How Cisco Nexus N9100 Powers Next Gen AI-Ready Data Centers
AI is rewriting the network blueprint, but why? With changing physics of data centers due to AI workloads that were once dependent on general-purpose compute now demanding extreme throughput, deterministic latency, and full-fabric observability. Every layer, whether it is silicon or software must work together to keep data flowing between GPUs, storage, and edge devices. Cisco launches its new Nexus N9100 Series Switches. It is co-developed with NVIDIA, and this is the solution to the above challenge. According to Datacenter magazine, Cisco becomes the first Nvidia Cloud Partner to deliver Spectrum-X reference architecture across Neocloud, enterprise and telecom with the new switch series. However, NVIDIA also announced at NVIDIA GTC Washington D.C. 2025 Conference that the N9100 sets a new standard for Ethernet-based AI infrastructure. It can help enterprises build high-performance, open, and scalable networks without abandoning existing architectures.
At OnStak, we see this as more than a hardware announcement. Let’s see what signals it gives to AI infrastructure and how Cisco Nexus N9100 can power next-generation AI data centres.
Inside the Architecture
The Cisco Nexus N9100 is specifically built on NVIDIA Spectrum-X Ethernet silicon. It delivers 51.2 Tbps of throughput in a compact 2 RU chassis with 64 × 800 G OSFP ports. Moreover, it’s engineered for lossless Ethernet fabrics, where each packet counts and latency is predictable. It is ideal for AI teams as it will help in faster training cycles and fewer compute stalls. It has Remote Direct Memory Access over Converged Ethernet (RoCE), so N9100 moves data directly between GPUs and storage nodes. As a result, it bypasses CPU bottlenecks and frees capacity for core model computations.
It is not only performance but also agility. Siliconangle says that Cisco built the N9100 in less than a year, which is a remarkable pace to underscore how fast the AI infrastructure landscape is evolving. As Mike Trojecki, Senior Director of AI Practice at WWT, put it;
“It’s the fastest I’ve ever seen Cisco move. It’s a whole different Cisco right now.”
Dual Operating System With Unified Control
Flexibility is the foundation of enterprise IT. Cisco offers a dual-OS model with the enterprise-grade NX-OS and the open-source SONiC. These help organizations choose between hardened stability and open innovation. However, both operating environments connect to the Cisco Nexus Dashboard. This provides a single pane for automation, configuration, and performance insights across multi-fabric networks. It is a unified approach that helps teams manage AI workloads that span core data centers, edge sites, and sovereign clouds without adding operational overhead. In essence, it means network engineers can roll out AI clusters faster, monitor GPU data flows in real time, and make changes confidently through policy-based automation rather than manual intervention.
The Power of an Ecosystem
Cisco has a broader ecosystem that brings together Cisco’s networking expertise, NVIDIA’s acceleration platform, and World Wide Technology’s validation and deployment services, which means N9100 is not a standalone product. Through the NVIDIA Cloud Partner (NCP) program, the N9100 aligns with a reference architecture for GPU-as-a-Service and sovereign-cloud deployments.
The design is a thought to help enterprises build compliant, scalable AI environments backed by a tested supply chain and verified interoperability. WWT’s AI Validation Lab and AI Proving Ground further extend this collaboration, stress-testing the combined Cisco-NVIDIA stack across real-world AI workloads, from autonomous systems and digital twins to generative applications and robotics.
This partnership-first model is what makes the N9100 significant: it shifts AI infrastructure from custom integration toward standardized, production-ready frameworks that enterprises can scale with confidence.
A Market Shift Toward AI-First Networking
AI has proved one thing that apart from performance, enterprises also need operational simplicity, sustainability, and vendor interoperability. The N9100 directly addresses these imperatives. Cisco helps enterprises avoid vendor lock-in while achieving the performance traditionally reserved for proprietary interconnects by using Ethernet scalability, open OS support, and multi-silicon flexibility (including Cisco Silicon One and NVIDIA Spectrum-X). This approach positions Cisco and its partners like OnStak at the center of what analysts call “the largest data-center build-out in history.”
Turn Your Infrastructure into Intelligence – OnStak
OnStak views the Cisco Nexus N9100 as a foundation for data modernization and AI transformation. Modern enterprises generate massive volumes of data across hybrid environments. If they don’t have a unified infrastructure, this data often remains siloed, slowing down analytics, training, and decision-making. The N9100, with its high-bandwidth and low-latency architecture, unlocks that bottleneck. It allows us to deliver real-time, intelligent solutions through our Cloud Modernization services and AI/Edge frameworks, OnStak helps enterprises:
- Re-architect legacy data environments into cloud-ready, AI-integrated ecosystems that leverage Cisco’s high-performance networking backbone.
- Deploy AI workloads at the edge, where insights can drive immediate operational responses—whether in healthcare, manufacturing, or public sector environments.
- Operationalize observability, using telemetry and analytics to maintain data accuracy, system reliability, and compliance across distributed infrastructure.
- Bridge IT and AI operations, aligning Cisco’s Nexus infrastructure with advanced AI models for faster, context-aware decision-making.
Cisco’s AI-ready networking fabric and OnStak’s Data Modernization
Our expertise helps enterprises move from fragmented systems to unified intelligence. It helps you in achieving higher performance, lower latency, and better governance across the AI lifecycle. OnStak, as a partner, strives to help enterprises build the next generation of digital infrastructure: connected, intelligent, and ready for the age of AI.
Looking Forward
The Nexus N9100 is a step forward in the enterprise networking evolution. It is the proof of how fast partnerships, open standards and ecosystem validations shape the foundation of AI operations. This shows that the future of AI infrastructure will be hybrid, standards-based, and ecosystem-driven and that network design is now a strategic differentiator for every enterprise.
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