R&A drives AI critical networking infrastructure refresh at Open

Just weeks after the United States Golf Association (USGA) renewed its partnership with the networking giant to help ensure its network can support complex and dynamic environments, Cisco has now been appointed as the official network supplier of the Royal & Ancient (R&A), providing artificial intelligence (AI)-ready infrastructure to support the organisation’s iconic golf championships, including The Open and the Women’s Open – as well as The R&A’s new global headquarters at its base in St. Andrews.

Founded in 1754 as the Society of St Andrews Golfers, a local golf club playing at the links at the Scottish coastal course, The R&A is the governing body for the sport of golf outside of the US and Mexico.

The institution regards itself as the custodian of the game, setting the rules of golf along with the USGA with the aim to govern the sport of golf worldwide, operating in separate jurisdictions with a commitment to a single code for the Rules of Golf, Rules of Amateur Status and Equipment Standards. Together they run golf on behalf of over 112 million golfers in 149 countries, and with the consent of 169 organisations from amateur and professional golf.

The R&A group of companies was formed in 2004 to take on The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews’ responsibilities for governing the Rules of Golf, staging The Open, golf’s original championship, and developing the sport.

The new multi-year partnership with Cisco will be focused on delivering critical AI networking infrastructure to the R&A. As the official network supplier, Cisco will deploy what it claims will be a secure AI-ready network architecture at The Open and the Women’s Open, as well as at the R&A’s global headquarters in St Andrews, Scotland, opening later in 2026.

The deployment will look to provide fans on-site at the championships with secure, reliable end-to-end connectivity, while delivering the tools organisational stakeholders need to support world-class experiences across broadcast, scoring and facility management among other applications.

Cisco is confident that its network infrastructure will help ensure the R&A remains a global leader in the sport by delivering the required secure networking infrastructure to help the R&A meet growing AI-era demands, such as increased bandwidth requirements due to emerging AI applications and future device loads.

It will also look to bring high-speed, high-performance wireless to the prestigious golf championships with the aim of ensuring that critical functions like scoring, broadcast, media and facility management remain connected and secure.

Specifically, at The 154th Open – to be held on 12-19 July at Royal Birkdale – the network will provide a technological backbone for the championship, encompassing routing, switching, wireless and network security. Nearly 1,000 Cisco Wireless access points – including Cisco Wireless Wi-Fi 7 access points in the media centre and other high-priority areas – will be installed to enable fans on-site to access enhanced Wi-Fi across the course including at highly trafficked areas such as concessions and merchandise.

The R&A’s global headquarters for its staff based in St Andrews will also deploy Cisco’s AI-ready secure network architecture, enabling the organisation to move faster, more securely and simplify its operations, and scale to support future device loads and AI applications.

Another key aim of the network is modernising and future-proofing the R&A global headquarters to help the organisation continue to deliver on its mission to strengthen and preserve the game of golf.

It will also look to deliver the R&A with greater visibility and insights across its digital footprint, allowing it to monitor its networks, crowd flow and facility operations in real time, identifying issues before they occur and remediating instantly as needed.

Specific technology to be deployed includes Cisco Wi-Fi 7 access points; C9350 Series smart switches built on Cisco Silicon One; Firewalls; cloud-managed smart cameras; and collaboration devices.

R&A chief commercial officer Neil Armit is confident the technology will help strengthen the foundations that underpin the championships and the organisation.

“From supporting the critical technology operations at The Open and the AIG Women’s Open to enhancing connectivity for fans, broadcasters, players and media, this partnership will help us deliver world-class experiences while ensuring that they remain secure, resilient and future-ready,” he said.

“As we prepare to open our new global headquarters in St Andrews later this year, Cisco will also play an important role in creating a modern, connected workplace for our staff and stakeholders. Together, we are investing in the infrastructure and innovation that will support our long-term purpose to open golf to the world.”

Gordon Thomson, president at Cisco EMEA, said: “As AI transforms every industry, sports organisations need the right technology foundation to harness its full potential. Together with the R&A, Cisco is proud to help create a more connected, secure and intelligent future for golf – one that respects the traditions of the game and embraces what’s next.”