Nokia is poised to receive unconditional EU antitrust approval for its acquisition of U.S. optical semiconductor and networking equipment manufacturer Infinera, according to sources familiar with the matter. The deal, announced by Nokia in June last year, aims to bolster its position in the optical networking market, giving it a 20% market share, trailing behind Huawei. The acquisition will enable Nokia to expand its sales to major tech giants like Amazon, Alphabet, and Microsoft, all of which are heavily investing in constructing new data centers to support the growth of artificial intelligence.

The European Commission is expected to complete its initial review of the deal by February 26 but declined to provide comments on the matter. Nokia, referencing its January 30 financial statement, stated that it anticipates finalizing the acquisition in the first quarter of this year. Infinera specializes in intra data center communications, particularly in server-to-server interactions within data centers, with a significant portion of its business originating from the United States.