By Nancy Chen
Publication Date: 2026-09-29 19:24:00
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — San Jose-based global tech giant Cisco is building what it calls the “backbone” of the AI boom through the critical infrastructure it provides. ABC7 Eyewitness News Anchor Nancy Chen sat down with Cisco president and chief product officer Jeetu Patel earlier this month at the company’s Mission Bay offices for a local exclusive interview.
Excerpts below have been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.
NANCY CHEN: I’ve seen Cisco described as the hidden backbone of the AI boom – that if NVIDIA makes the engines, Cisco makes the bridges, the infrastructure. Is that an accurate way of describing Cisco’s role?
JEETU PATEL: It is. Think of us as the critical infrastructure for the AI era. And so, if I were to draw an analogy to the gold rush, we would be the picks-and-shovels company. Behind the scenes, you actually don’t tend to find as much glory because you’re doing the hard plumbing work so that everyone else can do their best work with AI. So that’s what we…
