Insider Brief
- Cisco Investments launched a $1B AI investment fund to support startups and develop secure AI solutions, with $200M already committed to companies like Cohere, Mistral AI, and Scale AI.
- The global AI market is projected to double to over $500 billion in the next three years, providing significant opportunities for enterprises to enhance products and services.
- Cisco aims to leverage its investments to drive innovation in AI, aligning with its strategy to connect, secure, and advance AI technologies for better customer support.
PRESS RELEASE — CISCO LIVE, LAS VEGAS/June 4, 2024 — Cisco Investments, the global corporate venture investment arm of Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO), today launched a $1B AI investment fund to bolster the startup ecosystem and expand the development of secure and reliable AI solutions. As part of the new AI fund, Cisco is making strategic investments in Cohere, Mistral AI and Scale AI among others to advance customers’ AI readiness and complement Cisco’s AI innovation strategy. Cisco has already committed nearly $200M of the $1B investment fund to date.
AI is reshaping every industry and the world at an unprecedented pace, putting greater emphasis on how businesses globally interact and rely on technology. Recent research from IDC (2023) indicates that the global AI market is expected to double in size to over $500 billion in the next three years. Enterprises, including Cisco, have an opportunity to leverage Gen AI to significantly enhance their products and services and better serve their customers and end users.
“For more than 30 years, Cisco Investments has invested and partnered with hundreds of companies to drive innovation both within Cisco’s core markets and in new strategic areas. Our recent investments in generative AI companies align perfectly with this long-standing strategy,” said Mark Patterson, Chief Strategy Officer, Cisco. “At Cisco, we believe we are well positioned to be the best strategic partner for our customers in the AI era as they look to build, secure, and power AI. In addition to building essential technology to connect, secure and advance AI, Cisco is committed to investing in the broader AI ecosystem to more effectively meet our customers’ needs.”
