Cisco announced new Silicon One chips and systems, expanded SONiC support, and a partnership with Nvidia on an open optics standard at the OCP Global Summit 2026. These advancements are designed to help customers scale their AI infrastructure while prioritizing openness, interoperability, and choice, according to a recent report by CRN.
At the OCP Global Summit 2026, Cisco unveiled several key initiatives to bolster AI infrastructure. The company is now shipping systems powered by its Silicon One G300 networking silicon, targeting large-scale AI deployments with features like Intelligent Collective Networking and a P4-programmable architecture. Additionally, Cisco introduced the Silicon One G302 chip, designed for front-end networks in top-of-rack deployments, aiming to simplify infrastructure management.
Cisco is also expanding its support for the open-source SONiC network operating system to include Nexus 9000 hardware, offering customers more flexibility in their network deployments. A significant development is the planned collaboration with Nvidia to create an open industry specification for the Ultra-Dense Small Form Factor Pluggable (USFP) optics architecture, which promises higher bandwidth density for AI infrastructure. Furthermore, Cisco is extending its Silicon One architecture to management switches within the rack with new Cisco 8001 systems running SONiC.
Source: CRN
