Equinix & Cisco expand secure AI factory in Singapore

Equinix and Cisco have expanded their collaboration in Singapore to offer Cisco Secure AI Factory with NVIDIA from Equinix data centres, targeting organisations that want sovereign and secure access to artificial intelligence infrastructure.

Customers in Singapore will be able to deploy a validated full-stack architecture for AI workloads within Equinix facilities and extend those deployments to edge locations such as retail stores, hospitals and warehouses through Cisco Unified Edge.

The announcement comes as businesses across Asia-Pacific increase spending on artificial intelligence but face practical barriers to putting systems into production. Those barriers include ageing infrastructure, network latency, data sovereignty requirements and fragmented technology environments.

Cisco's 2025 AI Readiness Index found that 83% of organisations in Singapore plan to deploy AI agents, yet only one in 10 believe their networks are fully flexible and able to scale immediately. That gap has become a central issue for companies trying to move from pilot projects to wider operational use.

By placing the offer in Equinix's Singapore sites, the two companies are targeting businesses that want tighter control over where data is stored and processed. That is particularly relevant in sectors with strict governance requirements, including finance, healthcare, logistics and manufacturing.

The set-up is designed to give customers access to AI infrastructure in a private environment rather than relying entirely on public cloud services. It also reflects growing demand for systems that can support workloads closer to where data is generated, especially in operational settings where response times matter.

Local deployment

Organisations using the service can also connect with more than 2,000 technology companies in Equinix's wider ecosystem to test configurations, review connectivity needs and assess how AI deployments can be supported across data centres, cloud environments and edge locations.

That ecosystem approach is intended to reduce the integration work often required when companies assemble AI systems from multiple suppliers. It also gives customers a way to build and evaluate infrastructure in a single environment before a wider rollout.

Cisco Secure AI Factory with NVIDIA is described as a full-stack architecture intended to simplify AI deployment while embedding security controls across the system. The offer includes tools for observability and zero-trust security, alongside management methods aimed at maintaining consistent performance across distributed environments.

The platform is also intended to support retrieval and processing tasks at the edge, where organisations increasingly want AI services to operate in real time. In practice, that means businesses could run models and data workflows in central data centres while extending selected functions to branch, industrial or clinical settings.

National focus

The Singapore launch also aligns with the city-state's broader push to strengthen digital infrastructure and build an economy around advanced technologies. Artificial intelligence has become a strategic priority for Singapore as it invests in computing, connectivity and talent while seeking to attract international technology operators.

For Equinix, the collaboration supports its effort to position its data centre footprint as a base for distributed AI infrastructure, especially in markets where data residency and cross-border rules shape deployment decisions. For Cisco, it provides another route to package AI systems with security and edge infrastructure for enterprise customers in Southeast Asia.

Yee May Leong, Managing Director, Singapore, Equinix, said Singapore's digital policy direction had created a strong backdrop for demand. "Singapore continues to place the digital economy at the heart of its national growth strategy, investing in digital infrastructure, AI, quantum computing, connectivity and talent to strengthen its position as a leading digital innovation hub," Leong said.

She said customers were looking for practical ways to scale AI without adding unnecessary complexity. "As AI becomes more embedded in business strategies, organisations need to connect to their ecosystems, make informed decisions, and scale with confidence. Through our expanded collaboration with Cisco, we will help organisations extend their AI infrastructure from centralised data centres to distributed environments while keeping operational complexity in check," Leong said.

Bee Kheng Tay, President, ASEAN, Cisco, said the partnership was intended to give companies a simpler base for AI projects. "Organisations scaling their AI ambitions need a foundation that is simple, secure, and scalable," Tay said. "Our collaboration with Equinix simplifies how customers build their AI infrastructures so they can focus on driving business value and innovation."