Agentic Networking: The Self-Driving Network for the AI Era
Agentic Networking is the next evolution of cloud and network operations, where intelligent, autonomous agents – powered by LLMs, real-time telemetry, and policy-driven intent – continuously observe, decide, and act across complex, multi-cloud environments. Instead of manually tuning networks or relying solely on static automation, agentic systems interpret high-level business intents (minimize latency for this workload, shift traffic for cost efficiency, isolate anomalies before impact), translate them into actionable network changes, and coordinate with other agents to optimize end-to-end performance. This creates a self-healing, self-optimizing fabric that adapts dynamically to demand, failures, and emerging threats.
We will discuss how Agentic Networking transforms the network from a static transport layer into an intelligent, collaborative control plane: accelerating operations, reducing risk, and enabling entirely new levels of agility for AI-era workloads.
Sid Nag is an accomplished executive with over 25 years of experience spanning general management, product management, product marketing, product development, strategy, business development and sales, which he developed as a Founder, CEO & entrepreneur and as an industry business & technology leader. He is Co-chair of ONUG’s Agentic AI Working Group.
Deepti Chandra is a product and strategy executive focused on open networking and cloud-
scale AI infrastructure. As VP, Product Management, Strategy & Marketing at Upscale AI, she
owns the product roadmap for high-performance, SONiC-based AI networking and drives
adoption across hyperscale and enterprise environments through ecosystem alignment and
partner execution.
A published author and patent holder in networking technologies, Deepti has spent her career
advancing the industry’s shift to open, cloud-scale platforms. At Cisco, she led hyperscaler-
focused open networking and Cloud PLM programs, including SONiC initiatives for large-scale
cloud environments. Previously at Hewlett Packard Enterprise, she developed growth strategies
for AI-as-a-Service and NeoCloud segments. She began her career in engineering and
technical product management at Juniper Networks.
Todd Ellison is the Field CTO for Nile, a campus networking platform built on a fully vertically integrated, cloud-managed, and secure-by-default architecture. With three decades of experience across operations, consulting, and executive roles in the networking industry, Todd has spent his career at the intersection of how networks are designed, sold, and operated, giving him a firsthand view of where complexity actually originates.
At Nile, Todd works with IT and security leadership to show how a fundamentally different approach to campus networking maps to the problems they’re already trying to solve. His current focus includes network-layer enforcement as a foundation for AI governance, the architectural requirements of agentic workload containment, and why deterministic, homogeneous infrastructure produces fundamentally better data for AI-driven operations than heterogeneous environments ever will.
Jason Lovelace is a product management leader with over 20 years of experience building and scaling enterprise SaaS and cloud platforms. He currently leads outbound product management for IBM Automation, guiding product strategy, market engagement, and go-to-market execution. Previously, he held leadership roles at Amazon, ADP, and JPMorgan, driving innovation in compliance technology, workforce management, and enterprise integrations. Jason is recognized for his ability to translate complex technical and business needs into scalable solutions while engaging executives, clients, and stakeholders.
