The Cisco N9K-C9336PQ Nexus 9000 Series Spine Switch is a high-performance data center networking platform designed for Cisco Application Centric Infrastructure (ACI), cloud-scale environments, and modern spine-leaf architectures. Featuring 36 high-density 40 Gigabit Ethernet QSFP+ ports, this switch delivers exceptional bandwidth, ultra-low latency, and scalable connectivity for enterprise, service provider, and hyperscale data centers.
Built on Cisco's advanced Cloud Scale Architecture, the N9K-C9336PQ provides a switching capacity of up to 7.2 Tbps and a forwarding rate of up to 5.76 billion packets per second (bpps), ensuring wire-speed performance for demanding workloads, virtualization platforms, and east-west data center traffic. Its low-latency design helps optimize application responsiveness and network efficiency in mission-critical environments.
The switch supports both Cisco NX-OS and ACI mode, enabling organizations to deploy traditional networking or software-defined networking (SDN) architectures with centralized policy-based management. Advanced features such as VXLAN, EVPN, automation, telemetry, segmentation, QoS, and programmable APIs provide the flexibility required for modern cloud and multi-tenant environments.
Designed for high availability, the N9K-C9336PQ supports redundant AC or DC power supplies, hot-swappable fan modules, and multiple airflow options including front-to-back or back-to-front cooling, allowing seamless integration into diverse data center designs.
With support for advanced security capabilities including ACLs, network segmentation, and platform-dependent MACsec encryption, the switch helps organizations maintain secure and scalable network infrastructures while simplifying operations through automation and centralized management.
The Cisco N9K-C9336PQ is an ideal solution for data center spine layers, Cisco ACI fabric deployments, cloud computing environments, hyperscale infrastructures, and high-performance enterprise networks, delivering the scalability, performance, and reliability required for next-generation data center architectures.
Product Specifications – Cisco N9K-C9336PQ Nexus 9000 Series 36-Port 40GbE Spine Switch
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| Specification |
Details |
| Product Name |
Cisco N9K-C9336PQ Nexus 9000 Series Spine Switch |
| Manufacturer |
Cisco Systems |
| Part Number |
N9K-C9336PQ |
| Product Series |
Cisco Nexus 9000 Series |
| Product Type |
Data Center Spine Switch |
| Port Configuration |
36 × 40 Gigabit Ethernet QSFP+ |
| Interface Type |
QSFP+ |
| Supported Speed |
40GbE |
| Breakout Support |
40GbE QSFP+ can support 4 × 10GbE breakout (platform dependent) |
| Switching Capacity |
Up to 7.2 Tbps |
| Forwarding Rate |
Up to 5.76 Billion Packets Per Second (bpps) |
| Latency |
Ultra-low latency architecture |
| Layer Support |
Layer 2 and Layer 3 |
| Operating Modes |
Cisco NX-OS Mode / Cisco ACI Mode |
| Architecture |
Cisco Cloud Scale Architecture |
| ACI Support |
Yes |
| VXLAN Support |
Yes |
| EVPN Support |
Yes |
| MPLS Support |
Platform dependent |
| Security Features |
ACLs, segmentation, MACsec support (platform dependent) |
| QoS Features |
Advanced QoS and traffic prioritization |
| Automation Support |
APIs, programmability, automation frameworks |
| Telemetry |
Streaming telemetry and analytics support |
| Management |
CLI, SNMP, Cisco DCNM, Cisco ACI Controller |
| CPU |
Multi-core control plane processor |
| Memory |
Enterprise-class system memory |
| Power Supply Support |
Redundant AC or DC power supplies |
| Cooling Options |
Front-to-back or back-to-front airflow |
| Hot-Swappable Components |
Power supplies and fan modules |
| High Availability |
Redundant power and cooling architecture |
| Form Factor |
1 Rack Unit (1RU), rack-mountable |
| Deployment Type |
Spine layer, aggregation, cloud networking |
| Application |
Data center spine, Cisco ACI fabric, cloud infrastructure |
| Environment |
Enterprise, hyperscale, service provider deployments |
| Region Variant |
Global |
| Reliability |
Enterprise and cloud-scale availability |
| Condition |
New / Refurbished / Cisco Certified |
| Use Cases |
Spine-leaf architecture, ACI fabrics, cloud data centers, high-performance enterprise networks |
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FAQs
Q1. What role does this switch play in a network?
It is typically used as a spine switch in leaf-spine data center architectures.
Q2. How many ports does it have?
It has 36 x 40GbE QSFP+ ports.
Q3. Does it support Cisco ACI?
Yes, it is designed for ACI mode and NX-OS operation.
Q4. Is this suitable for large data centers?
Yes, it is built for high-scale, high-performance data center environments.
Q5. What is the switching capacity?
It supports up to 7.2 Tbps switching capacity.
