NTT DATA Expands AI Factory Network With Cisco to Bridge Enterprise AI Pilot to Production Gap

NTT DATA AI Factory Global Expansion Addresses Enterprise AI Deployment Challenges

NTT DATA has expanded its AI Factory footprint globally, launching new facilities in Paris and Singapore this month while opening the NTT DATA AI Factory Munich in October.1

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These additions join existing sites in Plano, Texas, and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, forming a connected global ecosystem designed to help organizations move from AI pilots to production with greater confidence. The facilities provide hands-on environments where enterprises can test and validate AI use cases against real-world requirements including infrastructure architecture, performance, workload placement, and cost before making larger investments.

Cisco Partnership Brings Autonomous Operations to Enterprise AI Infrastructure

NTT DATA is deepening its 35-year partnership with Cisco Systems to integrate Cisco's Cloud Control, an agentic AI platform, along with networking, security, and data center technology into AI Factory environments.1

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Dilip Kumar, president and global head of technology solutions at NTT DATA Inc., explained that the collaboration has evolved from a technology partnership to an AI outcome partnership where the companies co-create, co-sell, and co-deliver solutions. "Cisco creates the intelligence, and NTT DATA industrializes this intelligence at scale for enterprise clients," Kumar stated. The partnership now focuses on autonomous operations where people and AI agents work together to turn insights into actions, addressing the need for a new operating model beyond traditional SaaS and software-based approaches.

Bridging the Gap Between AI Experimentation and Production Deployment

NTT DATA's market research reveals that enterprise leaders want greater confidence about performance and business value before scaling AI investments.2

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For many organizations, the shift from AI pilots to production remains stalled by infrastructure bottlenecks, governance concerns, security requirements, and uncertainty around operational costs. Kumar emphasized a practical philosophy: "Don't explain AI infrastructure in a PowerPoint slide. Let the clients experience it."1

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The AI Factory approach allows businesses to evaluate AI workloads against actual requirements and test their use cases in production-grade environments before committing to larger investments.

Comprehensive Technology Ecosystem Supports AI Deployment at Scale

The facilities leverage technologies from NTT DATA's partner ecosystem, including Cisco Secure AI Factory with NVIDIA, which provides secure and scalable infrastructure foundation for enterprise AI.2

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Cassie Roach, Global Vice President of AI Infrastructure & Connectivity Partner Sales at Cisco, noted that "scaling AI goes beyond computing" and requires a secure, resilient infrastructure foundation spanning infrastructure, security, performance, and operations while maintaining control of data and AI economics. The environments demonstrate use cases across employee productivity, customer experience, intelligent operations, cybersecurity, networking, software development, and industry-specific business processes. Engagements include discovery workshops, technical deep dives, proof-of-concept planning, and solution design.

Addressing Operational Complexity Through Governance and Infrastructure Integration

Chris Barnard, Vice President of Networking and Infrastructure Services at IDC, emphasized that realizing AI outcomes starts with building the right AI Factory foundation with strong governance.2

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This requires infrastructure, data, security, and operations to work together, supported by the right ecosystem of partners. Kumar highlighted that AI is simultaneously changing infrastructure, security, and operations, creating opportunities to turn technology into measurable business outcomes. "AI at scale is ultimately about turning intelligence into measurable business impact," Kumar stated. "That requires organizations to balance innovation with responsibility and make informed choices about where AI creates value and how it can be deployed sustainably and economically." The Munich facility specifically offers organizations the ability to test AI they own and control against their own use cases in a production-grade environment before making investment decisions, addressing concerns about data sovereignty and operational complexity that often hinder AI deployment.

Looking ahead, Kumar expressed optimism about the next five years as AI reshapes enterprise infrastructure, security, and operations simultaneously, positioning the Cisco-NTT DATA partnership to deliver real outcomes for clients navigating this transformation.1

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