Internet2 Deploys Cisco AI PODs to Enhance National Research Platform

Internet2 has expanded its contributions to the National Research Platform (NRP) by deploying new Cisco AI PODs at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln and Sacramento State. This move aims to provide researchers across the platform with access to additional GPU capacity when local resources are insufficient.

The AI PODs, which combine 8 NVIDIA H200 GPUs with 1.1 TB of combined GPU memory, 128 CPU cores, 2 TB of system memory, and 90 TB of NVMe flash for staging data, introduce a more standardized approach to expanding the NRP's distributed infrastructure.

Cisco AI PODs provide pre-validated compute, networking, and management capabilities that can be deployed as a unit, reducing the engineering and integration work required to add new resources to the platform. This creates a repeatable model for Internet2 and other NRP contributors as demand for AI computing continues to grow.

Internet2's vice president of Network Services and Research Engagement, James Deaton, stated that these deployments provide researchers with access to additional GPU capacity when local resources are insufficient, showcasing the organization's role in connecting the pieces between an NRP need, a Cisco solution, and two campuses ready to host it.