Finland’s NestAI is building the AI layer Europe’s militaries want to own
July 14, 2026 – 8:41 am
Image by: The Finish Defence Forces
A Helsinki lab barely a year old, bankrolled by Nokia and the Finnish state, is now writing battlefield software with two defence ministries. But control of this AI technology is what truly matters.
On June 30th, officials from Finland’s Ministry of Defence, Estonia’s Defence Forces, and a Helsinki-based AI lab founded in 2025 signed a letter of intent that commits none of them to any financial expenditure. This fact was clearly stated by the Finnish Defence Forces in their official announcement.
The document, while seemingly minor, reveals significant insights into the current European stance on tech and defence. It establishes a partnership between Finland’s AI Centre of Excellence, Estonia’s Force Transformation Command, and NestAI as the industrial partner. The framework covers knowledge sharing, joint development, training, and technical cooperation but makes no mention of procurement. This non-binding agreement is about fostering a collaborative environment rather than securing specific contracts.
NestAI, with its €100m funding from Nokia and Tesi (the Finnish state investment company), has developed NestOS, an operating layer designed for unmanned vehicles and command-and-control systems. NestOS is open, modular, and continuously learning, adhering to the principle that "European defence forces need AI systems… that continue to learn after deployment" as stated by Peter Sarlin, NestAI’s executive chairman.
The focus of this collaboration lies in capability evolution remaining under the control of individual nations who operate the systems, emphasizing data sovereignty over vendor lock-in. This sentiment echoes concerns raised during the EU’s experience with critical infrastructure outsourcing.
Initial projects will concentrate on adaptive and learning AI, decision support for command and control, and autonomous/unmanned systems. The plan is to pilot these areas, assess their effectiveness, and then expand. The ultimate goal involves bringing in AI organizations, centers of excellence, and industry partners from other nations into this arrangement.
Major General Sami Nurmi, Deputy Chief of Staff for Strategy at Finland’s Defence Command, positioned the letter within the Finnish Defence Forces’ data and AI strategy launched last year, expressing ambitions to enlist further nations in this endeavor.
Similarly, Major General Viktor Kalnitski from Estonia’s Defence Forces highlighted the integration of operational insight and technical expertise as key aspects of this partnership.