GPU-Powered SASE Is Here: How $97B in Spending Is Reshaping Network Security Architecture

Cumulative SASE spending across Security Service Edge (SSE) and SD-WAN will reach $97 billion over 2025–2030, according to Dell'Oro Group's February 2026 forecast — nearly 3x the total from the prior five-year period. That's not a forecast you can hand-wave away. Two announcements in the last week made the shift tangible: Cato Networks deployed NVIDIA GPUs inside 85+ SASE PoPs for real-time AI threat inspection, and Versa Networks launched Inbound SSE — cloud-delivered security that sits in front of your internet-facing apps, not behind them. Here's what's actually changing, with numbers. Why Is SASE Spending Tripling? Dell'Oro Group projects $97B cumulative SASE spend for 2025–2030, up from ~$33B in 2020–2024. Mauricio Sanchez (Sr. Director, Dell'Oro): "Security policy is no longer a downstream control that follows network design; it is becoming the architectural layer that dictates how access and connectivity are built." Three forces are driving this: Growth Driver Impact Timeframe H