On February 23 2026, Cisco Systems and its partner Sharon AI opened Australia’s first Secure AI Factory, a facility that keeps all data processing on‑premises while delivering high‑performance AI workloads powered by 1,024 NVIDIA Blackwell Ultra GPUs.
The factory, located in Australia, is designed to provide secure, high‑performance AI infrastructure for local customers, ensuring data sovereignty and compliance with national regulations. The partnership leverages Cisco’s secure networking expertise and NVIDIA’s cutting‑edge GPU technology to deliver a fully integrated AI platform that aligns with Australia’s National AI Plan and Cisco’s broader AI strategy.
The deployment also incorporates VAST Data for storage and NEXTDC for data‑center hosting, creating a robust, end‑to‑end solution that supports enterprise and government workloads while maintaining strict data‑locality requirements.
"AI innovation is moving faster than ever, and Cisco is delivering the critical infrastructure Australia needs to move fast and adopt AI safely and securely," said Stefan Leitl, Vice President & General Manager, Cisco Australia & New Zealand. "The Cisco Secure AI Factory enables enterprises and governments to harness their data for differentiation, unlocking innovation and competitive advantage, by strengthening sovereign capabilities and building a trustworthy AI ecosystem," added Leitl. James Manning, Co‑Founder and CEO of Sharon AI, noted, "We are excited to have partnered with Cisco and NVIDIA to accelerate enterprise AI and high‑performance compute adoption throughout Asia‑Pacific. This 1024 NVIDIA Blackwell Ultra deployment has been architected and deployed alongside Cisco to ensure together we can bring unprecedented value to customers."
The launch marks a significant expansion of Cisco’s AI infrastructure portfolio into the Australian market, positioning the company to capture demand from sovereign and enterprise customers seeking secure, on‑premises AI solutions. By offering a dedicated, sovereign AI factory, Cisco differentiates itself from pure‑play AI hardware vendors and strengthens its competitive stance in a region prioritizing data sovereignty and AI innovation.
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