(Bloomberg) -- Nvidia Corp., the top provider of chips used in new artificial intelligence computers, is extending a partnership with networking-gear maker Cisco Systems Inc. in a push aimed at making it easier for corporations to deploy AI systems.
Many businesses remain in the early stages of adopting AI systems because of the complexity the shift adds to their data centers, Cisco and Nvidia said Tuesday in a joint statement. The two companies are broadening the list of products that include each others’ technology in an attempt to remove those hurdles.
Nvidia offers networking add-ons to its AI server machinery, called Spectrum-X Ethernet. That product line will start including Cisco chips that handle broader connectivity functions, the two companies said.
“Enterprises are under immense pressure to deploy AI quickly and effectively, and many leaders struggle to justify the investment while balancing the risks,” Cisco Chief Executive Officer Chuck Robbins said in the statement. “Together, Cisco and Nvidia are partnering to remove barriers for customers and ensure they can optimize their infrastructure investments to unlock the power of AI.”
The build-out of AI data centers has been, for the most part, done by a small group of the world’s biggest companies — so-called hyperscalers like Microsoft Corp. and Amazon.com Inc. that have vast engineering teams capable of designing and deploying machinery.
Nvidia wants to broaden the technology’s reach beyond those few customers and push AI into the wider economy. It first teamed up with Cisco a year ago to try to reach that larger audience, including the corporations and government departments that are the networking company’s biggest users.
For Cisco, which has struggled to sell its machinery into those hyperscalers’ data centers, the tie-up with Nvidia is a pathway toward grabbing a bigger slice of AI spending. Nvidia’s networking gear will include Cisco’s Silicon One chips, giving that product a boost against widely used products from Broadcom Inc.
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