Cisco and NVIDIA Expand “Secure AI Factory” to the Edge, Accelerating Enterprise AI Deployment
As AI agents become more autonomous, Cisco is “fusing” security into every layer of the AI factory.
RMN Digital Corporate Desk
New Delhi | March 22, 2026
SAN JOSE, Calif. — March 16, 2026 — Cisco today announced a significant expansion of its Secure AI Factory with NVIDIA, providing a comprehensive framework for organizations to deploy and secure AI across their entire infrastructure. By extending capabilities from central data centers to local edge sites—such as hospitals, warehouses, and moving vehicles—Cisco aims to compress AI deployment timelines from months to weeks.
AI Power Moves to the Edge
The expansion focuses on the necessity of “edge inferencing,” where data is processed and decisions are made in real-time. To support these workloads, Cisco is integrating NVIDIA RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell Server Edition GPUs across its UCS and Unified Edge portfolios. This allows enterprises to run mission-critical AI at the edge without the massive energy footprint typically required by data center hardware.
Additionally, Cisco introduced the Cisco AI Grid with NVIDIA, a reference design that enables service providers to offer managed edge AI services with carrier-grade reliability.
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High-Performance Infrastructure
Cisco continues to advance its networking hardware to meet the demands of massive-scale AI factories. Key updates include:
- Next-Generation Switches: The new 102.4Tbps Cisco N9100, powered by NVIDIA Spectrum-6 Ethernet switch silicon, joins the now generally available 800G N9100.
- Flexible Architectures: Customers can now choose between reference architectures compliant with the NVIDIA Cloud Partner (NCP) program or a Cisco Cloud Reference Architecture built on Cisco Silicon One.
- Simplified Operations: Cisco Nexus Hyperfabric will now support the N9100 Series, turning complex multi-vendor integrations into simple, full-stack solutions.
Security Built into the Fabric
As AI agents become more autonomous, Cisco is “fusing” security into every layer of the AI factory. The company is extending its Hybrid Mesh Firewall policy enforcement to NVIDIA BlueField DPUs, allowing threats to be blocked at the server level before they reach sensitive data.
Furthermore, Cisco AI Defense now provides purpose-built guardrails for multi-agent systems. This includes support for NVIDIA’s new OpenShell agent development platform, which adds controls to govern the actions of autonomous AI agents.
Executive Leadership Insights
“Most organizations understand the potential for AI to transform their businesses, but they’re navigating how to deploy the technology safely and at scale,” said Chuck Robbins, Chair and CEO of Cisco. He noted that the new architecture sets a standard for making AI infrastructure simpler to operate and secure.
Jensen Huang, founder and CEO of NVIDIA, emphasized the importance of integrated security: “AI factories are transforming every industry, and security must be built into every layer—from silicon to software—to protect data, applications, and infrastructure”.
Industry Impact
Industry analysts suggest this partnership addresses a critical “inflection point” as AI moves from experimentation to operationalization. Mary Johnston Turner, Global Lead at IDC, noted that the collaboration helps organizations overcome complex integration challenges while moving AI closer to where data is generated.
Partners such as Cirrascale Cloud Services, Sharon AI, and World Wide Technology have already expressed support for the new N9100 series switches, citing the need for massive scalability and operational simplicity in the “agentic era”.
Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) is the worldwide technology leader securely connecting the world in the AI era. For over 40 years, Cisco has provided AI-powered solutions to help customers enhance productivity and digital resilience.
