Cisco's 2025 AI Readiness Index reveals that 97% of AI-ready companies (Pacesetters), which comprise 13% of global organisations surveyed, have deployed AI at the scale and speed needed to unlock use cases and achieve ROI.
"This year's report shows AI leaders architect differently – and the Pacesetters prove it. They build network-first foundations, prioritise power infrastructure, optimise continuously, and embed security from day one," said Simon Miceli, managing director, Cloud and AI infrastructure, Asia Pacific, Japan and Greater China, Cisco.
Architectural choices distinguishing AI leaders
The AI Readiness Index 2025 shows four architectural choices that distinguish AI leaders:
- Solve for power constraints before hitting them: 96% of global Pacesetters have built dedicated infrastructure to optimise power consumption (24% in Hong Kong).
- Treat network as a foundation, not an afterthought: 81% of global Pacesetters rate their network as 'optimal' for AI workloads (14% in Hong Kong). Pacesetters in Hong Kong have more fully integrated AI into the network (20%) than into the cloud (22%).
- Drive real value beyond deployment through continuous optimisation: 72% have constant monitoring with automated retraining, versus 11% in Hong Kong. This enables speed: 65% of Pacesetters can update models in under an hour, with minimal downtime, compared with 38% in Hong Kong.
- Build in security that accelerates innovation, rather than slowing it down: 84% of global Pacesetters have end-to-end encryption with continuous monitoring, compared with 13% in Hong Kong. The majority (71%) of Hong Kong organisations are deploying autonomous AI agents, yet only 20% can properly secure them.
