Cisco is doubling down on its India strategy, with a renewed focus on AI-powered infrastructure, sovereign data centers, and deep collaboration with Indian CIOs. Speaking during an exclusive media roundtable, top global executives — including CEO Chuck Robbins and EVP & GM Jeetu Patel — laid out a vision to make India a core hub for global innovation, manufacturing, and AI deployment.
“Every time we visit India, we come back with 4-5 new ideas,” Robbins shared. “It’s no longer about cost efficiency—it’s about talent, innovation, and long-term strategic growth.”
India: A Growth Engine and Export Powerhouse
Cisco’s India operations, established over 30 years ago, are evolving rapidly — from being a global R&D center to now manufacturing select Cisco products exclusively in India for global markets.
While exact figures were not shared, executives confirmed that operations are ahead of schedule, and India has proven to be globally export-ready, backed by effective government collaboration.
“India is no longer an extension. It’s part of our engineering fabric,” said Jeetu Patel.
AI Infrastructure, Sovereignty, and Data Compliance
With India’s AI ambitions growing and regulations tightening around data localization, Cisco is positioning itself not as a cloud provider, but as a trusted AI infrastructure partner — helping governments and enterprises build secure, sovereign AI systems.
“This isn’t about repatriating from public cloud—it’s about reaccelerating private cloud adoption for next-gen workloads,” Patel noted.
AI Defense & Enterprise Use Cases: From Code to Customer Support
Cisco is betting big on two critical AI paths:
- AI in cybersecurity (“AI Defense”) — using AI to detect threats, protect AI models, and secure runtime environments
- Securing AI infrastructure itself — including the data, networks, and users accessing the models
AI Defense deployments are already underway in India, though specific customers remain unnamed.
Jeetu Patel outlined top AI use cases gaining momentum among Indian enterprises:
– Code generation and software engineering
– Virtual agents and contact centers
– Computer-use agents that automate repetitive web tasks or business approvals
Sectors like banking (fraud/risk), healthcare, education, and agriculture are also emerging as AI adopters — particularly with a focus on sovereign data access and privacy.
Data Centers: India’s Role in the AI Infrastructure Boom
Cisco has long powered India’s traditional and private data centers. Now, it sees massive opportunity in AI-focused modernization — enabling hybrid AI workloads, higher efficiency, and sovereign deployment.
From Webex to Meraki, Cisco has already localized several cloud services in India. The company is now partnering with AI-native data center startups and colocation providers to build out India’s AI stack.
“We’ve already localized clouds like Webex and Meraki. The AI data center buildout is a massive market for us,” said Daisy Chittilapilly, President, Cisco India & SAARC.
What Indian CIOs Should Expect
For Indian CIOs, Cisco’s strategy signals a localized, India-first AI infrastructure roadmap – a partner for secure, compliant data center modernization – and readiness to support AI automation, agent workloads, and private cloud growth.
“The more people want to build their own models, the better for Cisco,” Robbins concluded. “We’re not here to sell a service — we’re helping you build your own.”