Meet industry demands with new certifications for AI infrastructure

AI is dramatically changing the skills landscape, and that change is happening faster than many think. At Learn with Cisco, we are determined to stay ahead of this wave of change and ensure that people around the world have access to the skills that will help them thrive in an AI-powered economy and succeed in a wide range of IT careers, from entry-level security analyst to expert network engineer.

In its 2025 Future of Work report, the World Economic Forum predicted that 39% of all job skills will be transformed by AI by 2030. And they’re not just technology-related jobs. That’s everyone. But for now, the use of AI in business is still new. 40% of people say they use AI in their work, but few do so with a full understanding of the risks, possibilities, and requirements for ethical and responsible use.

As always, technology and technology-adjacent roles are at the forefront of change. The impact is already being felt. The AI Workforce Consortium’s first report in 2024 predicted that 90% of ICT roles will be moderately or significantly transformed by AI. A follow-up report published just one year later found that 78% of ICT roles have already begun to see that change.

That’s why we continue to expand our learning portfolio, covering everything from free AI basic training with Cisco Networking Academy to advanced technical training and certification on AI infrastructure with Cisco U. We want all Cisco customers, channel partners, and learners to not only be able to use AI, but to use AI and build for AI.

Today, Learn with Cisco is announcing new AI Infrastructure certifications, as well as new learning availability in the AI Business Practitioner learning path and AI Technical Practitioner certifications.

Cisco AI Infrastructure Specialist Certification

This new certification is within the CCNP Data Center Certification track and allows learners to build and validate the monitoring and troubleshooting skills critical to deploying, migrating, and operating AI solutions on Cisco data center infrastructure, and using AI in production environments.

This certification and the skills it validates are useful for engineers, architects, operations teams, and service providers who need to run AI workloads reliably and at scale.

The Cisco AI Infrastructure Specialist certification also earns you points on the Partner Value Index, which is an important part of the Cisco 360 Partner Program. Announced at the 2024 Partner Summit, the program aims to help partners better deliver, create and capture value in the age of AI. The announcement also included an $80 million investment in partner learning and training through Cisco U.

If aspects of the AI Infrastructure Specialist certification seem familiar, it may be because the learning path for this certification, AI Solutions in Cisco Infrastructure Essentials, has been available on Cisco U for over a year. And it was very popular. When this learning path was selected as part of the Ladder Up initiative, a free training program for Cisco partners, it saw three times as many learner enrollments as the previous Ladder Up. Learners who complete the AI Solutions in Cisco Infrastructure Essentials learning path should be well-positioned to take the AI Infrastructure Specialist certification exam. This exam will be available for the first time on February 9, 2026 at Cisco Live Amsterdam.

Full availability of AI Business Practitioner learning path

Our AI Business Practitioner badge is designed to serve the growing range of business professionals who use AI in their work and want to use it responsibly, strategically and effectively. This gives professionals the literacy and confidence to strategically deploy AI, with a focus on measurable business outcomes. This learning path consists of three tracks, starting with generative AI fundamentals and progressing to skills for power users.

We announced that the first tracks will be available in September. Entire learning paths are now available to help professionals gain the skills they need to use AI for data analysis, work with AI APIs, and propose and design their own AI pilot projects.

AI Technical Practitioner Certification Training Blueprint and First Track

This new certification focuses on artificial intelligence and machine learning workloads, helping technical professionals become AI-ready and successfully incorporate AI into their workflows. This certification demonstrates a candidate’s comprehensive knowledge of designing, implementing, operating, and troubleshooting AI solutions across Cisco infrastructure.

This certification has four training tracks. The first is available now and provides technical professionals with the essential knowledge they need to understand generative AI. Subsequent tracks will take a deep dive into security and compliance, research with generative AI, leveraging AI for coding assistance, customizing AI models, and orchestration with AI agents and MCPs. Full training and exams for this professional-level certification will be available in December.

These new certifications and learning paths complement existing training available at Cisco U, including free tutorials and AI Fundamentals training available at NetAcad.com. Together, they support Cisco’s leadership in making critical skills available to the widest possible population and preparing the workforce for the AI era.