Cisco Unveils Plug-and-Play AI Solutions, Accelerating AI Adoption for the Enterprise

Cisco announced new additions to its data center infrastructure portfolio: an AI server family purpose-built for GPU-intensive AI workloads with NVIDIA accelerated computing, and AI PODs to simplify and de-risk AI infrastructure investment. They give organizations an adaptable and scalable path to AI, supported by Cisco’s industry-leading networking capabilities.

“Enterprise customers are under pressure to deploy AI workloads, especially as we move toward agentic workflows and AI begins solving problems on its own,” said Jeetu Patel, Chief Product Officer, Cisco. “Cisco innovations like AI PODs and the GPU server strengthen the security, compliance, and processing power of those workloads as customers navigate their AI journeys from inferencing to training.”

The exponential growth of AI is transforming data center requirements, driving demand for scalable, sustainable, programmable and secure networks. According to McKinsey, generative AI will add $2.6T to $4.4T per year to global economic output with enterprises at the forefront of value creation. But according to the Cisco AI Readiness Index, 89% of IT professionals plan to deploy AI workloads within the next two years but just 14% of organizations report their infrastructure is ready for AI today.  

Cisco’s new solutions provide customers with the infrastructure pieces they need to accelerate their AI adoption, no matter their current starting point. These innovations extend customers’ existing infrastructure, enabling customers to grow and innovate without adding complexity. The new solutions are managed by Cisco Intersight, which enables centralized control and automation, simplifying everything from configuration to day-to-day operations. New solutions introduced today include:

These new solutions join Cisco’s already extensive portfolio of AI and data center infrastructure, including Cisco’s recently introduced 800G Nexus switching platforms powered by the Cisco Silicon One G200 chip, and the recently announced Cisco Nexus HyperFabric AI solution with NVIDIA.

As Cisco’s customers and partners continue to navigate an ever-changing and progressing AI market, Cisco is committed to working across the industry to drive innovation and growth. By leaning on the full power of Cisco’s networking, security and observability strengths, and honoring customers’ unique journeys to AI, Cisco and its partners can deliver true business value to customers.

"A new era of intelligent generative AI applications is driving transformation for enterprises worldwide. With the debut of its dedicated AI server portfolio, AI PODs, and expanding family of systems with full-stack NVIDIA accelerated computing and software, Cisco is advancing the infrastructure enterprises can use as a foundation for growth in the age of AI.” - Bob Pette, vice president, Enterprise Platforms at NVIDIA

"AI is set to fundamentally change how we do business, but it requires scaling that only robust infrastructure can provide to support accelerated computing demands. We're excited about Cisco's efforts to make AI easier for our customers to stand up and manage. With these new solutions, Presidio is able to bring customers new solutions that fit within their existing infrastructure, are easy to deploy and manage, and provide the right infrastructure for their AI journeys." - Rob Kim, CTO, Presidio

“Cisco launching these new platforms couldn’t come at a better time as many of our customers are working to figure out the role of AI in their business and how they can capitalize on the technology. CDW is excited about Cisco’s new AI infrastructure and security platforms to drive business outcomes securely with our joint customers.” - Conor Waddell, SVP Integrated Technology Solutions, CDW

“One of the challenges we see for customers is the complexity of the AI infrastructure stack. There are many options and the technology is moving very rapidly. Cisco’s solutions like the AI PODs will simplify and accelerate AI adoption for our customers allowing them to focus on the AI outcomes they are seeking for their organizations. At WWT we are excited to work with Cisco to showcase the Cisco AI PODs in our AI Proving Ground Lab and accelerate the AI journey for our mutual customers.” - Neil Anderson, VP Cloud, Infrastructure, and AI Solutions, World Wide Technology

Source: Cisco media announcement