Leading AI companies are commercializing their solutions four times faster and generating 50% higher value than their competitors.

Cisco, a global network and security technology company, announced the 'Cisco 2025 AI Readiness Index' on the 15th, and announced that 'Pacesetter' companies ahead of their competitors in adopting AI are achieving pilot commercialization 4 times faster and value realization 50% higher than their competitors.

This report is based on the results of a global survey of 8,000 AI strategists across 30 countries and 26 industries.

According to the report, the group of "leaders" who outperform the industry average in all indicators of AI value creation accounted for only 13% globally and 8% in Korea.

They view AI as a core business, not just a technology, and are securing competitiveness through a systematic approach that includes clear roadmaps, change management strategies, and budget prioritization.

Of these, 99% (34% in Korea) have an AI roadmap, and 79% (15% in Korea) have designated AI as a top investment priority.

Additionally, 77% (32% in Korea) have plans to expand their data centers, and 95% (32% in Korea) 31%) were systematically tracking the effects of AI investments.

The report introduces a new concept called “AI Infrastructure Debt,” pointing out that insufficient GPU capacity, non-centralized data, and complex network structures are acting as obstacles to AI expansion.

61% of Korean companies said they were struggling with data integration, and 32% said their networks were unable to handle increasing workloads.

Eighty-three percent of companies worldwide plan to implement AI agents, and 40% plan to deploy them within a year. However, security infrastructure readiness remains low, with only 13% of Korean companies reporting they are capable of detecting and preventing AI-specific security threats.

Ninety percent of leading companies reported experiencing improvements in profitability, productivity, and innovation since adopting AI, significantly exceeding the Korean company average of 63%. These companies have flexible network architectures and security capabilities designed for the "always-on" AI era, and are creating new revenue streams through AI.

“AI is now moving beyond question-answering chatbots to agents that can perform tasks on their own,” said Jeetu Patel, Chief Product Officer (CPO) of Cisco. “Companies that are ahead of the curve in AI transformation are outperforming their competitors.”