Cisco

Recent news

• Aug 13, 2026

  Five takeaways from Cisco’s Q4 and what they mean for IT pros

  Cisco has highlighted FY26 results and Q4 earnings-call commentary showing how AI is reshaping enterprise networking, data centers, and security.

  • Cisco reported record Q4 revenue of $17.3 billion and full-year revenue of $63.3 billion, while guiding to $7.5 billion in FY27 AI infrastructure revenue.
  • The article also cites Cisco’s internal and customer AI-operations examples, including 145,000 support cases resolved by AI, 75 million prompts handled by Circuit, and $4 billion in Q4 AI infrastructure orders.
  • This is an analysis/commentary article, not Cisco’s original announcement, and it references multiple Cisco earnings-call figures and product updates such as Silicon One, Cisco Cloud Control, and PQC-compliant networking gear.
• Aug 11, 2026

  IT infrastructure shortages are real and lasting. Here’s how to cope

  Network World has published an analysis of IT infrastructure shortages affecting enterprise AI, networking, storage, and compute planning.

  • The article cites analysts and vendors saying memory shortages are driving lead-time extensions to 6, 12, or 18 months, with memory prices up 50% to 200%, PC prices up 35% to 45%, and some server prices up over 125%.
  • It also reports enterprise network equipment pricing is projected to rise over 20% in 2026 and by a further 3% to 5% into 2027, with no price reduction expected until end-2027; examples and advice are drawn from Gartner, TD SYNNEX, WWT, Backblaze, Cisco, and Equinix.
• Aug 4, 2026

  With FCC ban on new Chinese-made optical transceivers for DCs likely, it may be time to stock up

  The article says the FCC is reportedly drafting a ban on new Chinese optical transceivers for US data centers, but no formal ban has yet been announced in the story.

  • Reuters reported that the FCC is working on a measure to bar imports of new Chinese optical transceivers and may publish and implement it this year.
  • Analysts said the likely effect would be panic buying, tighter supply chains, and increased scrutiny of non-Chinese components that may still contain Chinese parts.
  • The piece is a news analysis/commentary article based on unnamed sources and expert interviews, not a company press release.
  • It also discusses possible follow-on restrictions on switches, SmartNICs, DPUs, BMCs, storage controllers, and cooling/power management components.
• Jul 28, 2026

  AI Clusters and the New Economics of Data Center Optics: A Conversation with Cisco's Bill Gartner

  Cisco discussed the changing economics and reliability demands of data center optics in a podcast episode on The Data Center Frontier Show.

  • Bill Gartner, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Cisco’s Optical Systems and Optics business, said optics now consume a much larger share of network cost and power as AI networks move from 400G/800G toward 1.6-terabit connectivity.
  • Gartner said Cisco is sampling 1.6T optics with customers and expects first volume deployments later this year; he also described co-packaged optics, near-packaged optics, and routed optical networking as key architectures for AI clusters.
  • The episode said link flaps can reduce GPU infrastructure efficiency by as much as 40%, and that AI networks are increasingly organized into scale-up, scale-out, and scale-across tiers, including coherent optical links between data centers.
• Jul 17, 2026

  Mitch Carrel: Dark Fiber's 3 Barriers of Land Use, Engineering, and Sales

  This article is an expert opinion commentary arguing that dark fiber is essential infrastructure for the AI economy and that deployment is slowed by land use, engineering, and sales barriers.

  • The author says dark fiber offers up to 48% TCO savings over carrier ethernet at 400G in metro networks, 61% in short-haul networks, and 46% in long-haul networks, based on Cisco-commissioned research.
  • The piece discusses the FCC’s WC Docket No. 25-253 and a June 2026 NPRM draft aimed at speeding permit approvals, capping fees, preventing added local restrictions, and clarifying authority over wireline deployment; it also references the Telecommunications Act of 1996 and the 2018 small-cell orders.
• Jul 7, 2026

  Enter the Network Supercycle: Preparing Data Center Networks for AI’s Next Wave

  This article is commentary and analysis about AI-driven data center networking demand; it does not announce a new project or deal.

  • AI traffic growth is presented as a major challenge for data centers, with commentary that ChatGPT triggered the first wave and agentic AI will drive a further surge in workload and networking demand.
  • The piece cites remarks from Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins, Cisco president Jeetu Patel, Dell’Oro Group’s Sameh Boujelbene, and StorageIO’s Greg Schulz on the need to rethink bandwidth, latency, congestion control, topology, optics, telemetry, and resilience.
  • Cisco is mentioned as having recently rolled out networking, switching, and routing products designed for AI, alongside vendors Marvell, Arista Networks, Nvidia, and Broadcom.
• Jul 2, 2026

  Cisco details Live Protect’s real-time threat mitigation capabilities

  Cisco has announced and demoed Live Protect for Nexus infrastructure, a compensating-control security package for data center networks.

  • Live Protect replaces traditional patching cycles with real-time shields that mitigate vulnerabilities without reboots or scheduled downtime, using eBPF through the Tetragon agent embedded in NX-OS.
  • Cisco says the feature is a temporary measure, not a patch, and should be used until a permanent software fix is applied; support is currently for Nexus systems, with campus and branch products expected later this year.
• Jun 12, 2026

  How Jeetu Patel made Cisco unrecognizable

  Cisco announced at Cisco Live 2026 that it is repositioning itself from a holding company of products and dashboards into a unified, AI-native infrastructure platform centered on Cloud Control, Cisco IQ, Secure Networking, and Multicloud Fabric.

  • Main announcement: Cisco unveiled Cloud Control as a unified, AI-native control plane (with Assistant, Canvas, and Actions modes) plus Cisco IQ (CX brain) and Multicloud Fabric (network-as-a-service), and is shipping Live Protect on Nexus 9000 switches; these are intended to enable agentic operations where humans and AI agents share data, context, and a governed control plane. Key concrete detail: Cisco committed to enabling quantum-safe communications across most core products by December 2026.
  • Background and additional details: Cloud Control exposes shared platform services and product tiles (Meraki, Intersight, Splunk, Webex Control Hub, Cisco IQ) behind a single login; Cloud Control Studio includes Agent Builder and App Builder and feeds a Cloud Control Marketplace of partner integrations. Resilient Infrastructure Services and Quantum Ready Assessments will be delivered via Cisco IQ; Live Protect is described as a “digital immune system” and Hybrid Mesh Firewall and post-quantum crypto libraries are being embedded across the portfolio.
• Jun 3, 2026

  Senior Project Engineer SCADA Networking

  Hitachi India Pvt Ltd has posted a job opening for Senior Project Engineer SCADA Networking.

  • Position details:Senior Project Engineer SCADA Networking at Hitachi India Pvt Ltd based in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India; Experience required:13+ years; Qualification:Bachelor/Master in ECE / EEE / E&I; Employment Type: Full time; Apply Link:https://www.hitachienergy.com/careers/open-jobs/details/JID3-196879
  • Role scope and requirements: Focus on HMI/SCADA application development (Micro SCADA / Zenon), SCADA network architecture for AC Substation and HVDC projects, hands-on IT infrastructure (routers, firewalls, switches, servers); responsibilities include FAT / SAT, commissioning support, regulatory compliance; preferred certifications CCNA, CCNP, Cyber Security.
• May 26, 2026

  Server Engineer

  Vestas (posted under Black & Veatch Holding Company) has posted a Server Engineer job opening in Chennai, India.

  • Main announcement: Vestas/Black & Veatch is hiring a Server Engineer in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, for a Full time position requiring 3+ years experience and a Bachelor’s degree in Electronics/Communication/Programming/Electrical Engineering or Control Systems; core responsibilities include Commissioning and Configuration of SCADA Server and PPC automation systems, configuration of communication devices (Cisco router and firewall, switches), and providing high-level support during the Service phase. Apply via the Vestas careers link: https://careers.vestas.com/job/Chennai-Server-Engineer-TN-600-117/1395311633/.
  • Background & details: Required technical skills include Microsoft OS/Server and SQL administration, Virtual Machines (VMware or others), communication protocols (MODBUS, DNP, OPC-DA, OPC-UA, IEC), Studio 5000 Logix Designer / ControlLogix / Rockwell-aligned structured text skills, Cisco networking (certification valuable) and basic Linux; the posting highlights competencies (cybersecurity awareness, travel willingness, cross-functional collaboration) and benefits such as on-the-job training, bonus program and career development. No salary or monetary values are provided in the posting.
• May 19, 2026

  Big Fiber’s $250M Signals an AI Dark-Fiber Land Rush

  Big Fiber has secured $250 million in financing from Stonepeak and Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ) to expand its dark fiber footprint and network capacity.

  • Main action:$250 million financing from Stonepeak and CDPQ to support greenfield construction and overbuilds of exhausted legacy telecommunications corridors, targeting AI-driven demand in regions including the San Francisco Bay Area, Hillsboro, and Atlanta; funds will expand dark fiber footprint and network capacity for hyperscalers and large-scale data center operators.
  • Context and details: Analysts and company executives cite extreme route diversity (tri-/quad-versity), rising inference workload demand for dense metro connectivity, and power-rich regions (West Texas, Ohio, Tennessee, Louisiana, Georgia) as drivers; the article notes optical supply chain tightening (CRU Group) and provides traffic multipliers (AI “scale-up” and “scale-out” bandwidth impacts) but does not specify implementation timelines.
• May 6, 2026

  Switch storm coming: Gartner forecasts price hikes, long lead times for enterprise data center switches

  Gartner has warned that switch vendors are pivoting engineering and physical resources toward AI data centers, causing higher prices and longer lead times for general-purpose data center customers.

  • Main announcement/action: Gartner report authors (including Andrew Lerner) state vendors are “aggressively pivoting resources” to AI infrastructure networks, predicting switch price increases of 15% to 40% and lead times of 3–9 months (up from 1–2 months in mid-2025); the report frames AI spending to surpass general-purpose data center networks in 2026 and more than double through 2029.
  • Background and details: The report and analysts (Zeus Kerravala, ZK Research) note constrained engineering talent, memory and laser supply; only about 200 companies operate high-end AI data centers versus roughly 100,000 traditional data center organizations, and AI players collectively spend three times what smaller companies spend. Gartner recommends actions such as extending equipment lifecycles, better utilization, certified refurbished programs (Cisco, HPE), exploring other vendors, cloud/colocation migration, and ordering early if buying new switches.
• May 5, 2026

  New Data Center Developments: May 2026

  Data Center Knowledge published a monthly roundup highlighting global data center project announcements, regulatory moves, and investment commitments driven by hyperscale AI demand.

  • Main announcement: The roundup catalogs multiple concrete project actions including Aligned Data Centers’ Project Caprock (540 MW, 313-acre campus in Hale County, Texas; initial delivery Q1 2027), EdgeCore’s completion of $1.5 billion in financing for two Northern Virginia hyperscale centers, and Yondr Group energizing a 27 MW Toronto facility expected in mid-2026. It also notes major investment commitments such as Digital Realty’s near S$7 billion Singapore plan (S$4.3 billion for new data centers) and AWS increasing planned investment in Mississippi to $25 billion.
  • Context and details: The piece outlines parallel regulatory updates in U.S. states (Maine vetoed a moratorium; Wisconsin revised We Energies tariff rules; North Carolina advanced legislation to require hyperscalers to cover infrastructure costs), workforce and partnership initiatives (Equinix Foundation with ODATA, Cisco, Vertiv launching training in Brazil, cohorts mid-2026), and other regional projects and financings (TikTok €1 billion Finland site; Ark Data Centres >€600 million Barcelona project; Equinix land purchases in South Africa totaling ZAR 890 million).
• Apr 30, 2026

  The Breaking Points: Cooling Struggles to Keep Pace With AI Power Density

  This article concludes cooling is emerging as the defining limit for AI infrastructure and examines how liquid cooling, facility design, and power/cooling integration are reshaping deployment timelines.

  • Main finding: The piece argues that cooling is the immediate bottleneck for scaled AI deployments, noting rack power densities moving from tens of kW to hundreds of kW (examples: traditional air cooling effective to ~20–50 kW/rack; some AI systems >200 kW/rack and designs targeting 400 kW+). It highlights that liquid cooling adoption (~46% of cooling market in 2024) is accelerating but retrofit and integration challenges slow deployment.
  • Background and details: Cites industry voices (Kevin Wollenweber of Cisco, Steven Carlini of Schneider Electric, Sören Jautelat of McKinsey & Company) and a market forecast from Markets and Markets projecting global data center cooling market growth from roughly $11 billion in the mid-2020s to more than $20 billion by the early 2030s. Describes concrete constraints: plumbing, floor design, leak risk, fragmented component standards, permitting and water-stress considerations affecting site selection and timelines.