Cisco has presented the integrated platform for distributed AI workloads Unified Edge. It combines compute, networking, storage, and security, bringing them closer to data for real-time AI inference as well as agent-based workloads. It is designed for all types and sizes of companies, from retail businesses to production plants; and allows decision-making in real time at the point and moment of most importance in each case.
The company announced its platform at its Cisco Partner Summit event, held in San Diego, California, and commented that it offers the basic infrastructure necessary to support both traditional and AI workloads.
Cisco Unified Edge facilitates real-time inference and execution of agent-based workloads from the edge to the core, enabling enterprises to deploy and manage AI at scale. It is designed to grow and adapt without requiring full upgrades, protecting AI investments and driving different use cases and services.
Thanks to its converged architecture, it unifies compute, storage and networking in one platform, which is supported by a diverse ecosystem of partners. Its modular chassis offers CPU and GPU configurations, redundant power and cooling, high-performance SD-WAN networking, and pre-validated designs to support current and future applications.
Its unattended deployment and pre-validated designs enable accelerated and predictable AI deployments. In addition, its centralized management through Cisco Intersight and automated operations simplify scalability, troubleshooting and actions without the need for specialized on-site personnel.
Unified Edge supports integrations with Splunk and ThousandEyes, giving customers end-to-end visibility and democratization of end-to-end management. On the other hand, its multi-layer security with Zero Trust protects AI environments at every layer.
The platform’s resilience is enhanced by its tamper-proof features, telemetry, consistent policies, and specific configurations. Additionally, audit logs protect compliance as operations scale.
Platform security is built in at the device level and can be extended to apply zero trust to every access, segmentation and protection of applications and AI models. This approach addresses the increased attack surface at the edge, helping to protect AI operations from physical and digital threats.
To design Unified Edge, Cisco collaborated with customers in the retail, manufacturing, financial services, and healthcare industries. Their contributions have influenced everything from system architecture to how the platform is deployed, secured, and managed at scale.
This leads to support for both traditional and AI workloads. Cisco Unified Edge platforms are available for order now and are expected to be generally available by the end of the year.
Jeetu Patel, President and Chief Product Officer at Ciscohas highlighted that «the Current infrastructure cannot meet the needs of large-scale AI. As AI agents and experiences proliferate, they will naturally emerge closer to where customers interact and decisions are made: branches, stores, factories, stadiums, etc. That’s where computing power should reside. “With Unified Edge, we make it easy to deploy AI in the real world with flexible, secure systems that are easy to deploy, operate, and scale as demand increases.”
