Cisco N9K-C93180YC-FX
Nexus 9300 with 48p 10/25G SFP+, 6p 100G QSFP, MACsec, UP
Product Highlights
What's Included
(2) NXA-PAC-500W-PE (Port Side Exhaust) or NXA-PAC-500W-PI (Port Side Intake)
(2) AC Power Cords
(4) NXA-FAN-30CFM-F (Port Side Exhaust) or NXA-FAN-30CFM-B (Port Side Intake)
(1) Rackmount/Rail Kit (NXK-ACC-KIT-1RU)
Modern data centers demand high-density, low-latency connectivity that can scale without compromise — and the Cisco N9K-C93180YC-FX delivers exactly that. Part of the Nexus 9300 Series, this fixed-configuration 1RU switch provides 48 ports of 1/10/25-Gbps SFP+ and 6 ports of 40/100-Gbps QSFP28, making it an ideal top-of-rack leaf switch for enterprise, cloud, and service provider environments.
With a nonblocking switching capacity of 3.6 Tbps and forwarding rates up to 1.2 billion packets per second, the 93180YC-FX handles demanding east-west workloads with sub-microsecond latency. Its unified port capability allows the 48 downlink ports to operate as 16/32-Gbps Fibre Channel interfaces, converging LAN and SAN traffic onto a single platform and reducing cabling, optics, and management overhead.
Hardware-based IEEE 802.1AE MACsec encryption runs at line rate across all fiber ports, delivering data confidentiality without throughput degradation — critical for compliance-driven environments. The switch supports both Cisco ACI and NX-OS operating modes, VXLAN with BGP EVPN overlays, deep streaming telemetry, and Power On Auto Provisioning (POAP) for zero-touch deployment. Redundant hot-swappable power supplies and fans with selectable port-side exhaust or intake airflow ensure high availability and flexible data center hot/cold aisle integration.
Features & Benefits
High-Density 25G/100G Connectivity
The N9K-C93180YC-FX provides 48 multi-rate SFP+ ports supporting 1, 10, or 25 Gbps and 6 QSFP28 uplink ports supporting 40 or 100 Gbps. This flexible port configuration lets you connect servers at 10G today and migrate to 25G without replacing the switch, protecting your investment while delivering the bandwidth modern workloads require.
Wire-Rate MACsec Encryption
Hardware-based IEEE 802.1AE MACsec encryption operates at line rate on all fiber ports, ensuring data confidentiality and integrity without any throughput penalty. This is essential for organizations subject to PCI DSS, HIPAA, or other regulatory frameworks that mandate encryption of data in transit within the data center.
Unified Ports — LAN & SAN Convergence
The 48 downlink ports can be configured as 16 or 32 Gbps Fibre Channel interfaces, enabling true LAN/SAN convergence at the top of rack. By consolidating Ethernet and storage networking onto a single switch, you reduce the number of adapters, cables, and switches required — lowering both capital and operational costs.
Cisco ACI & NX-OS Dual-Mode Operation
Deploy in Cisco Application Centric Infrastructure (ACI) mode for intent-based, policy-driven automation across your entire fabric, or run in standalone NX-OS mode for traditional CLI-based management. This dual-mode flexibility lets you adopt ACI at your own pace without hardware changes.
VXLAN & EVPN Overlay Networking
Native support for VXLAN with BGP EVPN enables scalable multi-tenant overlay networks that decouple workload placement from the physical topology. This is critical for virtualized and cloud-native environments where workload mobility and tenant isolation are paramount.
Redundant, Hot-Swappable Infrastructure
Dual hot-swappable 500W AC power supplies and four hot-swappable fan modules ensure continuous operation during maintenance. Selectable port-side exhaust or port-side intake airflow options allow seamless integration into any hot-aisle/cold-aisle data center design.
Deployment Scenarios
Data Center Leaf / Top-of-Rack Switch
Deploy the N9K-C93180YC-FX as a leaf switch in a spine-and-leaf architecture, connecting servers at 10G or 25G and uplink to spine switches at 100G. The nonblocking 3.6 Tbps fabric and sub-microsecond latency ensure predictable performance for east-west traffic in virtualized and containerized environments.
Converged LAN/SAN Infrastructure
Leverage unified ports to run both Ethernet and Fibre Channel traffic on a single switch, eliminating the need for separate SAN switches at the top of rack. This simplifies cabling, reduces hardware footprint, and lowers total cost of ownership for environments running block storage alongside IP-based workloads.
Security-Sensitive Enterprise & Compliance Environments
Use hardware MACsec encryption to protect all east-west data center traffic at wire speed, meeting regulatory requirements for PCI DSS, HIPAA, and SOX without introducing latency or requiring dedicated encryption appliances. Combined with ACLs, RBAC, and Cisco TrustSec, the switch provides defense-in-depth at the access layer.
Multi-Tenant Cloud & Service Provider Edge
VXLAN with BGP EVPN support enables scalable tenant isolation and workload mobility across the fabric. The high port density and 100G uplinks make the 93180YC-FX well-suited for multi-tenant hosting, managed services, and cloud provider environments where rapid provisioning and tenant segmentation are critical.
General
Ports & Interfaces
Performance
Hardware
Power
Cooling
Physical
Environmental
Security & Features
Compliance
Compatibility Notes
End-of-Sale Notice: Cisco announced End-of-Sale for the N9K-C93180YC-FX on September 14, 2023, with the last order date of July 31, 2024 and last date of support July 31, 2029. Units remain fully supported under active service contracts and are available through refurbished and secondary-market channels.
Recommended Successor: Cisco N9K-C93180YC-FX3 (Nexus 9300-FX3 Series) — same port density with enhanced Cloud Scale ASIC, SyncE/PTP support, and additional features.
Operating System: Cisco NX-OS or Cisco ACI mode. Verify minimum NX-OS release for desired features on Cisco's compatibility matrix.
Transceivers: SFP+ / SFP28 optics for downlink ports (1/10/25G); QSFP28 optics for uplink ports (40/100G). Cisco genuine and compatible third-party optics supported — verify compatibility with your NX-OS release.
Power Supplies: Supports 500W AC (NXA-PAC-500W-PE / NXA-PAC-500W-PI), 930W DC, or 1200W HVAC/HVDC options.
Downloads & Resources
Frequently Asked Questions
| Part Number | Product | Key Difference |
|---|---|---|
| N9K-C93180YC-FX3 | Nexus 93180YC-FX3 | Direct successor — same 48x25G + 6x100G port layout with newer Cloud Scale ASIC, SyncE/PTP support, and currently orderable |
| N9K-C93180YC-EX | Nexus 93180YC-EX | Previous-generation EX model — similar port layout but lacks unified port and MACsec capabilities of the FX |
| N9K-C93108TC-FX | Nexus 93108TC-FX | Same FX generation but with 48x 10GBASE-T copper downlinks instead of SFP+ fiber — ideal for copper-cabled environments |
| N9K-C93180YC-FX3H | Nexus 93180YC-FX3H | FX3 variant with 24x 1/10/25G SFP28 + 6x 40/100G QSFP28 — lower port count with SyncE for telco edge deployments |