We are witnessing an unprecedented technological inflection level—one which I consider represents the best worth creation alternative in a era. The staggering magnitude of worldwide AI investments—Apple’s $500B, France’s $100B, Stargate’s $500B—alerts a elementary shift in how know-how will reshape our world. With this transformation comes mounting calls for for efficiency, sustainability, and safety that require revolutionary 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 domestically to create options that show the artwork of the attainable for our clients and companions.
The Power of Cisco’s Global Innovation Engine
Our Innovation Labs function throughout 5 key world markets—Brazil, Canada, France, Spain, and the UK/Ireland. While bodily current in these areas, we work with out borders, going wherever our clients are. This world footprint allows us to remodel Cisco’s world methods into native, customer-centric options.
What actually units Cisco aside is our unmatched visibility into the digital panorama: over 100 million units, 5 billion each day menace analyses, and a presence in 95% of Fortune 100 corporations. This wealth of knowledge fuels our innovation with distinctive insights that few different corporations can match.
We begin by designing with empathy for our clients and the challenges they face. This customer-centric method ensures that our improvements handle real-world wants and ship tangible worth.
Engineering-Led Co-Creation: A New Model 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 taking place proper now that exemplify this method:
Quantum Security for Governments, Defense Agencies and Financial Services
Co-developed with Telefonica, Polytechnic University of Madrid, ID Quantique, LuxQuanta, it NOW, and ICFO
As quantum computing advances, it poses an existential menace to present encryption requirements. Governments, protection businesses, and monetary establishments face a “harvest now, decrypt later” state of affairs the place adversaries accumulate encrypted information immediately with plans to decrypt it as soon as quantum computer systems turn out to be succesful.
Our Spain workforce, 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 continues to be 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 corporations like IDQuantique and Luxquanta, we’re creating options that meet probably the most stringent safety necessities from finance and authorities sectors.
Recent developments underscore the urgency of this work. In April 2024, the European Commission printed suggestions for a coordinated implementation roadmap for post-quantum cryptography, whereas in August 2024, the White House launched a report estimating that transitioning U.S. federal businesses to post-quantum cryptography will price $7.1 billion between 2025 and 2035. Executive Order 14144, signed in January 2025, directs the Federal Government to organize for this transition urgently.
Watch our Quantum Security innovation in motion.
Morgan Solar Blinds: A Sustainability Breakthrough
Co-developed with Morgan Solar
Our Canada workforce, beneath Justin Cohen’s management, has developed an revolutionary method to good constructing know-how that’s remodeling power effectivity.
Working with Morgan Solar, we’ve developed AI-driven photo voltaic blinds that optimize power effectivity in industrial buildings. These aren’t simply passive window coverings—they’re clever energy turbines that combine with Cisco’s digital constructing infrastructure.
The know-how combines IoT connectivity, AI-based automation, and real-time analytics to create a whole power administration system. Each 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 screens room occupancy by means of Webex sensors, optimizes power manufacturing, and considerably reduces consumption with real-time changes primarily based on circumstances.
The information is spectacular: our analytics present power manufacturing peaks of over 50kW monthly per set up, with reductions in thermal power that translate to substantial price financial savings and lowered carbon footprint. A single set up can considerably cut back greenhouse gasoline emissions, representing annual financial savings
See the Morgan Solar Blinds in motion.
Fully Immersed AI-Ready Data Center
Co-developed with Total Linux, Itrium, Intel, NVIDIA, and AMD
As AI workloads skyrocket, cooling conventional information facilities has turn out to be certainly one of tech’s most important challenges. Our France workforce is pioneering the world’s first totally immersed information middle, decreasing 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 venture introduction.
The Partner Advantage in Innovation
For our companions, Cisco Innovation Labs affords 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 – Solve actual buyer issues in real-time
- Competitive differentiation – Offer options that weren’t attainable earlier than
This partnership mannequin creates a flywheel impact—the extra we collaborate, the sooner we innovate, and the extra worth we create for patrons.
The Path Forward: Engineering Together
We stand at a novel second the place infrastructure, safety, and observability are converging in unprecedented methods. The AI transformation represents each a problem and a possibility for all of us.
At Cisco, we consider engineering-led innovation is the important thing to addressing immediately’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.
Ready to pioneer the subsequent breakthrough with us? Join Cisco Innovation Labs’ companion ecosystem and remodel your experience into market-defining options. Contact Simon Dyke to schedule a dialog and discover how we are able to engineer the longer term collectively. The strongest improvements aren’t inbuilt isolation—they’re co-created with companions such as you.
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