NetApp, a leader in Intelligent Data Infrastructure, has announced a strategic collaboration with Cisco to advance converged infrastructure, building on more than two decades of partnership. The companies introduced the NetApp AFX architecture, which now integrates with Cisco Nexus switches for high-speed intra-cluster connectivity and will soon expand to FlexPod AI. This collaboration reinforces their shared commitment to providing an enterprise-grade foundation for AI workloads.
Powered by a disaggregated NetApp ONTAP, the industry-leading storage operating system, NetApp AFX helps tens of thousands of enterprises across various industries manage exabytes of data efficiently. By integrating Cisco Nexus 400G switches, the architecture delivers ultra-high bandwidth, low-latency, and lossless networking critical for scaling AI workloads. This ensures organizations can meet the growing performance demands of AI while maintaining simplicity and enterprise-grade reliability.
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Dallas Olson, Chief Commercial Officer at NetApp, commented, “The NetApp data platform allows our customers to build out intelligent data infrastructure that unifies their data for advanced workloads like AI. By working with Cisco, NetApp is delivering a unified solution for AI-ready data centers. This collaboration combines the advanced storage architecture of NetApp AFX with AI networking from Cisco, setting a new standard for performance, scalability, and simplicity in enterprise AI infrastructure.”
Murali Gandluru, Vice President, Data Center Networking at Cisco, added, “The integration of Cisco Nexus switches into the NetApp AFX architecture exemplifies our shared commitment to AI innovation. Our customers are asking for simplicity without sacrificing performance or security, which requires Cisco and strategic partners like NetApp to solve customer challenges. Together, we will move the industry forward and enable a new era of AI-driven outcomes.”
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Looking ahead, the partnership will extend to FlexPod AI, offering a flexible, secure, full-stack foundation for hybrid cloud and AI workloads. By seamlessly integrating the NetApp AFX all-flash storage system, Cisco Unified Computing System (UCS), and Cisco Nexus switches, organizations can simplify operations through Cisco Intersight centralized management. This combination allows enterprises to right-size infrastructure for specific AI workloads while ensuring security, performance, and operational simplicity, accelerating AI adoption across industries.
NetApp will showcase these innovations at NetApp INSIGHT 2025 in Las Vegas, October 14–16, featuring sessions and demos that highlight AI-driven enterprise transformation.
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