Cisco Systems recently unveiled two data center devices optimized for artificial intelligence (AI) model enhancements at a partner event held in Los Angeles. These new systems will further enrich Cisco's hardware portfolio, aiding businesses in efficiently handling AI-related workloads.
The first newly launched product line is the UCS C885A M8 series servers. This server can support up to eight graphics processing units (GPUs), providing powerful computing capabilities for enterprise users. Cisco offers three GPU options for this series, including Nvidia's H100 and H200, as well as AMD's MI300X chip.
Additionally, each graphics card in the UCS C885A M8 series is equipped with a dedicated network interface controller (NIC), which acts as an intermediary between the server and the network. Cisco provides two Nvidia NIC options, namely ConnectX-7 and BlueField-3. The latter is an advanced solution known as a "super NIC" that can accelerate tasks such as data traffic encryption.
Meanwhile, Cisco has also integrated the BlueField-3 chip into its new servers, a data processing unit (DPU) also manufactured by Nvidia, which enhances the efficiency of managing attached storage and network infrastructure. The central processing unit (CPU) handling computational tasks not managed by dedicated chips is AMD's, with users having the option to choose the latest fifth-generation CPU or the 2022 server processor series.
In addition to servers, Cisco has also introduced four large data center devices known as AI PODs. These AI PODs can integrate up to 16 Nvidia graphics cards, network equipment, and other supporting components, with customers also having the option to add storage devices from NetApp or Pure Storage. On the software side, the AI POD comes with a license for Nvidia AI Enterprise, a software package that includes a range of pre-packaged AI models and tools for enterprises to train their neural networks. Additionally, there is the Nvidia Morpheus framework for building AI-driven cybersecurity software, as well as the HPC-X toolkit for optimizing AI cluster networks and the Red Hat OpenShift platform for simplifying the construction and deployment of container applications.
Jeetu Patel, Cisco's Chief Product Officer, stated: "Enterprise customers are under pressure to deploy AI workloads, especially as intelligent workflows become a reality and AI begins to solve problems autonomously." He added that Cisco's AI POD and GPU server innovations enhance the security, compliance, and processing capabilities of these workloads.
Cisco plans to start accepting orders for AI POD next month, while the UCS C885A M8 server series is now available for order, with shipments expected to begin by the end of the year.
Key Points:
🌟 Cisco has launched the UCS C885A M8 series servers, supporting up to eight Nvidia GPUs, providing powerful computing capabilities for AI workloads.
🖥️ The newly released AI POD devices can integrate up to 16 Nvidia graphics cards and support extended storage options, facilitating rapid deployment of AI solutions for enterprises.
📈 Cisco's AI solutions emphasize enhanced security, compliance, and processing capabilities to meet new demands in enterprise AI applications.
