Optimizing networks with congestion signaling

Cisco Silicon One uses Congestion Signaling (CSIG) to identify and address performance bottlenecks in real time. Each switch stamps packets with detailed congestion metrics, such as hop delay and available bandwidth, enabling endpoints to adjust congestion control and load balancing dynamically.

The CSIG mechanism updates the congestion signal at each hop if the current congestion level exceeds the previously recorded value. This metadata includes information about the switch's role (e.g., leaf or spine) and the severity of congestion along the path.

End-to-end feedback is provided to the source, which uses this information to determine a corrective path. This intelligent signaling reduces network congestion, optimizes traffic flow, and improves Job Completion Time (JCT) across the AI fabric.