Cisco and distribution partner TD Synnex launched an ecommerce platform that provides Cisco go-to-market partners with quicker access to remanufactured equipment, bolstering the networking giant’s long-standing initiatives and providing a potential workaround for hard-to-procure equipment.

The Shop Cisco Refresh site is targeted at “growing organizations with lean IT teams,” making it easier to source Cisco certified remanufactured equipment. This includes equipment that undergoes remanufacturing “to meet Cisco’s strict quality standards,” and “all equipment comes with a full Cisco warranty and is fully eligible for Cisco service contracts.”

Cisco said it was designed with input from partners that requested a “more streamlined, self-service procurement experience.” This includes the ability to place orders through a process that can integrate into existing workflows, and access real-time inventory and pricing.

The platform is being rolled out across the U.S.

The launch extends work between the two firms, including Cisco recently selecting TD Synnex as its distributor in Ireland. That deal was positioned around Cisco’s recently implemented 360 Partner Program.

The deal also continues Cisco’s long-standing remanufacturing efforts. This includes the vendor’s Takeback and Reuse program that allows customers to return end-of-life products at no additional cost, and Cisco then reuses or recycles 99.8% of returned products.

Memory shortfall impacting the market

The move comes as the broader technology industry grapples with a shortage of some components. The most prominent is any device that requires memory.

A group of broadband-focused industry groups recently warned the U.S. government that the ongoing memory shortage is causing “significant and sustained” price increases that threaten infrastructure upgrades.

The Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA), the Rural Broadband Association (NTCA), and America's Communications Association (ACA Connects) joined a cross-sector coalition writing to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, expressing concern about “an urgent imbalance in the market for memory chips” that could hinder procurement obligations.

“Risks to large parts of the U.S. economy are occurring despite major U.S. investments in chip manufacturing intended to avoid precisely this type of supply chain disruption,” the groups wrote.

The specter of the memory shortage continues to loom large, with lead times for hardware being pushed as far back as 2028.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) CEO C.C. Wei recently warned demand for AI chips could exceed supply for several years. Wei’s comments added to the chorus from leaders from Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) and Arista Networks who previously sounded the alarm bells over the situation and its potential knock-on impact on infrastructure buildouts.

Refurbishing a solution

Some firms have taken a more aggressive approach toward refurbishing equipment to counter this choke point.

AI storage vendor Vast Data recently launched its Amplify flash memory reclamation project to help its customers in the current AI-driven memory shortage. Vast claimed the move would help clients navigate the current "dry year" for solid-state drive (SSD) provisions, many of whom, it said, have only had since the end of last year to solve the problem as memory prices began to spike with the scaling surge of AI use cases.

Amplify was followed promptly by storage vendor Vdura launching what it called a "Flash Relief Program," asking customers to submit any configuration from larger rivals Vast and Weka, and promising to beat the price by 50% while matching or exceeding specifications.

That release came off the back of a Flash Volatility Index calculator from the firm, which tracks quarterly pricing and models different architecture scenarios. According to Vdura’s data, pricing for 30-terabyte triple-level cell (TLC) enterprise SSDs increased 257% between the second quarter of last year and the first quarter of this year, rising from $3,062 to $10,950. Cost multiples between SSD and hard disk drive (HDD) capacity expanded from 6.2-times to 16.4-times within the same period, which also saw HDD pricing spike 35%, and dynamic random-access memory (DRAM) costs rise 205%.

Erik Salo, Vdura’s SVP of business operations, told SDxCentral that its rivals are looking for new solutions in a tough sales market, saying bluntly: “I'll tell you if I was an all-flash array vendor right now, I don't know what I'd do, because nobody can afford to buy my product.”