Cisco has introduced the N9300 Series Smart Switches, a new generation of data center networking solutions that integrate AMD Pensando™ data processing units (DPUs) and Cisco Silicon One E100 to enhance AI infrastructure efficiency and security. Announced at Cisco Live in Amsterdam, these Smart Switches embed security and network services directly into the data center fabric, reducing complexity while boosting scalability and operational efficiency. The first embedded service, Cisco Hypershield, introduces a software-driven, AI-native security approach designed to protect data centers against evolving cyber threats.
Cisco’s new Smart Switches integrate AI-driven security enforcement directly into the switching layer, providing a simplified, scalable, and high-performance infrastructure. The switches incorporate Cisco Silicon One E100, a networking ASIC designed for high-bandwidth, low-latency environments such as AI data centers.
This architecture enables efficient data processing by supporting scalable traffic management, encryption, and telemetry within the switch. By integrating Silicon One E100 with AMD Pensando DPUs, the switches can offload security and network processing tasks, reducing compute overhead and improving overall system efficiency. This allows organizations to offload complex data processing tasks to the DPUs, optimizing performance for AI workloads, encryption, and telemetry. Cisco Hypershield, the first service running on these Smart Switches, automates security policies, enabling real-time adaptive segmentation and zero-trust enforcement across data center environments.
AI-Optimized Security and Performance
Cisco Hypershield is an AI-native security framework that enhances network protection without relying on separate security appliances. It delivers:
• Built-in Security: Hypershield embeds network segmentation and policy enforcement directly into the switch, reducing latency and eliminating security bottlenecks.
• AI-Driven Policy Automation: Uses machine learning to dynamically adjust security policies in real time.
• Consistent Policy Enforcement: Hypershield allows unified security across on-prem, hybrid cloud, and multi-cloud environments via Cisco’s Hybrid Mesh Firewall.
• Autonomous Updates: AI-driven policy lifecycle management ensures continuous compliance with minimal manual intervention.
Cisco’s Smart Switches also enhance energy efficiency and cost savings by consolidating multiple functions into a single hardware platform. The programmable nature of the DPUs allows enterprises to scale services as needed, integrating future AI-driven network and security capabilities without additional hardware upgrades.
Simplified Operations and Future-Proofing
Cisco Smart Switches run NX-OS and are managed through Nexus Dashboard, ensuring seamless integration with existing data center operations. This provides:
• Centralized network and security management with cross-domain visibility.
• Reduced infrastructure sprawl by combining network switching, security enforcement, and AI acceleration in a single device.
• High-speed, low-latency networking optimized for AI training and inference workloads.
General Availability and Models
Cisco has announced two models:
• Cisco N9324C Smart Switch: 24 100G ports, shipping in spring 2025.
• Cisco N9348Y2C6D Smart Switch: 48 25G ports, 2 100G ports, and 6 400G ports, available summer 2025.
Key Points
• Integrated AI Security: Cisco Hypershield embeds AI-driven security directly into the data center fabric.
• Advanced DPUs: AMD Pensando DPUs offload security and processing tasks, improving efficiency.
• Dual-Engine Architecture: Dedicated network and security processors optimize traffic handling and threat mitigation.
• Simplified Management: NX-OS integration with Nexus Dashboard enables seamless network security control.
• Future-Proof Scalability: Smart Switches support modular AI-driven security and network enhancements.
“Data center infrastructure must be reimagined for AI workloads that dwarf even the largest enterprise jobs of the past,” said Jeetu Patel, EVP and Chief Product Officer, Cisco. “Simply upgrading data center infrastructure with higher speeds and feeds does not address the need for security and network acceleration within the AI data center fabric.”
- AMD Pensando was formed by a team of former Cisco executives known as the “MPLS” group—Mario Mazzola, Prem Jain, Luca Cafiero, and Soni Jiandani—who previously led Cisco’s Insieme Networks business unit and played a key role in developing Cisco’s data center and networking strategy. The team founded Pensando Systems in 2017 to focus on data processing units (DPUs) designed to accelerate networking, security, and storage functions in cloud and enterprise environments. In April 2022, AMD acquired Pensando for approximately $1.9 billion, expanding its data center portfolio with high-performance DPUs that enable offloading of compute-intensive networking and security tasks from traditional CPUs. The acquisition positioned AMD to compete more directly in the growing market for programmable infrastructure solutions, particularly in AI and cloud environments.
