# Cisco Advances Scalability and Openness at OCP 2026

- Link: https://www.thailand-business-news.com/pr-news/cisco-advances-scalability-and-openness-at-ocp-2026
- Published: 2026-10-12T22:00:00+07:00
- Author: PR Newswire

|   |

_Delivers the resilient, open Ethernet foundations required to connect and scale
massive, distributed AI factories_

**News Summary**

 ◦ Cisco and NVIDIA plan to develop an open industry specification for a next-generation
   400G-per-lane pluggable optics design, increasing bandwidth density while preserving
   serviceability and customer choice.
 ◦ Cisco advances open infrastructure across silicon, systems and optics to meet
   the demands of AI workloads, spanning high-density scale-out and distributed 
   scale-across networks.
 ◦ The Cisco Silicon One portfolio continues to expand to serve all AI builders,
   with the first G300-powered systems shipping to customers, new 1.6T G302 silicon,
   and P200-powered systems now deployed in production hyperscale environments.

SAN JOSE, Calif., Oct. 12, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Today at the Open Compute Project(
OCP) Global Summit 2026, Cisco (Nasdaq: CSCO) introduced new silicon, systems and
optical innovations that advance open AI infrastructure from rack-scale compute 
to distributed AI capacity. Together, the announcements demonstrate how Cisco is
engineering the network as a coherent, programmable architecture while preserving
the openness and choice customers expect in the super intelligence era. The new 
capabilities deepen Cisco’s continued commitment to deliver an open stack from silicon
to Kubernetes, required to connect the AI foundations for hyperscalers, neoclouds
and enterprises. Strong market adoption validates Cisco’s leadership and underscores
deep customer trust as demand for AI compute capacity rapidly accelerates.

"AI is redefining what it means to scale infrastructure. It’s no longer just about
individual data centers or clusters, but how we connect compute at massive scale
without compromising performance or resilience. Cisco’s strength across silicon,
networking, optics,systems and security puts us in a unique position to deliver 
the open infrastructure customers need as AI continues to evolve," said Kevin Wollenweber,
SVP and General Manager of Data Center and Internet Infrastructure, Cisco.

**"Scale-Across" Connects the World’s AI CapacityScale-across extends coordinated
AI workloads across facilities, building on traditional data center interconnect(
DCI) technologies while introducing significantly different workload requirements.
When accelerators across sites participate in the same coordinated job, congestion,
latency and recovery can directly affect compute utilization and job progress. Cisco
draws on its silicon, routing and optical networking leadership to address those
requirements as one packet-to-optical architecture.

Cisco’s scale-across architecture brings together [Silicon One P200](https://edge.prnewswire.com/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=4795282-1&h=3171631166&u=https%3A%2F%2Fnewsroom.cisco.com%2Fc%2Fr%2Fnewsroom%2Fen%2Fus%2Fa%2Fy2025%2Fm10%2Fcisco-sets-benchmark-with-industry-most-scalable-efficient-51-2t-routing-systems-for-distributed-ai-workloads.html&a=Silicon+One+P200),
deep-buffered systems and coherent optics to connect AI fabrics across locations
to act as a unified cluster. It provides customers a single, unified compute fabric
enabled by the performance, deep programmability and embedded security of the Silicon
One architecture.  Cisco is the first in the industry to announce its 51.2T systems,
powered by the Silicon One P200, are deployed in a production environment by leading
hyperscalers. 

"Microsoft and Cisco share a longstanding partnership rooted in engineering collaboration
and innovation. We are pleased to announce that today, Microsoft has moved into 
production on systems powered by the Cisco Silicon One P200. As our infrastructure
demands grow, the P200’s robust architecture provides the speed and enhanced buffering
capabilities necessary to address the increasing scale of our cloud and high-performance
services. This milestone reflects the next stage in our long-term collaboration,
ensuring we continue to deliver the performance and reliability required for the
modern digital era," said Anand Ramakrishna, Corporate Vice President, Engineering,
Microsoft.

"Alibaba is proud to announce a major milestone for our next-generation backbone
network, eCORE. We have deployed our in-house Quantum Cat router at massive scale,
powered by the Cisco Silicon One P200. These routers bring 51.2 Tbps of routing 
capacity to our infrastructure. They feature a fully shared deep-buffer architecture,
high programmability, and excellent power efficiency. This setup provides the exact
performance and scale needed for today’s heavy cloud and AI workloads. We paired
Cisco’s silicon with Alibaba’s custom systems and the SONiC operating system. This
combination proves the true value of open networking. It delivers the flexibility
and operational power required for some of the world’s most demanding networks. 
We look forward to deepening our work with Cisco, the Open Compute Project (OCP),
and the SONiC community. Together, we will continue to advance open, high-performance
networking for the AI era," said Dennis Cai, Vice President, Head of Network Infrastructure,
Alibaba Cloud Intelligence Group

**Scaling AI from Rack to Fabric for the 1.6T Era**
Inside the data center, AI scale
is driving the same need for greater bandwidth, density and power efficiency across
silicon, systems and optics. To meet the radical bandwidth requirements of the next
generation of AI, Cisco’s Silicon One portfolio is delivering the next level of 
network performance designed for massive AI scale. As a member of OCP’s ESUN, Cisco
is committed to advancing open, interoperable, high-performance AI networking at
scale and collaborating actively with ESUN on the 1.0 and future specifications 
for scale-up workloads.

[Announced earlier this year](https://edge.prnewswire.com/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=4795282-1&h=4283706587&u=https%3A%2F%2Fnewsroom.cisco.com%2Fc%2Fr%2Fnewsroom%2Fen%2Fus%2Fa%2Fy2026%2Fm02%2Fcisco-announces-new-silicon-one-g300.html&a=Announced+earlier+this+year),
the 102.4T Silicon One G300 is now available for customer sampling, and the first
G300-powered systems are currently shipping to customers. Cisco is also expanding
the Silicon One portfolio with the first 51.2T switching silicon with 200G SerDes
designed for top-of-rack (ToR) deployments. The new Silicon One G302 delivers 102.4T
capacity and features Cisco 1.6T optics and direct-to-chip liquid cooling integration
to drive efficiency gains. The G302 is built to power ToR switch systems, which 
sit at the rack level and gather traffic from servers and connect it efficiently
to the larger data center network. This optimizes how servers are linked and integrated,
delivering unprecedented front-end scale, density, and throughput for hyperscalers.
The G302 is planned to begin shipping to customers before the end of 2026.

**Cisco and NVIDIA Introduce New Pluggable Optics Together with NVIDIA, Cisco also
[unveiled plans to develop](https://edge.prnewswire.com/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=4795282-1&h=2021451454&u=https%3A%2F%2Fnewsroom.cisco.com%2Fc%2Fr%2Fnewsroom%2Fen%2Fus%2Fa%2Fy2026%2Fm10%2Fnvidia-and-cisco-new-pluggable-optics-to-scale-ai-factories.html&a=unveiled+plans+to+develop)
the Ultra-Dense Small Form Factor Pluggable (USFP), a new high density 400Gb/s-per-
lane capable optical module. Compared to other approaches to increasing the bandwidth
of optical modules, USFP relies on a proven operating model to scale to 400Gb/s-
per-lane. USFP is expected to deliver 4x the bandwidth density and 1.3x the power
efficiency of 200Gb/s-per-lane optics, improving the efficiency and scalability 
of AI factories without sacrificing serviceability, deployment flexibility or the
operational simplicity of today’s pluggable optics. To drive broad industry engagement
and adoption, Cisco and NVIDIA plan to create an open industry specification for
USFP through an upcoming community-led multi-source project.

**Expanding Secure AI NetworkingSONiC (Software for Open Networking in the Cloud)
is the open-source operating system that forms the foundation of many hyperscaler
and now neoclouds, service providers and enterprise deployments, across the AI builder
ecosystem. Cisco customers can adopt Cisco-validated SONiC with [Nexus One](https://edge.prnewswire.com/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=4795282-1&h=2826269219&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cisco.com%2Fsite%2Fus%2Fen%2Fproducts%2Fnetworking%2Fcloud-networking%2Fnexus-one%2Findex.html&a=Nexus+One),
a next generation data center architecture, embracing an open approach for multi-
site to rack-scale environments. This support will be extended with [Live Protect](https://edge.prnewswire.com/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=4795282-1&h=1988006653&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cisco.com%2Fsite%2Fus%2Fen%2Fabout%2Ftrust-center%2Flive-protect.html&a=Live+Protect)
for customers starting mid-year 2027. Utilizing Cisco runtime technology, Live Protect
reduces the exposure customers would typically face between a vulnerability disclosure
and a patch on supported Cisco products and releases. Live Protect will give Cisco
SONiC customers time to test and deploy the permanent software fix without disrupting
operations.

**Control and Recovery at AI ScaleOut-of-band management systems form a network 
operators rely on to provide remote access even when the production network is down,
allowing for fixes during a blackout or cyber incident. But at AI scale, out-of-
band management systems can become a patchwork of legacy systems, tools and proprietary
interfaces, making thousands of GPU nodes harder to manage and fix. The Cisco 8001,
a new Silicon One A100-powered management system available as 10G or 1G , solves
this challenge by upgrading performance and bringing SONiC to this critical network.
Operators can use familiar APIs, automation and operating practices from the fabric
to the rack, without building and maintaining a separate management environment.
Customers can now deploy a simpler, programmable management network that scales 
with AI infrastructure, and remains available when it is needed most.

**Cisco Silicon One: The Industry’s Most Scalable and Programmable Unified Networking
Architecture[Cisco Silicon One](https://edge.prnewswire.com/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=4795282-1&h=1929771084&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cisco.com%2Fsite%2Fca%2Fen%2Fproducts%2Fnetworking%2Fsilicon-one%2Findex.html&a=Cisco+Silicon+One)
is the industry’s most scalable and programmable unified networking architecture,
offering a complete portfolio of networking devices across AI, hyperscaler, data
center, enterprise, and service provider use cases. Introduced in 2019, Cisco Silicon
One is playing critical roles in major networks around the world. With today’s innovations,
Silicon One proves its ability to scale  from 100G to 100T with a single, unified
silicon architecture.

**Supporting Resources:**

 ◦ Executive Blog Post: [Cisco and NVIDIA Announce USFP: Expanding the Path to AI Connectivity](https://edge.prnewswire.com/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=4795282-1&h=1340761551&u=https%3A%2F%2Fblogs.cisco.com%2Fnews%2Fcisco-and-nvidia-announce-usfp-expanding-the-path-to-ai-connectivity&a=Cisco+and+NVIDIA+Announce+USFP%3A+Expanding+the+Path+to+AI+Connectivity)
 ◦ Executive Blog Post: [SONiC’s Next Chapter with Cisco: Open Choice, Production Confidence](https://edge.prnewswire.com/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=4795282-1&h=3149393409&u=https%3A%2F%2Fblogs.cisco.com%2Fdatacenter%2Fsonics-next-chapter-with-cisco-open-choice-production-confidence&a=SONiC%27s+Next+Chapter+with+Cisco%3A+Open+Choice%2C+Production+Confidence)

**About Cisco**

Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) is the worldwide technology leader that is revolutionizing 
the way organizations connect and protect in the AI era. For more than 40 years,
Cisco has securely connected the world. With its industry leading AI-powered solutions
and services, Cisco enables its customers, partners and communities to unlock innovation,
enhance productivity and strengthen digital resilience. With purpose at its core,
Cisco remains committed to creating a more connected and inclusive future for all.
Discover more on [The Newsroom](https://edge.prnewswire.com/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=4795282-1&h=240578543&u=https%3A%2F%2Fnewsroom.cisco.com%2Fc%2Fr%2Fnewsroom%2Fen%2Fus%2Findex.html&a=The+Newsroom)
and follow us on X at @Cisco.

_Disclaimer: Some products or features described may be in various stages of development
and offered on a when-and-if available basis. Cisco reserves the right to change
delivery timelines and will have no liability for any delays or failures to deliver._

---

  |  This article was produced by Cision PR Newswire, our trusted news partner. The views expressed and the content presented here are solely those of the author and may not fully reflect the opinions of Thailand Business News. |

---

 
**Read the original article :** [Cisco Advances Scalability and Openness at OCP 2026 ](http://www.prnasia.com/story/archive/5069573_AE69573_0?rand=184833)
