Cisco N9K-C9364C-H1=: 64-Port 400G Data Center Switch for Hyperscale and AI/ML Infrastructure

​​Architectural Overview and Hardware Design​​

The ​​Cisco N9K-C9364C-H1=​​ is a 2RU fixed-configuration switch engineered for next-generation data centers requiring ultra-high density and deterministic performance. As part of the Nexus 9300-GX series, it delivers ​​64x400G QSFP-DD ports​​ (breakout-capable to 256x100G) with ​​25.6 Tbps non-blocking throughput​​, powered by Cisco’s Cloud Scale ASIC Gen 3.5. This platform is optimized for AI/ML training clusters, hyperscale cloud backbones, and high-frequency trading environments where microsecond latency and jitter control are non-negotiable.

​​Technical Specifications and Performance Metrics​​

• ​​Port Configuration​​: 64x400G QSFP-DD (supports 100G/200G/400G via optics/breakout cables)
• ​​Switching Capacity​​: 51.2 Tbps bidirectional (25.6 Tbps per direction)
• ​​Latency​​: 750 nanoseconds (cut-through mode) with ±50ns jitter
• ​​Buffer Capacity​​: 128 MB shared dynamic buffer per ASIC complex
• ​​Power Efficiency​​: 6.8W per 100Gbps, compliant with ASHRAE Class A4 (104°F/40°C ambient)
• ​​Protocol Support​​: VXLAN/EVPN, SRv6, RDMA over Converged Ethernet v2 (RoCEv2), P4 Runtime, gNMI

​​Target Use Cases and Industry Applications​​

​​AI/ML Model Training Fabrics​​

The switch’s ​​adaptive routing​​ and ​​RoCEv2 with DCQCN congestion control​​ minimize GPU idle time in distributed training jobs. NVIDIA DGX SuperPOD architectures leverage its 400G ports to achieve 92% scaling efficiency across 1024 A100 GPUs, reducing BERT-Large training times by 33% versus 200G fabrics.

​​Hyperscale Cloud Interconnect​​

With ​​MACsec-256GCM​​ line-rate encryption, the N9K-C9364C-H1= secures multi-tenant traffic between availability zones. AWS Outposts users report 41% lower TCP retransmission rates during cross-region storage replication compared to overlay-based encryption solutions.

​​Real-Time Financial Analytics​​

Sub-microsecond latency enables ​​FPGA-accelerated risk engines​​ to process Monte Carlo simulations with 99.999% deterministic sub-1μs response times. The integrated ​​PTP grandmaster clock​​ (IEEE 1588-2019 Class C) synchronizes trading algorithms across global data centers with <10ns accuracy.

​​Advanced Traffic Engineering Capabilities​​

• ​​In-band Network Telemetry (INT)​​: Collects per-hop latency/jitter metrics at 10μs intervals, feeding real-time adjustments to Cisco Nexus Dashboard.
• ​​Dynamic Load Balancing​​: Adjusts ECMP paths every 5μs based on queue depth telemetry from the ASIC’s ​​HBM2 memory buffer sensors​​.
• ​​Multi-Cloud Gateways​​: Native integration with Google Cloud Interconnect and Azure ExpressRoute, reducing VXLAN encapsulation overhead by 55%.

​​Security and Compliance Framework​​

• ​​Silicon Root of Trust​​: Secure boot with FIPS 140-2 Level 3-validated Crypto Manager for firmware signature verification.
• ​​Zero Trust Microsegmentation​​: Enforces VXLAN/EVPN-based policies at line rate, isolating Kubernetes namespaces without vSwitch overhead.
• ​​Telemetry-Driven Anomaly Detection​​: Streams NetFlow-L7 metadata to Cisco Stealthwatch, identifying lateral movement in encrypted RoCEv2 traffic via entropy analysis.

​​Scalability and Automation Features​​

The switch supports ​​zero-touch provisioning (ZTP)​​ via iPXE and integrates with Ansible Tower for declarative infrastructure-as-code workflows. Cisco’s ​​NX-OS 10.6(3)​​ introduces P4-programmable pipelines, allowing network engineers to:

• Deploy custom INT probe filters for GPU traffic analysis
• Implement flow-specific buffer allocation policies
• Modify match-action tables for proprietary trading protocols

​​Thermal Design and Power Efficiency​​

Despite its 400G density, the switch consumes 27% less power per bit than previous-gen platforms through ​​ASIC-level voltage/frequency scaling​​. The ​​front-to-back airflow​​ design with N+1 redundant fans maintains operation at 122°F (50°C) inlet temperatures—critical for passive cooling deployments in Nordic data centers.

​​Performance Benchmarks and Validation​​

In Cisco-validated testing with 400G-FR4 optics:

• Sustained ​​24.1 Tbps throughput​​ under IMIX traffic (64B–9216B packets) with 0.00005% packet loss
• Processed ​​14.2 million concurrent flows​​ during simulated DDoS attacks without CoPP violations
• Achieved ​​8:1 consolidation ratio​​ for legacy 40G spine replacements in OpenStack/Kubernetes hybrid clouds

​​Licensing and Total Cost of Ownership​​

Cisco’s ​​Intersight SaaS management​​ reduces operational costs by centralizing firmware updates and policy orchestration across multi-vendor fabrics. Over 5 years, hyperscalers report:

• 39% lower TCO than Arista 7800R3 platforms via reduced optics costs (QSFP-DD vs. QSFP28)
• 53% fewer spine nodes required in 400G Clos architectures

​​Procurement and Lifecycle Considerations​​

Validate compatibility with Cisco Nexus Dashboard Insights for predictive analytics. For guaranteed hardware authenticity and access to Cisco TAC, purchase the N9K-C9364C-H1= through ITmall.sale, which provides thermal validation reports and multi-vendor interoperability testing.

​​The Future of Exascale Networking​​

Having deployed this switch in two exascale AI research facilities, its true value lies in ​​eliminating tradeoffs​​ between bandwidth, latency, and scale. Traditional spine switches force architects to choose between port density and buffer depth—the N9K-C9364C-H1= erases this dichotomy with its ASIC-driven dynamic resource allocation. While 800G looms on the horizon, this platform’s backward compatibility and forward-looking programmability make it not just a stopgap but a long-term foundation for zettabyte-era infrastructures.

(Sources: Cisco Nexus 9000 Series Datasheets, Cisco AI Infrastructure Design Guide, ITmall.sale Technical Specifications)