This digest compiles the latest from NVIDIA.
Today’s NVIDIA Roundup
Survey Reveals AI Advances in Telecom: Networks and Automation in Driver’s Seat as Return on Investment Climbs
19 Feb 2026, 2:00 pm by Kanika Atri
AI is accelerating the telecommunications industry’s transformation, becoming the backbone of autonomous networks and AI-native wireless infrastructure. At the same time, the technology is unlocking new business and revenue opportunities, as telecom operators accelerate AI adoption across consumers, enterprises and nations.
NVIDIA’s fourth annual “State of AI in Telecommunications” survey report unpacks these trends, underscoring strong AI adoption, impact and investment in the industry.
Highlights from the report include:
- 90% said AI is helping increase annual revenue and drive down costs.
- 77% said they expect to see AI-native networks launch before the deployment of 6G.
- 65% of telecom operators said network automation is being driven by AI.
- 60% said their organization is using or assessing generative AI, up from 49% in 2024.
- 89% said open source models and software are important to their AI strategy.
- 89% of telcos plan to boost AI spending in 2026, up from 65% a year ago.
“There is a seismic shift underway in the telecom industry driven by AI,” said Sebastian Barros, managing director of Circles, a Singapore-based telecommunications provider. “Communication service providers are converging on a new realization. Their role in society extends beyond moving bits across networks toward moving intelligence across local and regulated infrastructure. That transition defines the move from telco to ‘AICO’ — AI infrastructure companies operating at network proximity, not application vendors riding on top.”
Here are some more key findings from the report.
Tangible Revenue Impact and Return on Investment
The telecommunications industry is seeing a definitive revenue impact from the use of AI. Overall, about nine out of 10 respondents said AI is helping to increase revenue and reduce costs. Telecommunications operators, which represent about a quarter of the 1,000 responses in the survey, are also seeing the benefit, with 90% saying AI has had a positive impact on revenue and costs.
The top AI use cases cited for return on investment (ROI) were AI for autonomous networks (50%), followed by improved customer service (41%) and internal process optimization (33%).
“Autonomous networks deliver immediate ROI by eliminating human effort from repetitive, reactive workflows,” said Barros. “The fastest impact areas are energy management, fault prediction, configuration drift correction and capacity planning.”
This strong impact on revenue and ROI is leading telecommunications companies to increase their AI budgets in 2026. Overall, 89% of respondents said their AI budget will increase in the next 12 months, up from 65% in last year’s survey, with 35% saying their budgets would increase more than 10% from this year.
Focus on AI-Native Networks and Autonomous Operations
Network automation has overtaken customer experience as the leading use case for investment, deployment and ROI impact. This signals a bold step toward autonomous networks — AI-driven, self-managing systems that can self-configure, self-heal and self-optimize with minimal human intervention. Eighty-eight percent of organizations report being between levels 1-3 of autonomy, as defined by the TM Forum, and the use of generative AI and agentic AI is expected to accelerate the shift to level 5 autonomous networks.
“Autonomous networks are delivering return on investment faster than any other AI use case because they directly reduce outages, energy consumption and manual intervention,” said Chetan Sharma, CEO of Chetan Sharma Consulting. “Agentic AI accelerates this by coordinating decisions across domains in real time.”
A surge in edge computing investment is reshaping telecom network architectures, bringing AI inferencing closer to users through a distributed computing infrastructure. Telcos are stepping up investments in AI-native RAN and 6G — signaling a major industry intercept ahead of the traditional 6G deployment cycle, with 77% of respondents anticipating a much faster time to deployment of this new AI-native wireless network architecture.
The top drivers of investment are using AI to enhance spectral efficiency, improving the performance of the radio access network supporting edge AI applications and accelerating the research and development of 6G.
A Universal Boost in Productivity
AI in telecommunications is advancing autonomous networks and business opportunities as well as improving internal operations. Nearly every respondent in the survey said AI is boosting employee productivity, with 26% citing major to significant improvements to their ability to complete more tasks with higher quality in less time.
The productivity gains are coming from generative and agentic AI solutions deployed across operations, from the back office to networks.
“Generative AI delivered fast productivity gains, but agentic AI is where telecoms begin to see structural ROI,” Sharma said. “Autonomous agents can act across networks, IT and customer journeys, turning insights into decisions without human delay.”
Download the “State of AI in Telecommunications 2026 Trends” report for in-depth results and insights.
All About the Games: Play Over 4,500 Titles With GeForce NOW
19 Feb 2026, 2:00 pm by GeForce NOW Community
The GeForce NOW anniversary celebration keeps on rolling, and this week is all about the games that make it possible. With more than 4,500 titles supported in the cloud — plus 12 new games this week — there’s always something new to stream, share and discover.
The #6YearsofGFN fun continues with a community giveaway hosted on the GeForce NOW Reddit. Share in-game screenshots and memes to celebrate the anniversary for a chance to win prizes such as an Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K, a Thrustmaster HOTAS ONE flight stick and more — through Friday, Feb. 20.
Gamers can also join the GeForce NOW community Discord to join in on more celebrations and events.
A Library Built for Every PC Gamer
GeForce NOW features an ever-growing library of over 4,500 titles that are ready to stream in seconds. From cozy indies and competitive shooters to sprawling role-playing games and strategy epics, the collection has something for everyone.
The GeForce NOW library spans popular stores like Steam, Xbox — including supported PC Game Pass titles — Epic Games Store, Ubisoft Connect and GOG.com, bringing together free-to-play hits and paid blockbusters in one place. Install-to-Play further expands access by letting members install Steam games opted in for cloud gaming, doubling the number of titles that can be launched through the service.
The GeForce NOW app has curated rows that highlight new releases, RTX-enhanced titles or popular free-to-play picks, while tags make deals and downloadable content easier to spot. Smart library syncing connects supported games directly into the cloud catalog, enabling instant access without downloads or hardware worries. Ultimate members get priority entry with powerful servers to jump into the action even faster.
Fight the Fog of War
Battlefield 6 erupts into its second season, “Extreme Measures,” taking the fight to contaminated terrain and distorted frontlines. A massive new map, fresh arsenal and agile air support redefine large-scale warfare — pushing squads to adapt and survive across shifting contamination zones and fog-laced choke points.
Drop into “Contaminated,” a sprawling German mountainside airbase where the psychoactive VL‑7 smoke twists visibility, strategy and players’ senses. Mask up and press through as helicopters sweep low over objectives for high-risk insertions and surgical strikes. Dynamic cover and ever‑evolving hazards keep combat unpredictable, turning every push into a brutal test of precision and squad grit.
On GeForce NOW, the battle starts instantly — no waiting for patches or worrying about download space. Jump straight into the latest content, fully loaded and always in sync, for nonstop action anywhere.
Game On!
Styx: Blades of Greed from publisher Nacon lands with a sharp tongue and an even sharper blade. Styx is back to doing what he does best: slipping through shadows, looting anything that isn’t nailed down and talking trash the whole way through. Tight stealth, devious tools and a world powered by precious Quartz make every heist feel like a risky, rewarding score — perfect for anyone who prefers a dagger in the dark over a sword in the spotlight.
In addition, members can look for the following:
- Norse: Oath of Blood (New release on Steam, Feb. 17)
- Diablo (New release on Ubisoft Connect, Feb. 18)
- Diablo + Hellfire Expansion (New release on Ubisoft Connect, Feb. 18)
- Star Trek: Voyager – Across the Unknown (New release on Steam, Feb. 18, GeForce RTX 5080-ready)
- STALCRAFT: X (New release on Epic Games Store, Free Feb. 19)
- Styx: Blades of Greed (New release on Steam, Feb. 19, GeForce RTX 5080-ready)
- Ys X: Proud Nordics (New release on Steam, Feb. 20)
- KILLER INN (Steam)
- Trine Enchanted Edition (Epic Games Store)
- Trine 2: Complete Story (Epic Games Store)
- Trine 3: The Artifacts of Power (Steam and Epic Games Store)
- Trine 4: The Nightmare Prince (Epic Games Store)
What are you planning to play this weekend? Let us know on X or in the comments below.
Happy 6th Anniversary to @NVIDIAGFN
As an official NVIDIA GeForce NOW Ambassador, I’m hosting the @DeadbyDaylight block during their Anniversary Game Night + Giveaway.
February 19
Event starts @ 10AM PST
Dead by Daylight hosted by me at @ 1PM PST
Massive prizes.… pic.twitter.com/TFtHvFWAZk
—
EloraBliss
(@EloraBliss) February 18, 2026
End of today’s NVIDIA roundup.
