Cisco & NVIDIA unite to offer advanced AI infrastructure solutions

Global networking powerhouse Cisco has joined forces with industry pioneer NVIDIA to develop an innovative range of artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure solutions built for rapid deployment and secure, straightforward management. The partnership aims to supply the substantial computing power that enterprises require to thrive in this burgeoning AI epoch.

This far-reaching collaboration includes streamlined cloud-based and on-premises AI infrastructure, networking, software, and infrastructure management. Enterprise customers can also expect robust AI solutions that provide end-to-end observability along with accessibility to NVIDIA AI Enterprise software, strengthening and deploying advanced AI operations. Among the early adopters of this partnership is ClusterPower, a European cloud services provider keen on enhancing its data centre operations through the adoption of these ground-breaking AI and machine learning (ML) solutions.

"A seismic shift this considerable will necessitate enterprises to reevaluate and restructure their infrastructures," notes Cisco Chairman and CEO, Chuck Robbins. The collaboration with NVIDIA will equip enterprises with the technological support they need to build, deploy, and manage secure AI solutions on a grand scale. The partnership will also leverage Cisco's vast global channel network, providing professional services and support via key partners dedicated to helping businesses launch their GPU clusters through Ethernet infrastructure.

Jensen Huang, the CEO and Founder of NVIDIA, comments on the synergy; stating that the aim is to simplify the acquisition of AI infrastructure for enterprises. He describes AI as "the most powerful technology force of our lifetime".

This enhanced partnership between Cisco, known for its leading Ethernet networking expertise, and NVIDIA, the firm behind the GPU that powered the AI explosion, promises to guide customers safely and securely through the transitions for AI with top-notch Ethernet-based infrastructure.

Included in the partnership's offerings are:

• The most recent Tensor Core GPUs from NVIDIA are now available in Cisco's M7 series of UCS rack and blade servers.
• The companies jointly validated reference architectures through Cisco Validated Designs (CVDs) for easier deployment and management of any scale AI clusters.
• Cisco's modern infrastructure management and operations through on-premises and cloud-based management are supported by Cisco Nexus Dashboard and Cisco Intersight.
• A Cisco Observability Platform deploys AI capabilities to facilitate improved digital experiences, and partners provide advice and support to organisations planning AI and automation implementations.

The integration of these industry giants offers enterprises an efficient and scalable method of adopting AI while managing associated risks. Vladimir Ester, CTO and Co-Founder of ClusterPower, endorses the partnership as an innovation that helps enterprises fulfil the rising demand for more computing power in the data centre while maintaining a secure and observable infrastructure.

Vijay Bhagavath, Vice President of Cloud & Data Centre Networks at IDC Research, further emphasises the importance of understanding the unique demands AI workloads impose on data centre infrastructures. The Cisco and NVIDIA partnership offers performance-optimised Ethernet-based infrastructure that enables customers to harness the full potential of AI.