Cisco Innovation Labs: Co-creating AI, Sustainability, and Infrastructure Options

We’re witnessing an unprecedented technological inflection level—one which I consider represents the best worth creation alternative in a era. The staggering magnitude of world AI investments—Apple’s $500B, France’s $100B, Stargate’s $500B—indicators a elementary shift in how expertise will reshape our world. With this transformation comes mounting calls for for efficiency, sustainability, and safety that require revolutionary options at a scale we’ve by no means seen earlier than. 

At Cisco Innovation Labs (CIL), we’re uniquely positioned to satisfy these challenges head-on, working globally however appearing regionally to create options that display the artwork of the attainable for our prospects and companions. 

The Energy of Cisco’s World Innovation Engine

Our Innovation Labs function throughout 5 key international markets—Brazil, Canada, France, Spain, and the UK/Eire. Whereas bodily current in these areas, we work with out borders, going wherever our prospects are. This international footprint permits us to rework Cisco’s international methods into native, customer-centric options. 

What really units Cisco aside is our unmatched visibility into the digital panorama: over 100 million units, 5 billion each day menace analyses, and a presence in 95% of Fortune 100 firms. This wealth of information fuels our innovation with distinctive insights that few different firms can match. 

We begin by designing with empathy for our prospects and the challenges they face. This customer-centric method ensures that our improvements handle real-world wants and ship tangible worth. 

Engineering-Led Co-Creation: A New Mannequin for Innovation

We’ve moved past conventional vendor partnerships to a mannequin of ecosystem-enabled answer improvement. This shift has dramatically accelerated our time-to-market and elevated the affect of our improvements. 

Let me share three breakthrough improvements taking place proper now that exemplify this method: 

Quantum Safety for Governments, Protection Businesses and Monetary Companies

Co-developed with Telefonica, Polytechnic College of Madrid, ID Quantique, LuxQuanta, it NOW, and ICFO  

As quantum computing advances, it poses an existential menace to present encryption requirements. Governments, protection companies, and monetary establishments face a “harvest now, decrypt later” situation the place adversaries acquire encrypted knowledge right this moment with plans to decrypt it as soon as quantum computer systems turn into succesful. 

Our Spain group, led by Xavier Azemar, has been pioneering quantum-safe hyperlinks between knowledge facilities. We’re implementing each post-quantum cryptography (PQC) requirements like ML-KEM and Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) to create encryption that continues to be safe within the quantum period. 

This work isn’t theoretical—we’ve already applied RFC 8784 in our merchandise, supporting guide pre-shared keys and dynamic key distribution. In partnership with firms like IDQuantique and Luxquanta, we’re creating options that meet essentially the most stringent safety necessities from finance and authorities sectors. 

Current developments underscore the urgency of this work. In April 2024, the European Fee printed suggestions for a coordinated implementation roadmap for post-quantum cryptography, whereas in August 2024, the White Home launched a report estimating that transitioning U.S. federal companies to post-quantum cryptography will price $7.1 billion between 2025 and 2035. Government Order 14144, signed in January 2025, directs the Federal Authorities to arrange for this transition urgently. 

 Watch our Quantum Safety innovation in motion. 

Morgan Photo voltaic Blinds: A Sustainability Breakthrough 

Co-developed with Morgan Photo voltaic  

Our Canada group, beneath Justin Cohen’s management, has developed an revolutionary method to good constructing expertise that’s reworking power effectivity. 

Working with Morgan Photo voltaic, we’ve developed AI-driven photo voltaic blinds that optimize power effectivity in industrial buildings. These aren’t simply passive window coverings—they’re clever energy turbines that combine with Cisco’s digital constructing infrastructure. 

The expertise combines IoT connectivity, AI-based automation, and real-time analytics to create a whole power administration system. Every blind generates energy with embedded photovoltaic cells whereas a Cisco-powered DC microgrid distributes and manages the power. 

Our pilot set up at Cisco Canada’s Waterpark Place—already a LEED Platinum-certified good constructing—demonstrates exceptional outcomes. The system screens room occupancy by means of Webex sensors, optimizes power manufacturing, and considerably reduces consumption with real-time changes based mostly on circumstances. 

The info is spectacular: our analytics present power manufacturing peaks of over 50kW per thirty days per set up, with reductions in thermal power that translate to substantial price financial savings and decreased carbon footprint. A single set up can considerably scale back greenhouse gasoline emissions, representing annual financial savings  

See the Morgan Photo voltaic Blinds in motion. 

Totally Immersed AI-Prepared Information Heart

Co-developed with Complete Linux, Itrium, Intel, NVIDIA, and AMD 

As AI workloads skyrocket, cooling conventional knowledge facilities has turn into one in every of tech’s most vital challenges. Our France group is pioneering the world’s first absolutely immersed knowledge middle, lowering bodily footprint by 10x and power use by 1/3. 

This breakthrough combines immersion cooling, Cisco Silicon One, and superior companions’ AI applied sciences to ship the 20x efficiency enchancment wanted for AI workloads whereas assembly sustainability objectives. 

See the i-Cooling mission introduction. 

The Accomplice Benefit in Innovation

For our companions, Cisco Innovation Labs affords distinctive benefits: 

• Early entry to rising applied sciences – Work with options earlier than they hit the market 
• Co-creation alternatives – Develop options alongside our engineers 
• Direct buyer engagement – Remedy actual buyer issues in real-time 
• Aggressive differentiation – Provide options that weren’t attainable earlier than 

This partnership mannequin creates a flywheel impact—the extra we collaborate, the quicker we innovate, and the extra worth we create for patrons. 

The Path Ahead: Engineering Collectively

We stand at a singular second the place infrastructure, safety, and observability are converging in unprecedented methods. The AI transformation represents each a problem and a chance for all of us. 

At Cisco, we consider engineering-led innovation is the important thing to addressing right this moment’s most advanced challenges. Our Innovation Labs are open for enterprise, able to collaborate with companions who share our imaginative and prescient of reworking potentialities into realities. 

Able to pioneer the subsequent breakthrough with us? Be a part of Cisco Innovation Labs’ companion ecosystem and rework your experience into market-defining options. Contact Simon Dyke to schedule a dialog and discover how we will engineer the long run collectively. Probably the most highly effective improvements aren’t in-built isolation—they’re co-created with companions such as you. 

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