Cisco has made several major announcements recently as it pushes deeper into the AI networking space.
In late 2025, Cisco introduced updates across its enterprise, data center, and edge portfolios aimed at
helping companies run AI workloads more efficiently and securely. The company has been clear that the
network is becoming the backbone of successful AI deployment, and these changes reflect that shift.
One of Cisco’s biggest moves is its expansion of cloud-managed networking across campus and branch
environments. Cisco says that enterprises need simpler, automated, policy-driven networks if they want
to support AI applications safely. These updates include stronger segmentation, improved automation,
and easier deployment through cloud-based tools. Cisco outlines these changes on its site:
Enterprise Networks Overview
.
Another major release is Cisco’s new Unified Edge platform, which brings data-center-grade performance
to edge locations like manufacturing plants, retail stores, stadiums, and warehouses. This platform is
designed for AI inference, real-time analytics, and secure connectivity. It uses built-in zero-trust
security, low-latency fabrics, and integrated telemetry to give remote sites the same capabilities found
in larger data centers. More details are available here:
Cisco Edge Computing
.
Cisco is also deepening its partnership with NVIDIA, focusing on AI-optimized networking for data
centers and sovereign cloud environments. The two companies are co-developing solutions that combine
Cisco switching platforms with NVIDIA GPUs and AI software to handle massive AI workloads with
greater speed and reliability. Cisco’s AI collaboration details can be found here:
Cisco AI Solutions
.
Splunk, now part of Cisco, is also playing a major role in the company’s strategy. Cisco and Splunk
have been working on an integrated AI-driven security operations model, where network visibility,
log analytics, and security telemetry flow into a unified platform. This gives analysts a clearer,
faster view of threats and supports automated investigation steps. Their partnership overview is here:
Splunk + Cisco
.
Altogether, these announcements show Cisco’s intent to provide a full stack for AI — from the data
center to the edge to the security layer. By simplifying operations, tightening integration, and
supporting AI workloads directly in the network fabric, Cisco aims to remove one of the biggest
bottlenecks organizations face when deploying AI at scale.
