Cisco has unveiled a new suite of Smart Switches that disrupt traditional data center network design by enabling networking and security services in a compact all-in-one solution.
The Smart Switch with Cisco Hypershield, employs an innovative process for securing AI-driven data centers by embedding security directly within the network fabric, thus redefining the approach to infrastructure security and management.
As AI workloads multiply, building and managing data centers has become much more complex. Data center operators require a simpler way to design, build, and deploy infrastructure to fully benefit from AI.
AI applications must sit where they are needed, whether a massive large language model sitting in centralized hyperscale facilities or a network drone monitoring crop irrigation at the very edge of the network. This shift in where data is created, accessed, and stored requires a new type of simplified data center infrastructure–one that integrates compute, storage, networking, and security in new ways, and allows for automated and predictive operations via simplified management platforms.
“Data center infrastructure needs be reimagined for both AI training and inferencing workloads that dwarf even the largest enterprise jobs of the past,” said Jeetu Patel, EVP and Chief Product Officer, Cisco. “Simply upgrading data center infrastructure with higher ‘speeds and feeds’ switches does not address the requirements of modern data centers, which require acceleration of security and network services natively within the data center fabric.”
Also Read: Airtel Business with Cisco launch ‘Airtel SD-Branch’ for enterprises in India “Cisco’s innovative approach to data center design, leveraging leadership AMD Pensando DPUs, marks a significant milestone in transforming enterprise infrastructure to address the evolving security demands of data center networks while dealing with the fast paced AI deployments,” said Soni Jiandani, senior vice president and general manager, Networking Technology and Solutions Group, AMD. “Our collaboration with Cisco enables enterprises to achieve high-capacity throughput and impressive network security without compromising on workload performance on Cisco UCS servers or Hypershield enabled platforms. Together, we are paving the way for a new era of intelligent, adaptive, and secure data centers.”
Cisco Smart Switches offer a simpler, more efficient and extensible architecture by integrating services directly with the data center fabric, rather than bolting them on top. By combining Cisco data center networking, Silicon One, and AMD DPUs, customers can scale services and adapt quickly to evolving business needs, all without the need for any additional hardware.
Fusing security directly into the data center network changes the fundamentals of data center security. Combined with Cisco Firewall Threat Defense, new AI Defense capabilities, and Security Cloud Control, Cisco will offer the first Hybrid Mesh Firewall optimized to protect AI applications in the data center and public cloud.
The first available Cisco N9300 Smart Switch, which features 24 100G ports, is targeted for shipment in spring 2025. A top-of-rack model, which will feature 48 25G ports, two 100G ports, and six 400G ports, is targeted for first availability in summer 2025.
