Cisco launches AI-driven initiative to overhaul legacy software
Cisco has authorized an engineer to use unlimited AI resources to rewrite 98 percent of the company’s legacy code within two years.
Cisco is moving to modernize its software infrastructure by leveraging artificial intelligence to replace the majority of its legacy code. Jeetu Patel, the company’s chief product officer, has commissioned engineer Padmanabhan Krishnamurthy to lead an effort aimed at restructuring 98 percent of the firm's older codebase over the next 24 months.
Krishnamurthy joined Cisco following the 2025 acquisition of his startup, EzDubs. Following internal discussions regarding operational efficiency, Patel granted him an open budget for AI processing tokens to facilitate the project. The initiative targets legacy code, which often utilizes outdated technology and lacks modern documentation, contributing to significant maintenance overhead.
While the 98 percent target is ambitious, the project remains in its early stages. Cisco has not yet disclosed quantitative data on how much of the codebase has been addressed or the specific performance metrics achieved thus far. The move underscores a broader industry effort to use automation to reduce technical debt.