Cisco reported record revenue of $18.5 billion for the first quarter of fiscal 2027, up 24% from a year earlier, and raised its full-year outlook.

The quarter, which ended October 24, 2026, delivered Cisco’s strongest revenue and non-GAAP earnings-per-share growth in more than 15 years. Product revenue rose 32%, and networking revenue jumped 43% to about $11.1 billion. Non-GAAP EPS came in at $1.40, up 40%.

Cisco now expects $9 billion in AI infrastructure revenue from hyperscalers in fiscal 2027, more than double its fiscal 2026 total, and lifted its full-year revenue forecast to between $74.8 billion and $75.8 billion.

Margins moved the other way: non-GAAP gross margin slipped to 65.6% from 68.1% a year earlier. CEO Chuck Robbins said the company is in “the very early stages of a multi-year networking supercycle.”

Why it matters

Cisco’s results show that the AI boom is not only about chips: the clusters that train and run models need very fast networks to link thousands of servers. As data center projects expand across the Gulf and the wider Arab region, demand for network engineers and networking equipment is likely to rise too, which could mean new jobs for local graduates but also higher prices or longer lead times for operators buying gear.

Source: Cisco earnings release (SEC filing)

By the TechMojaz team