​​Technical Specifications and Core Features​​

The ​​UCSX-CPU-I6342=​​ is a fourth-generation Intel Xeon Scalable processor (Sapphire Rapids) optimized for Cisco’s UCS X-Series modular systems. Engineered for hybrid cloud and AI workloads, it delivers:

• ​​24 cores / 48 threads​​ with a base frequency of ​​2.8 GHz​​ (up to ​​4.2 GHz Turbo​​)
• ​​250W TDP​​ and support for ​​DDR5-4800 memory​​ (8-channel, up to 12TB per node)
• ​​80 PCIe Gen5 lanes​​ for GPU/FPGA acceleration and NVMe storage
• ​​Intel Advanced Matrix Extensions (AMX)​​ for AI tensor processing

Cisco’s ​​Unified Computing System Manager (UCSM)​​ pre-configures this CPU with ​​Dynamic Voltage and Frequency Scaling (DVFS)​​ to balance performance-per-watt in dense server racks.

​​Performance Benchmarks Against Industry Peers​​

​​1. Virtualization Throughput​​
In VMware vSphere 8.0U1 tests, a Cisco UCS X210c M6 node with dual ​​UCSX-CPU-I6342=​​ processors achieved:

• ​​2.1M IOPS​​ in vSAN clusters (4K random read, 70% write)
• ​​19% higher vMotion migration speeds​​ vs. AMD EPYC 9354P (Genoa)

​​2. AI Training Efficiency​​
Using ​​Intel AMX​​, the processor reduced TensorFlow BERT training times by ​​33%​​ compared to Xeon Platinum 8380 (Ice Lake) at FP32 precision. Cisco’s ​​HyperFlex AI​​ platform validated ​​4.7x speedups​​ for PyTorch ResNet-152 workloads with 8x NVIDIA A100 GPUs.

​​3. Database Acceleration​​
In SAP HANA benchmarks, the UCSX-CPU-I6342= processed ​​6.4M transactions/minute​​ (SAPS) — ​​28% faster​​ than Xeon Gold 6338N in OLAP scenarios.

​​Target Workloads and Deployment Scenarios​​

​​AI/ML Model Serving​​

The ​​80 PCIe Gen5 lanes​​ enable non-blocking connectivity for up to ​​16x NVIDIA L40S GPUs​​ in Cisco UCS X440p PCIe Node:

• ​​5.2x higher inferencing throughput​​ (1.2M images/sec) vs. A100 configurations
• ​​TCO reduction of 38%​​ for Llama 2-70B deployments using AMX INT8 quantization

​​Hybrid Cloud Storage​​

Cisco’s ​​Intersight Workload Optimizer​​ paired with UCSX-CPU-I6342= demonstrated:

• ​​12.7GB/s sustained throughput​​ in Ceph clusters (4K erasure coding)
• ​​41% lower latency​​ for Azure NetApp Files vs. EPYC 9124 in SMB 3.1.1 workloads

​​5G Core Network Functions​​

In Cisco’s ​​Ultra Packet Core​​ validation, dual UCSX-CPU-I6342= nodes handled:

• ​​4.2M concurrent subscribers​​ with 200Gbps UPF throughput
• ​​2.9µs packet processing latency​​ using Intel DPDK and Cisco VIC 15420 adapters

​​Thermal Management and Power Optimization​​

The ​​250W TDP​​ necessitates advanced cooling in Cisco’s ​​UCS X9508 Chassis​​:

• ​​Liquid-cooling ready​​ design with ​​38°C coolant inlet​​ compatibility
• ​​Adaptive Fan Control Logic​​ reduces acoustic output to ​​45 dB(A)​​ at 50% load
• ​​Energy Star 9.0 compliance​​ via ​​Sub-NUMA Clustering (SNC)​​ for 22% idle power savings

Cisco’s ​​Power Monitoring Manager​​ logs real-time telemetry at 10Hz resolution, enabling predictive failure analysis for mission-critical data centers.

​​Cisco UCS X-Series Integration and Firmware​​

The UCSX-CPU-I6342= requires:

• ​​UCS Manager 5.0(3b)​​ for AI-driven resource provisioning via ​​Cisco Intersight​​
• ​​Cisco Nexus 9336C-FX2 switches​​ for lossless RoCEv2 fabrics in GPU-dense topologies
• ​​Cisco Validated Design (CVD) for AI Infrastructure​​ to optimize AMX/GPU ratios

For enterprises scaling AI operations, the ​​UCSX-CPU-I6342= is available through Cisco-certified partners​​ with optional ​​Smart Licensing for Cloud​​ to manage hybrid deployments.

​​Security Enhancements and Compliance​​

Cisco’s ​​Silicon One Security​​ framework integrates with:

• ​​Intel Trust Domain Extensions (TDX)​​ for VM-level encryption in multi-tenant clouds
• ​​Cisco Secure Boot with Measured Launch​​ for UEFI firmware integrity checks
• ​​FIPS 140-3 Level 2​​ certification via ​​Cisco TPM 2.0+ modules​​

In a recent FINRA audit, UCS X-Series nodes with UCSX-CPU-I6342= reduced security incident response times by ​​64%​​ using ​​Tetration Application Dependency Mapping​​.

​​Cost Efficiency and Licensing Models​​

While the UCSX-CPU-I6342= has a ​​18–22% upfront cost premium​​ over Xeon Gold 6430, its ​​5-year TCO​​ advantages include:

• ​​4:1 server consolidation ratio​​ in VMware environments (vs. Xeon Silver 4410Y)
• ​​Cisco Intersight Essentials​​ license bundling for multi-domain automation
• ​​7-year extended support​​ with 6-hour SLA for critical firmware patches

A hyperscaler reported ​​$2.8M annual savings​​ by replacing 400 legacy nodes with 96 UCSX-CPU-I6342= systems, citing reduced rack space and cooling overhead.

​​Strategic Implementation Considerations​​

The UCSX-CPU-I6342= is overkill for traditional enterprise apps but indispensable for AI/ML and 5G packet cores. In 23 Cisco UCS X-Series deployments, teams that skipped AMX optimization saw ​​31% lower ROI​​ compared to those leveraging Intel’s oneAPI toolkits. While third-party refurbished CPUs might offer short-term savings, only Cisco-authorized suppliers like itmall.sale provide firmware hashes compatible with UCS Manager’s zero-trust provisioning workflows — a critical factor for FedRAMP High compliance.