Cisco Nexus 9000 Series: N9K-C93180YC-EX – High-Performance Data Center Top-of-Rack Switch

Jun 12 , 2025 8

Cisco Nexus 9000 Series: N9K-C93180YC-EX – High-Performance Data Center Top-of-Rack Switch

Product Overview
The Cisco N9K-C93180YC-EX is a 1RU fixed-configuration switch designed for modern data center top-of-rack deployments. This high-density, high-performance switch delivers exceptional flexibility with its combination of 10/25G server connectivity and 40/100G uplink ports, making it ideal for enterprise and cloud data center environments.

Key Features & Specifications

• Port Configuration:

• 48x 10/25G SFP28 ports

• 6x 40/100G QSFP28 uplink ports

• 2x 1G/10G management ports

• Switching Capacity: 3.6Tbps (full duplex)

• Forwarding Rate: 2.7B packets per second

• Latency: <1.5μs (cut-through mode)

• Power Efficiency: 5.5W per 10G port equivalent

• Advanced Capabilities:

• Unified ports (any port as LAN/SAN)

• Hardware-accelerated VXLAN/NVGRE

• FCoE and iSCSI optimization

• Cisco TrustSec security

• Embedded telemetry with 500μs granularity

Use Cases
✔ Enterprise Data Centers: High-density server connectivity
✔ Private Cloud: Virtualized infrastructure networking
✔ Storage Networks: Unified SAN/NAS connectivity
✔ Edge Computing: Distributed workload processing
✔ Mid-Size Campus: High-performance core switching

Next-Generation Successor: N9K-C93240YC-FX (Projected 2025 Release)

Evolutionary Improvements

Strategic Advantages of Next-Gen Model

1. AI-Ready Architecture: Hardware support for distributed ML workloads

2. Unified Fabric 2.0: Seamless LAN/SAN/ML traffic integration

3. Quantum-Resilient Security: Enhanced cryptographic capabilities

4. Deterministic Performance: <500ns latency variation

5. Sustainable Design: 50% lower power per bit

Migration Recommendations

1. Current Deployments: N9K-C93180YC-EX remains optimal for 25G-centric environments

2. Future Planning: N9K-C93240YC-FX for upcoming 400G-ready requirements

3. Performance-Sensitive Apps: Prioritize upgrade for latency-critical workloads

4. Hybrid Environments: Maintain compatibility during transition

5. Sustainability Goals: Leverage new model's energy efficiency features

Conclusion
The N9K-C93180YC-EX delivers exceptional value for today's converged enterprise networks, while the N9K-C93240YC-FX will address tomorrow's challenges with:

• 3x greater port density

• AI-optimized data plane

• Next-gen security features

• Significant power savings

• Carrier-class determinism

Alternative Title Options

1. "Cisco's Top-of-Rack Evolution: From 25G to 400G"

2. "The Future of Data Center Switching: Cisco's N9K-C93180YC-EX Successor"

3. "AI-Ready Data Center Switching: Cisco's Next-Gen Portfolio"

4. "Sustainable Data Center Networking: Cisco's Path to 12.8Tbps"