Ye olde server consolidation has made Cisco push top-of-rack switching to 100G
Newer server processors pack more cores into fewer boxes, creating a need for network speed
Cisco, the networking giant, has recently announced a new server consolidation device, the N9348C8D-H2, which boasts 48 ports for 100G SFP-DD and eight ports for 400G QSFP-DD. This move comes in response to the increasing density of computing power generated by modern servers, particularly those equipped with sixth-generation Intel and AMD processors.
These processors offer a multitude of physical cores, resulting in a significant increase in network traffic. To address this, Cisco aims to enable server consolidation by packing more cores into the same rack, thereby reducing power consumption while simultaneously increasing data output from racks. While the 100G ports may initially seem excessive for smaller server deployments, Cisco believes users will eventually outgrow the excess capacity as they incorporate more advanced artificial intelligence applications.
At the Cisco Live event in Melbourne, Australia, senior vice president for datacenter and internet infrastructure Kevin Wollenweber emphasized the necessity of network upgrades, citing the fact that AI agents will generate a disproportionately large amount of traffic compared to traditional human usage. Cisco is confident that its Canvas agentic operations platform, which detects issues and offers solutions, will help network administrators effectively manage this increased traffic.
Joe Vaccaro, Cisco’s senior vice president and general manager for Network Platform and Assurance, believes that network administrators will grow comfortable entrusting AI agents with more complex tasks over time, ultimately leading to greater automation in the network environment.
Written by urgent.news from The Register Science's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
