BRUSSELS, March 5 (Reuters) - Cisco Systems ( CSCO ) is

set to secure unconditional EU antitrust approval for its $28

billion bid for cybersecurity firm Splunk ( SPLK ), two people

with direct knowledge of the matter said on Tuesday.

The deal announced last year and Cisco's ( CSCO ) biggest ever will

boost its software business amid a boom in artificial

intelligence and also help offset a post-pandemic slowdown in

demand.

The European Commission is set to clear the deal after its

preliminary review ends on March 13 after finding no

anti-competitive issues, the people said.

The EU competition enforcer declined to comment. Cisco ( CSCO ) and

Splunk ( SPLK ) did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Last month, San Francisco, California-based Splunk ( SPLK ) said it

expects the deal to close towards the end of the current quarter

or early in the second quarter of 2024.