C9300-NM-2Y-M: How Does This Module Expand Ca
The C9300-NM-2Y-M is a high-speed network m...
Product Identification and Target Applications
The Cisco UCSX-CPU-I8470NC= is a 4th Gen Intel Xeon Scalable Processor (Sapphire Rapids) optimized for network-centric workloads in Cisco’s UCS X-Series modular systems. The “NC” suffix denotes Network Compute optimizations, including enhanced packet processing and cryptographic acceleration for 5G/edge deployments. This SKU incorporates Cisco-specific firmware extensions for deterministic latency in UCS 9108 fabric environments, differentiating it from generic Xeon Platinum SKUs.
Technical Architecture and Key Innovations
Core Configuration and Frequency Profiles
- 40-core/80-thread design with Intel’s Performance-core (P-core) architecture
- 2.3GHz base clock, sustaining 3.9GHz all-core turbo under 300W TDP
- 75MB L3 cache with Intel Dynamic Load Balancer for vSwitch optimization
Network and Security Acceleration
- Integrated Intel IPU E2100 for 400Gb/s packet processing at line rate
- Intel QuickAssist Technology (QAT) delivering 200Gb/s IPSec encryption
- PCIe 5.0 x16 lanes dedicated to Cisco UCS VIC 15420 adapters
Performance Benchmarks in Network-Centric Workloads
5G User Plane Function (UPF)
- Processes 3.2M packets/sec per core with <5μs latency using Intel DPDK 22.11
- SR-IOV virtualization supports 256 VFs per NIC for massive tenant density
Edge AI Inference
- Achieves 1.1 petaflops FP16 via Intel AMX while maintaining 40Gbps IPSec throughput
- Multi-tenant TLS termination at 1M connections/sec using QAT-accelerated OpenSSL 3.0
Thermal and Power Management
- 300W TDP with Cisco’s Intelligent Platform Power Management (IPPM)
- Adaptive Voltage Scaling reduces power consumption by 18% during idle packet cycles
- Liquid-cooling ready design compatible with UCS X9508 rear-door heat exchangers
Platform Compatibility and Firmware Requirements
Supported Infrastructure
- Requires UCS X410c M7 compute nodes with Cisco UCSX-M7-HD100G mezzanine
- Validated with UCS 6454 Fabric Interconnects for CXL 1.1 memory pooling
Firmware Dependencies
- Minimum UCS Manager 4.6(1b) for SR-IOV NUMA balancing
- CIMC 5.4(3a) mandatory for QAT cryptographic context isolation
Deployment Strategies for Telecom and Edge
vRAN Optimization
- O-RAN Alliance compliant split architectures with 7.2x functional split support
- Time Sensitive Networking (TSN) synchronization via Cisco UCS PTP Grandmaster
Secure Multi-Tenancy
- Intel TDX 1.0 isolation for CSP workloads with <3% performance overhead
- FIPS 140-3 Level 2 compliance using Cisco Trusted Platform Module 2.0
Licensing and Supply Chain Considerations
The UCSX-CPU-I8470NC= requires:
- Cisco Intersight for Networks license for intent-based slicing
- Intel On Demand Networking Suite for advanced QAT/IPU features
For organizations requiring certified components with secure firmware signatures, [“UCSX-CPU-I8470NC=” link to (https://itmall.sale/product-category/cisco/) provides validated procurement channels.
Operational Insights from Production Deployments
In live 5G SA core implementations, this CPU demonstrates 92% higher vDU density compared to AMD EPYC 9354 systems, primarily due to its hardware-accelerated L1/L2 protocol processing. While the 300W TDP demands careful thermal planning, the IPU offload capabilities reduce host CPU utilization for VXLAN encapsulation by 78% in SD-WAN deployments. Financial institutions leveraging real-time fraud detection benefit from AMX-accelerated neural networks processing 850K inferences/sec alongside AES-GCM encrypted data streams. The lack of integrated HBM limits some memory-intensive AI training scenarios, but Cisco’s CXL 2.0 memory expansion roadmap provides a clear upgrade path. For enterprises balancing performance and TCO, the processor’s ability to consolidate network/security/compute functions into a single socket redefines edge infrastructure economics.