Nov 3 (Reuters) - Cisco Systems ( CSCO ) launched a

computing device on Monday that will run artificial intelligence

workloads at local entities such as retail stores, factory

floors and healthcare facilities, speeding up their AI data

processing capabilities.

The new platform, named "Cisco Unified Edge," is an attempt

to bring AI infrastructure closer to where the data is created -

on shop and factory floors, for example - as traditional data

centers become overburdened with complex commands, especially as

agentic and reasoning models drive up network traffic.

The Cisco ( CSCO ) platform features an Intel ( INTC ) chip and has

seen an early adopter in Verizon. It is expected to be

generally available by the end of the year.

Tech firms have committed tens of billions of dollars to

expand their data center operations to accommodate the soaring

use of AI models.

"As AI agents and experiences proliferate, they will

naturally emerge closer to where customers interact and

decisions are made - the branch office, retail store, factory

floor, stadium, and more," said Cisco's ( CSCO ) Chief Product Officer

Jeetu Patel.