Cisco Investments, the global corporate venture investment arm of Cisco, has launched a $1 billion AI investment fund to support the development of innovative AI solutions. The fund aims to strengthen the startup ecosystem and improve customer readiness for AI. Cisco has already committed nearly $200 million to investments in companies such as Cohere, Mistral AI, and Scale AI.
In recent years, Cisco has made strategic investments and partnerships focused on AI, advancing GenAI and Machine Learning capabilities across its portfolio. These partnerships with world-class AI platforms aim to connect and secure the AI era. Cisco is also working with AI companies on product collaborations to co-innovate and be an agnostic vendor in the AI space.
Investments from the new AI fund include Cohere, which offers security-focused Long Frontier Language Models, Mistral AI, a company specializing in generative artificial intelligence, and Scale AI, providing an end-to-end data-centric platform for AI applications. Cisco is also launching AI-enriched networking, security, and observability solutions to give customers visibility and insights to connect and protect their digital footprint.
Cisco’s new AI innovations include Nexus HyperFabric AI Clusters, which enable the deployment, monitoring, and securing of AI infrastructure, and Cisco Networking Cloud, offering AI-Native Digital Experience Assurance for exceptional digital experiences. Additionally, Cisco is enhancing security with AI-powered capabilities in Cisco Security Cloud, and observability with real-time insights from the acquisition of Splunk.
To help partners and organizations harness AI skills, Cisco is offering AI Partner Specialization training and a new certification in modern AI architecture design. These initiatives aim to equip partners with the knowledge to optimize infrastructure for AI workloads and enable individuals to design modern AI/ML computing and networks.
Overall, Cisco’s $1 billion AI investment fund and innovative solutions in AI networking, security, and observability demonstrate the company’s commitment to driving digital transformation in various industries. By investing in cutting-edge AI technologies, Cisco is positioning itself as a leader in the AI era and empowering businesses to thrive in a fast-changing technological landscape.
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https://www.arcweb.com/blog/cisco-launches-1-billion-global-ai-investment-fund-ai-powered-innovations