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—alerts a basic shift in how expertise will reshape our world. With this transformation comes mounting calls for for efficiency, sustainability, and safety that require progressive 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 performing regionally to create options that exhibit the artwork of the doable 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 places, 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 gadgets, 5 billion each day risk 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 deal with 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 growth. This shift has dramatically accelerated our time-to-market and elevated the influence of our improvements.
Let me share three breakthrough improvements occurring proper now that exemplify this method:
Quantum Safety for Governments, Protection Businesses and Monetary Providers
Co-developed with Telefonica, Polytechnic College of Madrid, ID Quantique, LuxQuanta, it NOW, and ICFO
As quantum computing advances, it poses an existential risk to present encryption requirements. Governments, protection businesses, and monetary establishments face a “harvest now, decrypt later” state of affairs the place adversaries gather encrypted information at this time with plans to decrypt it as soon as quantum computer systems develop into succesful.
Our Spain group, led by Xavier Azemar, has been pioneering quantum-safe hyperlinks between information facilities. We’re implementing each post-quantum cryptography (PQC) requirements like ML-KEM and Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) to create encryption that is still safe within the quantum period.
This work isn’t theoretical—we’ve already carried out 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.
Latest developments underscore the urgency of this work. In April 2024, the European Fee revealed 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 businesses to post-quantum cryptography will value $7.1 billion between 2025 and 2035. Government Order 14144, signed in January 2025, directs the Federal Authorities to organize 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 progressive method to good constructing expertise that’s remodeling power effectivity.
Working with Morgan Photo voltaic, we’ve developed AI-driven photo voltaic blinds that optimize power effectivity in business 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 displays room occupancy by Webex sensors, optimizes power manufacturing, and considerably reduces consumption with real-time changes based mostly on circumstances.
The information 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 value financial savings and lowered carbon footprint. A single set up can considerably cut back greenhouse fuel emissions, representing annual financial savings
See the Morgan Photo voltaic Blinds in motion.
Totally Immersed AI-Prepared Knowledge Heart
Co-developed with Whole Linux, Itrium, Intel, NVIDIA, and AMD
As AI workloads skyrocket, cooling conventional information facilities has develop into one in every of tech’s most important challenges. Our France group is pioneering the world’s first absolutely immersed information heart, 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 challenge introduction.
The Associate Benefit in Innovation
For our companions, Cisco Innovation Labs provides 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 – Supply options that weren’t doable earlier than
This partnership mannequin creates a flywheel impact—the extra we collaborate, the quicker we innovate, and the extra worth we create for purchasers.
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 at this time’s most advanced challenges. Our Innovation Labs are open for enterprise, able to collaborate with companions who share our imaginative and prescient of reworking prospects into realities.
Able to pioneer the following breakthrough with us? Be a part of Cisco Innovation Labs’ companion ecosystem and remodel your experience into market-defining options. Contact Simon Dyke to schedule a dialog and discover how we will engineer the longer term collectively. Essentially the most highly effective improvements aren’t in-built isolation—they’re co-created with companions such as you.
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