Sustainable high-radix networking

Radix refers to the number of ports a network chip supports. It plays a crucial role in network design. A higher radix enables more simultaneous connections, which is essential for scalable and efficient AI networking.

Cisco Silicon One features the industry's highest radix with 512 x 100GE Ethernet ports.

In our example, Silicon One's high radix reduces a large AI cluster of 32,768 400G GPUs from a three-layer network to a two-layer network.

This results in a significant reduction in the environmental footprint of the AI/ML cluster.

• 33% fewer networking layers
• 50% less optics bandwidth
• 40% fewer switches

This saves up to 9 million kWh per year, which, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, is equivalent to over 6,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2e) or burning 7.3 million pounds of coal annually.