Cisco Nexus 9800

The Cisco Nexus 9800 Series is a modular, high-performance switching platform engineered for large-scale data centers and hybrid cloud environments. Designed primarily for Layer 3 spine deployments, it delivers ultra-high bandwidth, low latency, and carrier-class resiliency.

Architecture & Hardware

Available in 4-slot (Nexus 9804) and 8-slot (Nexus 9808) chassis options
Midplane-free design improves airflow, reduces power consumption, and simplifies maintenance
Built on Cisco Silicon One Q200 ASIC delivering up to 12.8 Tbps per chip
Supports redundant supervisors, fabric modules, power supplies, and fan trays

Performance & Scalability

System capacity ranges from 57 Tbps to 115.2 Tbps depending on configuration
Up to 288 x 400G ports (9808) or 144 x 400G ports (9804)
High-scale routing with deep buffers for demanding workloads
Future-ready architecture supporting speeds beyond 400G

Line Cards

36-port 400G QSFP-DD card with full line-rate MACsec (14.4 Tbps)
Mixed 400G/100G card with up to 9 Tbps throughput and selective MACsec support
All cards powered by Cisco Silicon One for consistent performance and efficiency

Reliability & Efficiency

Full hardware redundancy for high availability
Support for AC, DC, and high-voltage power inputs
Energy-efficient design optimized for modern data centers
Advanced timing support (IEEE 1588, SyncE)

Use Cases

Ideal for hyperscale data centers, enterprise networks, and service providers requiring scalable spine infrastructure, secure high-speed connectivity, and cloud-ready performance.