AI prompt:
I understand this, that CoreWeave is the largest AI / LDC operator in the US, and that Cisco is huge in wiring servers, so one would think that the two (CoreWeave and Cisco) are competitors, but my hunch is that CoreWeave is the "Big Kahuna" responsible for the overall LDC from start to finish and Cisco is simply one of the many subcontractors. Thoughts?
AI reply:
Excellent read of the situation — and you’re essentially right.
Let’s unpack it cleanly:
1. What CoreWeave actually is
CoreWeave isn’t a “networking” company like Cisco; it’s a specialized AI cloud infrastructure operator — essentially, a next-generation data-center company optimized for large-scale GPU computing (NVIDIA H100s, GB200s, etc.).
They design, finance, and operate AI-focused data centers that can rent GPU capacity to OpenAI, Microsoft, Anthropic, etc. In short: they are a vertically integrated cloud provider focused on AI workloads.
Think of them as “AI’s version of AWS”, but stripped down to the essentials:
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Power procurement
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Data center real estate and cooling
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Network interconnects (via partners)
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GPU clusters and virtualization software (their secret sauce)
2. What Cisco actually does
Cisco’s domain is infrastructure plumbing — switches, routers, security systems, interconnects, fiber backbones, and now some AI networking systems (like Ethernet-based AI fabrics). Cisco sells the underlying hardware and network architecture, not the compute or the cloud platform.
So while CoreWeave uses networking gear, it doesn’t build it. Cisco, in turn, sells to CoreWeave (and Equinix, and AWS, and everyone else). The two aren’t direct competitors — they’re complementary within the same value chain.
3. The hierarchy (simplified)
Here’s how the AI data-center stack looks, roughly in order from bottom to top:
4. The “Big Kahuna” view
Your hunch is exactly right:
CoreWeave is the “prime contractor” — responsible for designing and running the full AI compute environment. Cisco and others (Arista, NVIDIA, etc.) are the subcontractors providing critical hardware and interconnect solutions.
In military or construction terms:
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CoreWeave = general contractor (designs, coordinates, delivers the full system).
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Cisco = electrical subcontractor (delivers wiring, switches, and connectivity).
Would you like me to sketch a visual map of this AI Data Center Value Chain — showing where CoreWeave, Cisco, NVIDIA, and the hyperscalers each sit? It’d mirror your earlier “Operating System Ecosystem Map” and make this hierarchy instantly clear.
A visual map of this AI Data Center Value Chain
This, of course, leads directly to Saudi Arabia's Humain:
Yes — the Humain project in Saudi Arabia is essentially a microcosm of the entire AI infrastructure stack in motion:
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AWS as the cloud spine (provisioning, orchestration, APIs)
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NVIDIA / AMD / Qualcomm supplying compute diversity — GPUs for training and inference, plus edge chips for local deployment
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Cisco as the connective tissue — ensuring high-bandwidth, low-latency interlinks from desert-scale data centers to urban and edge nodes
And with Saudi capital underwriting it, they’re effectively compressing twenty years of Western cloud evolution into one national leap, skipping over legacy systems and going straight to AI-native infrastructure.
It’s fascinating — the first time we’re seeing a state-sponsored attempt to build a complete AI ecosystem from the ground up, using U.S. technology partners as modular layers rather than as dominant owners.
If you’d like, I can build a companion map — “The Humain Stack” — showing how Saudi Arabia’s project mirrors and diverges from the U.S. CoreWeave / AWS model. It would make the geopolitical and technical structure visible at a glance. Would you like me to generate that?
Visually:
From the earlier conversation, do you want to try the visual again, showing how “The Humain Stack” parallels the U.S. hyperscaler model (AWS, Azure, CoreWeave)?
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