NTT Data is broadening its AI factories by incorporating technology from its longtime partner Cisco Systems, the solution provider giant announced on Tuesday. The expanded facilities will integrate Cisco's Cloud Control, networking, security, and data center technology into environments where enterprises can receive expert guidance, pose questions, and validate AI use cases before committing to larger investments. The collaboration aims to bridge the divide between AI pilots and full-scale production deployment.
The partnership between the two companies spans 35 years and has progressed from connecting enterprises to preparing them for AI-readiness, security, and autonomous operations, according to Dilip Kumar, president and global head of technology solutions at NTT Data Inc. NTT Data expanded its global AI factory footprint this month with new facilities in Paris and Singapore, joining existing sites in Plano, Texas, and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The company also recently opened its NTT Data AI Factory Munich, offering customers a production-grade environment to test and validate AI use cases before making larger investments. In addition to Cisco, NTT Data collaborates with several other technology partners within its AI Factory environments, including Nvidia and Dell.
Kumar stated that Cisco creates the intelligence while NTT Data industrializes this intelligence at scale for enterprise clients. According to the report, the partnership has evolved from just a technology partnership to an AI outcome partnership, meaning the companies now co-create, co-sell, and co-deliver solutions for clients rather than simply pursuing co-sell motions. "Our philosophy is simple: Don't explain AI infrastructure in a [PowerPoint] slide. Let the clients experience it," Kumar said. The report notes that businesses want proof of value and need to test their use cases ahead of time before making commitments.
Kumar explained that AI infrastructure requires a new operating model distinct from the old approach, which was largely SaaS, software, and people-based. Today's AI infrastructure demands what he called agentic operations where people and AI agents work together and convert insights into actions. The AI infrastructure opportunity for Cisco and NTT Data isn't simply in deploying AI, but in operating the infrastructure differently with autonomous operations, he noted. The companies are positioning Cisco's Cloud Control—an agentic AI platform designed to manage, monitor, and defend critical IT infrastructure across various domains—as central to this new operational approach.
For Kumar, the evolution of the Cisco-NTT Data relationship is only beginning as AI reshapes enterprise infrastructure, security, and operations. He expressed greater excitement about the next five years, calling them significant because AI is simultaneously changing infrastructure, security, and operations. The companies see an opportunity to turn technology into real outcomes for clients, the report states. The shift from explaining AI capabilities on slides to letting enterprises experience them in production-grade environments reflects a broader industry recognition that validation, not just vision, drives enterprise AI adoption. As companies move beyond experimentation, the demand for prove-it-first infrastructure will likely reshape how technology partners position themselves in an increasingly crowded market.