Cisco, Nvidia To Create ‘Cross-Portfolio’ Networking Offerings For AI Data Centers

In a landmark deal unveiled Tuesday, Cisco and Nvidia say they will create a ‘cross-portfolio unified architecture to simplify building AI-ready data center networks,’ which includes a plan by Nvidia to integrate Cisco’s Silicon One chip into its Spectrum-X Ethernet platform.

Cisco Systems and Nvidia said they hope to speed up enterprise AI adoption with a landmark deal they unveiled Tuesday that involves the joint development of Ethernet-based networking offerings for AI data centers.

The networking and AI computing giants said in a press release that the expanded partnership’s focus is the creation of a “cross-portfolio unified architecture to simplify building AI-ready data center networks,” which is intended to make it easier for customers and partners to “integrate and standardize on both Cisco and Nvidia technology.”

Jim Kavanaugh, co-founder and CEO of solution provider powerhouse World Wide Technology, hailed the expanded Nvidia-Cisco partnership, which he said “has already resulted in cutting-edge AI solutions that drive innovation and business transformation.”

“By leveraging the strengths of Cisco’s deep expertise in the data center and Nvidia’s advanced AI technologies, we are poised to deliver unparalleled value to our customers and help them navigate the complexities of AI adoption with confidence,” said Kavanaugh, whose company is No. 7 on CRN’s 2024 Solution Provider 500 list, in a statement.

The new collaboration includes a plan by Nvidia to incorporate Cisco’s Silicon One application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) into its Spectrum-X Ethernet networking platform, which it said last August was on track to become a “multibillion-dollar product line within a year.”

The two companies said this move makes Cisco “the only partner silicon supported in Spectrum-X Ethernet solutions,” adding that it will enable interoperability between both companies’ networking architectures” to provide “simplified, full-stack solutions.” This will allow customers and partners to use “their existing management tools and processes, spanning front- and back-end networks,” according to Cisco and Nvidia.

This integration between Nvidia’s and Cisco’s networking architectures will also allow their customers to “benefit from current and future technology advancements in the Nvidia Spectrum-X platform such as adaptive routing, telemetry, congestion control and low latency, as well as Cisco’s broader networking, security and digital resilience portfolio, including the Splunk data platform,” the companies said.

As part of the partnership, Cisco plans to develop data center switches using Nvidia’s Spectrum-X Ethernet platform, which the companies said will provide customers and partners “with more choices and flexibility.

The networking giant also plans to work with Nvidia to “create and validate Nvidia Cloud Partner and Enterprise Reference Architectures based on Nvidia Spectrum-X with Cisco Silicon One, Hyperfabric, Nexus, UCS Compute, Optics and other Cisco technologies.”

Cisco plans to make its Silicon One-based switches—including Cisco Nexus, Cisco Nexus Hyperfabric and Cisco USC products—compatible with Nvidia’s Spectrum-X platform and reference architecture by the middle of the year. The companies said the timeline for Cisco switches that incorporate Spectrum-X will be announced at a later date.

“Together, Cisco and Nvidia are partnering to remove barriers for customers and ensure they can optimize their infrastructure investments to unlock the power of AI,” said Cisco Chair and CEO Chuck Robbins in a statement.

“Nvidia Spectrum-X is Ethernet enhanced and supercharged for AI,” Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Huang added in his own statement. “Together with Cisco’s enterprise platforms and global reach, we can help companies worldwide build state-of-the-art Nvidia infrastructure as they race to transform with AI.”