Cisco Cloud-scale Switching Innovations

Cisco recently announced 800G capable switches focused on hyperscalers, financials, service providers, and other large organizations requiring high speeds and low latency.

The 800G capable switches currently come in two flavors: the Nexus 9232E and the Cisco 8111.  Both are 1RU and powered by Cisco's Silicone One G100 ASIC (more on that below).  They support 32 QSFP-DD800 800G ports with the ability to break out to 2x400G or 8x100G offering even more port density from a compact 1RU platform.  


What I think is really special about this launch surrounds the Cisco 8111.  While the Nexus 9232E supports running NX-OS; the Cisco 8111 supports third-party operating systems such as SONiC as well as IOS-XR.  This is a huge advantage for organizations who currently run white box switching solutions.  White box switches traditionally have high failure rates and suffer from poor technical support.  The Cisco 8100 series offers the world-class Cisco hardware quality with full Cisco TAC support while allowing for the flexibility of running a third-party OS that can seamlessly be integrated into an existing management solution or an infrastructure as code environment.    

The ASIC powering this 800G innovation is the Cisco G100, part of Cisco's Silicon One family.  It is a 7nm process that delivers increased power efficiencies, faster throughput, and greater port density.  



Check out Cisco's blog for these new 800G capable switches.  Also the official press release.

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