Cisco making SONiC available to all customers – not just hyperscalers

Cisco is preparing to make its flagship Nexus 9000 series datacenter switches compatible with SONiC, an open-source network operating system (NOS) originally developed by Microsoft and now maintained by the Linux Foundation. Previously favored primarily by hyperscale cloud providers for its customizable network stack, SONiC will soon be available to a broader range of Cisco customers. This move includes a hardened version of SONiC supported by Cisco’s technical assistance and integrated with existing management tools, allowing users to run SONiC alongside Cisco’s proprietary NX-OS or Application Centric Infrastructure (ACI) environments on the same hardware. SONiC, which stands for “Software for Open Networking in the Cloud,” has gained traction among hyperscalers due to its flexibility and ability to run on diverse hardware platforms. While some vendors like Dell have promoted SONiC for enterprise networking, adoption outside hyperscale environments has been limited. However, the growing demand for AI and machine learning workloads, which often require specialized network fabrics, has increased interest in SONiC’s open and adaptable architecture. Cisco’s expansion of SONiC support to the Nexus 9000 series aims to address this demand by providing a consistent hardware foundation optimized for AI-class networking topologies. Cisco’s approach includes “hardening” the open-source NOS to meet enterprise-grade reliability standards and backing it with its Technical Assistance Center (TAC) for customer support. Integration with Cisco’s Nexus Dashboard will enable automated deployment and health monitoring, simplifying lifecycle management for network operators. This strategy reflects a broader industry trend toward open networking and software-defined infrastructure, offering customers greater flexibility in choosing network operating systems without abandoning their existing investments in Cisco hardware. By extending SONiC support beyond hyperscalers, Cisco is positioning itself to capture a wider market segment that requires scalable, programmable networking solutions for AI and cloud-native applications. This development could accelerate the adoption of open-source NOS in enterprise datacenters, potentially reshaping vendor dynamics and encouraging more diverse hardware and software combinations in networking environments.