Tech Explained: Here’s a simplified explanation of the latest technology update around Tech Explained: Australian neocloud Sharon AI to accelerate infrastructure buildout with Cisco tech in Simple Termsand what it means for users..
Australian neocloud Sharon AI is set to significantly expand its use of Cisco’s networking technology following an investment from Digital Alpha.
The deal gives Sharon AI access to Digital Alpha’s exclusive technology partnership with Cisco, providing the neocloud with Cisco’s Nvidia-integrated AI infrastructure offerings, such as the Nexus HyperFabric switching solution for AI clusters.
“This partnership with Digital Alpha and Cisco enables us to further accelerate customer deployments and expand our cloud infrastructure for enterprise AI and high-performance compute in Australia and Asia Pacific,” said James Manning, co-founder and chairman of Sharon AI.
Founded in 2024 by Manning and Andrew Leece, Sharon AI joins a growing number of firms looking to take advantage of AI demand with GPU-centric compute infrastructure offerings through its cluster in Melbourne. It also leases space in Equinix data centers in Sydney. Outside of its native Oz, the neocloud also has a presence in the U.S., with plans for a data center campus in Ector County, Texas, underway as part of a joint venture with New Era Energy & Digital.
Through its Digital Alpha deal, Sharon AI will now have access to offerings like Nexus HyperFabric, which is designed to integrate with customers’ existing Ethernet networks, acting as a cloud-managed fabric connecting compute, GPU, and storage resources for AI workloads.
Also available to Sharon AI following the deal are Cisco’s Unified Computing System (UCS) servers, which range from the modular X-Series, the density-focused B-Series, and the rack-mount C-Series.
“Sharon AI is poised to lead the Australian enterprise AI space, delivering critical use cases like inference and RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation). Powered by Cisco’s UCS servers, Nexus Hyperfabric switching, security, and observability stack, Sharon AI provides a sovereign, high-performance infrastructure for Australian businesses,” said Will Eatherton, SVP, and head of networking engineering at Cisco.
Digital Alpha has maintained a close partnership with Cisco, with the investment firm benefiting from access to the networking giant’s engineering and sales resources as well as broader ecosystem of channel partners and resellers. Rick Shrotri founded Digital Alpha in 2017 after spending nearly ten years at Cisco. During his time at Cisco, he spearheaded an initiative focused on attracting third-party equity capital to invest in promising ventures.
“Sharon AI represents the next generation of cloud infrastructure providers delivering AI workloads and high-performance compute to enterprise and public sector customers,” Shrotri said. “We are excited to partner with the Sharon AI team to scale the Company across the Australia and Asia Pacific region.”
Prior to the Digital Alpha injection, previous reports suggested Sharon AI was making plans to raise capital via a pre-initial public offering. Reports in November 2025 indicated that the firm was meeting with investors in anticipation of an initial public offering, expected to take place sometime in Q1 2026.
Sharon AI is the latest infrastructure provider subject to investment from Digital Alpha, after the firm backed Seattle-based GPU-as-a-Service (GPUaaS) provider Massed Compute last August. The $300 million cash injection was to be used to purchase Nvidia GPUs, and, mirroring the Sharon AI agreement, granted access to Cisco technologies.