Cisco Catalyst 9000 Series: C9500-48Y4C-A – High-Density 25G/100G Enterprise Switch

Jun 13 , 2025 1

Cisco Catalyst 9000 Series: C9500-48Y4C-A – High-Density 25G/100G Enterprise Switch

Product Overview
The Cisco C9500-48Y4C-A is a premium 1RU fixed-configuration switch designed for high-performance enterprise core and aggregation deployments. This advanced switch delivers industry-leading 25G/100G density with full Cisco DNA capabilities, making it ideal for bandwidth-intensive campus and data center edge applications.

Key Features & Specifications

• Port Configuration:

• 48x 25G SFP28 ports (configurable as 12x 100G QSFP28 via breakout)

• 4x 100G QSFP28 uplink ports

• Hot-swappable, redundant power supplies (AC/DC options)

• Performance Specifications:

• 3.2Tbps switching capacity

• 2.4Bpps forwarding rate

• <1.5μs latency (cut-through switching)

• Advanced Capabilities:

• Full Cisco DNA Premier licensing

• Segment Routing MPLS with EVPN support

• Cisco TrustSec with hardware-based encryption

• Advanced Flow Monitoring (AFM)

• Programmable pipeline with P4 runtime

• Resilience Features:

• N+N power redundancy

• ISSU (In-Service Software Upgrade)

• Stateful Switchover (SSO)

Use Cases
✔ Enterprise Core: High-bandwidth campus backbone
✔ Data Center Interconnect: Spine-leaf architectures
✔ High-Performance Computing: Research and academic networks
✔ Media Production: 4K/8K video workflows
✔ Service Provider Edge: Business services aggregation

Next-Generation Successor: C9600-96Y8D-B (Projected 2028 Release)

Evolutionary Improvements

Strategic Advantages of Next-Gen Model

1. Hyper-Scale Ready: Native 400G/800G support

2. AI Networking: Predictive congestion avoidance

3. Energy Optimization: Dynamic power scaling per port

4. Cloud-Native Architecture: Kubernetes-enabled

5. Zero-Touch Provisioning: Fully automated deployment

Migration Path Recommendations

1. Current Deployments: C9500-48Y4C-A remains optimal for 25G/100G networks

2. Future-Proofing: C9600-96Y8D-B for 400G+ requirements

3. Infrastructure Readiness:

• Requires 208V/240V power circuits

• 40Gbps airflow cooling recommended

4. Feature Adoption Roadmap:

• Phase 1: 50G migration

• Phase 2: AI operations implementation

• Phase 3: Quantum security enablement

5. Financial Planning:

• 30% higher CAPEX offset by 45% OPEX savings

• 5-year TCO advantage with energy savings

Conclusion
While the C9500-48Y4C-A delivers exceptional performance for current high-density deployments, the C9600-96Y8D-B represents a quantum leap in switching technology with:

• 8x port capacity with 50G/400G interfaces

• Petabit-scale switching fabric

• Self-optimizing AI networking

• Post-quantum cryptography

• Industry-leading 96% power efficiency

Alternative Title Options

1. "From Terabit to Petabit: Cisco's High-Density Switching Revolution"

2. "The Autonomous Core Switch: 12.8Tbps of AI-Driven Networking"

3. "Next-Gen Enterprise Fabric: 400G and Quantum Security"

4. "Sustainable Hyperscale Switching: The 800G Era"