BY CXO INSIGHT ME | ISSUE 01
Wired for intelligence: HPE Networking on redefining the future of networking
Jacob Chacko, Regional Director, Middle East and Africa at HPE Networking, continues to lead the pack in the region following the Juniper acquisition and highlights how the company is well-positioned to unlock significant new value at the intersection of AI and networking organisations still rely on manual processes and fragmented architectures. This creates blind spots, bottlenecks, and a growing operational burden for IT teams. “Networks have grown more diverse, and managing them the old way simply doesn’t scale,” Chacko explains. “That’s where AI comes in—not just to carry AI workloads, but to run the network itself more intelligently.” HPE Aruba Networking’s use of AIOps—applying AI to IT operations—enables 24/7 monitoring, early detection of anomalies, and predictive insights that allow teams to resolve issues before users are impacted. By applying machine learning and analytics to network telemetry, the system continuously optimises performance and reduces human error. The result is a smarter, more autonomous network that improves security, boosts efficiency, and frees up IT teams to focus on strategy rather than firefighting. “AI is no longer a future concept in networking, it’s already here and it’s transforming operations today,” says Chacko.
“AI is redefining the rules, and we’re building the infrastructure to match”
Jacob Chacko, HPE Networking
T
he rapid rise of artificial intelligence (AI) is undoubtedly reshaping how businesses think about infrastructure. Compute is no longer the only priority— networks are emerging as critical foundations for AIdriven innovation. According to IDC, enterprise spending on AIcentric systems is growing at an annual rate of approximately 27%. In parallel, the AI data centre networking market— which includes AI-optimised switches and underlying infrastructure—is projected to
grow from $630 million in 2023 to $5.6 billion by 2027. This signals full-scale rethinking of what networks are built to do—and who they’re built to serve. Powering AI with intelligent, adaptive networks AI workloads are dynamic, data-intensive, and highly distributed. They require infrastructure that can support everything from highperformance model training in the data centre to lowlatency inference at the edge.
Traditional networks, designed for more static, predictable traffic patterns, are ill-suited for this level of complexity. “AI is changing the game for networking,” says Jacob Chacko, Regional Director for Middle East and Africa, HPE Networking. “You’re no longer dealing with conventional traffic. It’s massive data flows, real-time processing, and workloads that span hybrid and multi-cloud environments.” Enterprise networks are now expected to flex and adapt continuously. Yet, many
As demand surges for AI-enabled services, service providers and telcos are facing immense pressure to modernise infrastructure quickly and at scale. “To monetise the AI opportunity, their networks must evolve—not just incrementally through bandwidth upgrades, but fundamentally by adopting cloud-native architectures, embedding AI at the core, and building the agility to support realtime, distributed workloads at scale,” Chacko explains. Emerging capabilities like network slicing, AI inferencing at the edge, and cloudification of core network functions are opening the door to new services and revenue models. But this requires a level of agility and observability that legacy systems can’t deliver. “We’re helping telcos refocus on core connectivity and integrate AI across the stack—so they can move faster, be more efficient, and deliver a better customer experience,” says Chacko. “That’s where the growth is.” Juniper + HPE: The rise of a new era in AI and networking In July 2025, Hewlett-Packard Enterprise (HPE) closed its $14 billion acquisition of Juniper Networks—a move that marks a bold step forward in its networking strategy. The deal not only doubles HPE’s networking business, but also strengthens its ability to deliver AI-native infrastructure across the enterprise, telco, and cloud markets. “The timing couldn’t be better,” says Chacko. “I’m thrilled to now be leading the Juniper networking business as well—bringing together Juniper’s cloud-native and AI-driven capabilities, especially Mist AI, with HPE Aruba Networking’s edge-to-cloud foundation. We now have a unified architecture that’s built to handle what’s coming.” 4 CONTINUED ON PAGE 4
A GARTNER® MAGIC QUADRANT™ LEADER — AGAIN Learn more
www.cxoinsightme.com