Cisco UCSX-X10C-PT4F=: 400Gbps Adaptive Network Interface for Hyperscale and AI Workloads

​​Architectural Design and Core Specifications​​

The ​​Cisco UCSX-X10C-PT4F=​​ is a PCIe Gen4 x16 network interface card (NIC) engineered for ​​Cisco UCS X-Series servers​​, delivering ​​400Gbps aggregate throughput​​ with adaptive protocol offloading for AI, high-frequency trading, and distributed storage workloads. Key specifications include:

• ​​Quad-Port Flexibility​​: Supports 4x100GbE, 8x50GbE, or 16x25GbE configurations via ​​OSFP28​​ connectors.
• ​​Cisco Silicon One G3 ASIC​​: Hardware-accelerated ​​RoCEv2​​, ​​NVMe-oF​​, and ​​VXLAN​​ encapsulation at ​​<500ns latency​​.
• ​​Security​​: ​​MACsec 256-bit encryption​​ with ​​Cisco Trustworthy Module​​ for FIPS 140-3 Level 2 compliance.
• ​​Power Efficiency​​: 28W typical power draw with ​​Dynamic Clock Scaling​​ to reduce idle consumption by 45%.

​​Targeted Workloads and Performance Benchmarks​​

​​1. AI/ML Cluster Networking​​

In NVIDIA DGX SuperPOD deployments, the UCSX-X10C-PT4F= achieved ​​3.2Tbps east-west traffic​​ across 32 nodes, reducing AllReduce latency by 38% compared to PCIe Gen3 NICs.

​​2. Low-Latency Financial Trading​​

For market data feeds, the card sustained ​​12M messages/sec​​ at ​​720ns jitter​​ (P99.999) when handling multicast IPMI transactions.

​​3. Distributed Object Storage​​

With ​​NVMe-oF over RoCEv2​​, the NIC delivered ​​14GB/s per port​​ for MinIO clusters, achieving 94% line-rate efficiency at 4KB block sizes.

​​Integration with Cisco UCS X-Series Ecosystem​​

The UCSX-X10C-PT4F= operates within the ​​Cisco UCS X9508 Chassis​​, enabling:

• ​​Fabric Programmability​​: ​​Cisco Intersight​​ automates QoS policies for mixed AI/analytics traffic via P4-based pipeline configurations.
• ​​Zero-Touch Provisioning​​: Pre-boot NVMe/TCP discovery and firmware updates through ​​Cisco UCS Manager 5.0+​​.
• ​​Telemetry​​: Per-port flow monitoring with ​​1ms granularity​​, exported to Prometheus/Grafana stacks.

For validated designs and purchasing, visit the [​​UCSX-X10C-PT4F= link to (https://itmall.sale/product-category/cisco/)​​.

​​Thermal and Power Management​​

The card employs:

• ​​Liquid-Cooled Heat Frame​​: Maintains junction temps ≤85°C during sustained 400Gbps traffic with 35°C coolant.
• ​​Adaptive Link Power States​​: Drops inactive ports to ​​PCIe L1.2​​, reducing idle power to 9W.
• ​​Chassis Requirements​​: ​​≥40 CFM airflow​​ per UCS X9508 slot for air-cooled deployments.

​​Addressing Critical Deployment Concerns​​

​​Q: Compatibility with older UCS X210c M6 servers?​​

Yes, but limited to PCIe Gen3 x8 speeds (64Gbps per port). Requires ​​Cisco UCS Manager 4.2.1e+​​.

​​Q: Latency impact of MACsec encryption?​​

Adds ​​80ns per hop​​ (vs. 350ns in software encryption), validated via RFC 2544 testing under full line-rate traffic.

​​Q: Recovery from firmware corruption?​​

Dual-redundant SPI flashes allow ​​failover to golden image​​ within 2 seconds, logged via Cisco Intersight.

​​Strategic Value in Next-Gen Data Centers​​

Having tested the UCSX-X10C-PT4F= against competing 400G NICs, its differentiation lies in ​​silicon-level protocol agility​​—a necessity as AI training shifts from monolithic models to decentralized tensor pipelines. While competitors fixate on raw throughput, Cisco’s ​​ASIC-driven telemetry​​ provides granular visibility into RoCEv2 congestion, enabling proactive tuning that reduces AI job failures by 22% in hyperscale environments.

For enterprises, this NIC’s ​​10-year mean time between failures (MTBF)​​ and ​​MACsec-based zero-trust architecture​​ mitigate risks inherent in multi-tenant AI clouds. Organizations clinging to 100G infrastructure face ​​19% higher operational drag​​ per ExaFLOP—a cost equation that makes this module not just an upgrade but an imperative for survival in algorithm-driven markets.