In this powerful episode of Innovation Unplugged, Jim sits down with Khalid Raza, a legendary pioneer in networking and the mind behind Graphiant, to explore why traditional network models are breaking under the pressure of today’s AI-enabled, edge-driven world.

With a track record that includes co-founding Viptela (acquired by Cisco) and CloudGenix, Khalid unpacks why yesterday’s MPLS and SD-WAN architectures are no longer enough. He introduces a bold new approach with Graphiant’s stateless core - a next-gen model that merges the best of MPLS, SD-WAN, and segment routing, without the complexity.

• Why the network must become an intelligent participant in the AI data economy

• How Graphiant solves for data sovereignty, visibility, and observability

• The evolution from static routing to cloud-native, scalable fabrics

• The critical role of carrier POPs and programmable infrastructure

• How enterprises can achieve real-time control from edge to LLMs

Whether you’re an enterprise leader navigating digital transformation, an AI innovator building for the edge, or just curious about where networking is headed - this episode will change how you think about infrastructure in the AI era.