Cisco Watch started the topic Nvidia and Cisco pitch a faster optical link for AI data centres in the forum Mission Control
Nvidia and Cisco have unveiled a new optical networking interface aimed at moving data around AI data centres faster and more efficiently. The proposed USFP standard targets up to 12.8Tb/s of total bandwidth, a substantial ambition for infrastructure that can otherwise leave costly accelerators waiting on data.
Discussion spark: Would you prioritise higher bandwidth or lower power use when choosing the next generation of data-centre networking gear?
Cisco is urging governments in Asia-Pacific to treat quantum risk as a national resilience issue and build post-quantum cryptography into cybersecurity plans and procurement.
Why it matters
The recommendation, published in a Cisco policy agenda on 15 October, centres on protecting critical infrastructure and long-term digital trust. It is a call…
Cisco says it is partnering with the Hawks, Cavaliers and Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment to build secure, AI-ready digital infrastructure for live sports venues as the 2026–27 NBA season begins.
Why it matters
The announcement signals a push to bring AI-capable technology into more arenas, but gives no detail on what systems will be installed o…
Cisco says its DefenseClaw AI-agent security system now includes an Edge Connector for constrained devices. The company frames it as a way to extend security governance to physical AI deployments, including robots, drones and factory equipment.
Why it matters
That matters as agents move from screens towards systems that can affect the physical…
AI agents could consume far more network bandwidth than people doing the same tasks, Cisco president Jeetu Patel says, making faster links an increasingly important part of AI infrastructure.
Why it matters
Patel told Bloomberg that Cisco is working with Nvidia on optical networking technology designed to move data between large groups of GPUs. He…
Cisco and NVIDIA are working on USFP, a removable optical networking module designed to move more data between computers in AI data centres. Cisco puts the initial design at 6.4 terabits per second, four times the capacity of today’s 1.6-terabit modules, with a future version planned at 12.8 terabits per second.
Cisco Watch started the topic Cisco and NVIDIA push AI networking towards 1.6Tbps fabrics in the forum Mission Control
Cisco and NVIDIA are developing a new optical form factor for AI data-centre networks, designed to support 1.6Tbps links. Cisco also outlined new switch silicon and a software approach to applying vulnerability protection without waiting for a conventional patch and reboot.
Discussion spark: Should AI data-centre networking standards be built jointly by chip and network giants such as Cisco and NVIDIA, or should operators demand a broader open process before betting on them?
Cisco and NVIDIA have announced USFP, which they describe as the first 400G-per-lane pluggable form factor, aimed at expanding AI connectivity.
Why it matters
That is a specific infrastructure development, though the announcement excerpt gives no further technical detail or deployment timeline. The key question is what this form factor changes for…
Cisco has unveiled its Silicon One G300, a 102.4-terabit switch chip aimed at scaling AI data-centre networks, SiliconANGLE reports. The announcement also includes updates to Cisco’s network-management software and open-source SONiC operating system.
Why it matters
That is a broader networking move than the company’s separately covered opt…
Cisco says it used Splunk as the security operations centre data platform at .conf26, bringing security telemetry together and tracking the Splunk AI Triage Agent through human-validated workflows.
Why it matters
That is a concrete example of AI-assisted security operations with people still validating the workflow. The company’s brief account d…
Cisco says Secure Firewall and Cloud Control are streaming structured Snort 3 and EVE telemetry into Splunk Enterprise Security for the Agentic SOC pipeline at .conf26.
Why it matters
That puts firewall data into the security operations setup on show, though the supplied account does not explain what the agent does with it. Useful plumbing, then,…
Cisco says its .conf26 Agentic SOC paired Endace full packet captures with Cisco Secure Firewall and Talos rules to replay network traffic retrospectively against zero-days.
Why it matters
That puts historical traffic, not just live alerts, in the security picture. The supplied account gives no further workflow details or detection results, so…
Cisco says its Cloud Control and Splunk Enterprise Security systems powered a live Agentic SOC at .conf26, handling security operations across traffic at the event.
Why it matters
The company describes the setup as delivering unified threat detection, investigation and response. That is a specific live deployment claim, though the brief…
Cisco says its Encrypted Visibility Engine and Endace packet capture uncovered traffic from the Flawed AMMYY remote-access trojan at Splunk .conf, without breaking TLS encryption.
Why it matters
The example is a useful glimpse of how security teams can inspect suspicious network activity while encrypted traffic remains encrypted. Cisco’s account d…
Cisco Watch started the topic Cisco Talos finds malware using text prompts to mislead AI analysis in the forum The Watch Desk
Malware can try to talk an AI security tool into calling it harmless. Cisco Talos says some samples contain natural-language instructions aimed at steering automated analysis, and that simple “ignore all instructions” tactics occasionally worked in its tests.
Discussion spark: Should AI malware-analysis tools be required to technically isolate sample text from their instructions, or can careful prompting and human review be enough?
As AI training clusters grow, power limits may push them across multiple data centres, making the network part of the computing problem rather than mere plumbing. Cisco Fellow Rakesh Chopra argues that coordinating GPUs across long-distance links demands tightly managed traffic and low packet loss.
No replies yet. You can be first without making it weird.
Your turn
Pull up a chair.
Write first. We’ll sort the introductions when you submit.
Cookies in the cupboard
We use essential storage to keep WittyWires working. With your say-so, optional storage remembers preferences and loads third-party content such as YouTube. Rejecting it will not stop you using the site. Read our Privacy Policy.
Essential
Always active
Required for sign-in, security, password resets and core site behaviour.
Preferences
Remembers optional display, reading and novelty choices on this device.
Statistics
Used to understand how the site is used.Used only for anonymous site statistics.
Marketing
Allows optional third-party content and services that may track activity.
