Cisco is deepening its commitment to open, AI-ready data center networking with full support for SONiC (Software for Open Networking in the Cloud) across its Cisco 8000 Series switches powered by Silicon One. Writing in Cisco’s SP360: Service Provider blog, Krithika Moorthy outlines how this move empowers organizations—from enterprises to hyperscalers—to deploy scalable, disaggregated network architectures designed for AI and machine learning (AI/ML) workloads.
The Cisco 8000 Series offers speeds from 100G to 1.6T, enabling flexible deployment across general-purpose data centers and specialized AI/ML clusters. The integration of SONiC with Cisco hardware leverages the Switch Abstraction Interface (SAI) to ensure portability across platforms, while maintaining deep visibility and programmability. Cisco’s SONiC-enabled portfolio supports a broad spectrum of architectures, including IP/BGP fabrics, VXLAN EVPN, and AI/ML back-end fabrics featuring lossless Ethernet, adaptive routing, and RoCEv2 for low-latency training clusters. Cisco also provides multiple consumption models—from pre-built SONiC images to open SDK and SAI code—for customers who wish to customize their deployments.
Cisco is a top-five global contributor to the SONiC open-source community, actively investing in new features and collaborating through the SONiC Foundation and Open Compute Project (OCP). With more than 160,000 SONiC-enabled Cisco 8000 switches deployed, the company underscores its vision for open, interoperable, and AI-optimized data center networks. Moorthy invites attendees to experience Cisco’s innovations firsthand at Booth #B22 at the 2025 OCP Global Summit.
“Our flexible SONiC consumption models on high-performance Cisco 8000 Series switches empower every organization to adopt SONiC in a way that aligns with their operational and business goals,” wrote Krithika Moorthy.
🌐 Analysis:
SONiC, originally developed by Microsoft and now governed by the Open Compute Project Foundation, has become one of the most influential open-source network operating systems. Built on a modular architecture with Docker containers, SONiC supports advanced routing, telemetry, and automation frameworks used by hyperscalers and cloud operators worldwide. Key milestones include its 2016 public release, integration of SAI for ASIC abstraction, and broad vendor adoption by Cisco, Dell, and Broadcom. Cisco’s active engagement in the SONiC ecosystem—combined with its Silicon One chip architecture—positions it to bridge open networking flexibility with hardware-accelerated performance, particularly as AI data centers demand scalable, low-latency fabrics.
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