In the enterprise landscape, adopting AI typically starts with training machine learning or generative AI (GenAI) models using vast datasets. However, two critical considerations emerge: the availability of sufficient, high-quality data and the readiness of IT infrastructure to support the demands of AI.

Traditional IT infrastructure often struggles to meet the demands of modern developers, hindering progress in AI deployment. According to the Cisco 2024 AI Readiness Index, while 89% of IT professionals plan to deploy AI workloads within the next two years, only 14% believe their existing infrastructure is adequately prepared to support these initiatives. However, transforming an entire IT environment can be both costly and complex.

 

 

To address these challenges, Cisco is focused on simplifying and reducing the cost of this transition. At the Cisco Partner Summit 2024, the company introduced its latest innovations: the UCS C885A M, Cisco’s first server purpose-built for AI, and AI PODS, a modular, pre-configured AI solution designed to accelerate enterprise AI adoption.

 

The Business Case for AI-Ready IT Infrastructure

 

To successfully develop, deploy, and scale AI applications, enterprises need IT infrastructure designed specifically for the demands of artificial intelligence. Here’s why AI-ready infrastructure is a strategic necessity:

• Scalability for data-driven operations. AI models thrive on vast amounts of data for training and inference. AI-ready infrastructure delivers scalable storage, compute power, and networking to manage data-intensive workloads across on-premises, cloud, or hybrid environments.
• Accelerated model development and deployment. Specialized hardware, including GPUs, TPUs, and accelerators, dramatically shortens the time required to train and deploy machine learning models. This speed fuels innovation and accelerates time-to-market for AI solutions.
• Optimized for advanced AI workloads. High-performance computing (HPC) capabilities are essential for workloads like natural language processing, computer vision, and deep learning. AI-ready infrastructure ensures seamless performance for these complex processes.
• Adaptability across industries and Use Cases. The AI-ready infrastructure supports diverse use cases—predictive analytics in finance, fraud detection in retail, process automation in manufacturing, and patient insights in healthcare—providing flexibility to meet industry-specific demands.
• Cost-effective and resource-efficient. Modern AI infrastructure optimizes hardware and software configurations to reduce operational costs, maximize computing efficiency, and deliver better ROI on technology investments.
• Built-in security and regulatory compliance. AI-ready systems are designed to protect sensitive data during processing and ensure compliance with industry standards and regulations such as GDPR and HIPAA, giving businesses peace of mind.
• Seamless integration with legacy systems. AI-ready solutions integrate effortlessly with existing IT systems, enabling organizations to modernize without disrupting core operations or requiring costly overhauls.
• Future-proof investments. Investing in AI-ready infrastructure positions enterprises to capitalize on future advancements in AI technologies, ensuring they remain competitive in an evolving market.

By embracing AI-ready infrastructure, businesses can unlock the full potential of artificial intelligence, driving innovation, efficiency, and sustained growth.

 

Cisco AI-ready infrastructure strategy

 

Cisco’s AI strategy is built on three core pillars: dedicated infrastructure for AI applications, purpose-built AI interfaces, and AI-driven data analytics. As a result, AI-ready infrastructure was a key focus at the Cisco Partner Summit 2024. Leveraging its deep expertise in networking and IT infrastructure, Cisco is aligning its solutions with the specific needs of AI workloads.

By integrating NVIDIA AI Enterprise software and the Intersight management platform, Cisco simplifies operations for businesses that are still navigating the complexities of AI adoption. In addition, Cisco will introduce a range of partner specializations to accelerate AI infrastructure projects. End customers, meanwhile, will require strong support to ensure proper infrastructure configuration, as well as to address security and governance requirements.

The challenge lies in helping organizations fully understand the benefits of AI. Unlike cloud adoption, which is often associated with cost savings, AI is expected to deliver a significant leap in operational efficiency—unlocking capabilities beyond what traditional IT infrastructure can achieve.

Cisco is committed to rapidly bringing its new AI-ready products to market. The UCS C885A M server, which is already available for order, is set to be fully accessible by the end of 2024, while AI PODS will be available for order starting in November. Additionally, Cisco is set to introduce over 40 innovations that will further expand its portfolio soon.

 

AI-Ready products announced at Cisco Partner Summit 2024

 

The UCS C885A M8 server  is not just any server. Built on the NVIDIA HGX supercomputing platform, it features up to eight NVIDIA H100 or H200 Tensor Core GPUs, or eight AMD MI300X OAM GPUs. The server integrates an Nvidia ConnectX-7 network interface card (NIC) or a BlueField-3 SuperNIC for each GPU, enabling the running of AI model training sessions across a server cluster. Additionally, it includes Nvidia BlueField-3 Data Processing Units (DPUs) and two AMD EPYC processors (4th or 5th Gen).

This server is designed to meet the high-level AI training and inference requirements, offering superior performance for compute-intensive tasks. Management is handled via Cisco’s Intersight cloud platform. The UCS C885A M8 is ideal for organizations needing robust, scalable infrastructure capable of handling the complex demands of AI applications. It is already available for order and will begin shipping by the end of the year.

AIPODS is a pre-configured, modular infrastructure solution designed to provide a “plug-and-play” setup for AI workloads. It includes all necessary components for processing, networking, storage, and cloud management. Primarily based on NVIDIA technology, AI PODS features GPUs, the AI Enterprise software platform, and the HPC-X toolkit. This is complemented by Cisco’s UCS X-Series modular design, which includes chassis, M7 compute nodes, a PCI-Express node with NVIDIA GPUs, Cisco UCS fabric, and Intersight management software.

Additionally, AI PODS integrates the Red Hat OpenShift application platform and is compatible with storage solutions from Nutanix, NetApp (FlexPod), and Pure Storage (Flash Stack). AI PODS is an excellent choice for businesses looking for a scalable, efficient, and easy-to-implement solution for a wide range of AI applications.

The UCS C885A M8 servers and AI PODS complement Cisco’s AI-Ready Infrastructure portfolio, which also includes the new 800G Nexus switches and Nexus HyperFabric AI clusters developed in collaboration with Nvidia and launched in June. These combine Cisco’s AI networking with Nvidia’s accelerated computing, AI Enterprise software, and storage from VAST, offering a comprehensive solution for AI workloads.

 

Conclusions

 

Cisco’s move into dedicated AI infrastructure marks a transformative step for both the company and its enterprise clients. By seamlessly integrating its renowned networking expertise with NVIDIA’s advanced AI capabilities into a streamlined, easy-to-manage solution, Cisco offers a bold and forward-looking vision for AI infrastructure. These appliances, designed for simplified deployment, provide a practical and scalable option for organizations seeking to enhance their AI capabilities while maintaining control over their infrastructure. The upcoming quarters will be critical, as these solutions hit the market and early adopters begin sharing their experiences.

 

Romania & CIS Partner of the Year (2024)

At the recent Cisco Partner Summit in Los Angeles, Datanet Systems proudly received the prestigious “Romania & CIS Partner of the Year (2024)” award. This recognition underscores the strength of our partnership with Cisco and reflects the dedication and expertise of our team. As a trusted Cisco partner, we are committed to introducing the latest Cisco innovations and technologies to the local market, driving the digital transformation of businesses across Romania.