to continue its long-standing team up with Intel, tapping its Xeon 6 line, specifically the Xeon 6780E, to provide energy-efficient capacity to power its NFVI v5.0 and Core Networks applications.

The pair contends that the use of Intel’s flagship processors will provide Nokia customers with up to a 60 percent reduction in power consumption, a 60 percent smaller server footprint, and a 150 percent performance boost compared to previous-generation servers.

Alexander Quach, VP and general manager of Intel’s Wireline and Core Network Division, said: “The combination of Intel Xeon 6 E-core processors – engineered for power-efficient, high-density compute – and Intel® Infrastructure Power Manager, which delivers stable run-time power savings, provides a robust foundation for the most energy-efficient 5G core networks.”

Prior to the latest team-up, Nokia was already running cloud service provider trials using Intel’s Xeon 6s, as well as its Infrastructure Power Manager (IPM), ahead of its upcoming Packet Core Application v25.7, which is due to drop later this year.

“The results from our joint IPM trials using Intel Xeon 6 with E-cores underscore how industry partnerships – like our long-standing collaboration with Intel – are essential to driving shared innovation and delivering scalable, energy-efficient solutions that enable more sustainable networks,” said Kal De, SVP of products and engineering, cloud and network services at Nokia.

“The important energy efficiency gains demonstrated in these trials align closely with what operators need as they modernize their networks.”

Getting Nokia to remain onboard is a coup for Intel, given its ongoing woes.

The semiconductor firm is looking to put its engineering efforts at the forefront of its turnaround, having brought in a host of engineering leads, including former Apple and Rain AI talent Jean-Didier (J-D) Allegrucci, to spearhead its AI system-on-chip (SoC) efforts.

With more partners secured, however, Intel continues to make cutbacks and savings, most recently ousting its marketing team in favor of outsourcing it to Accenture.