At WhiteSpider, we’ve spent years designing, building, migrating, and supporting Cisco ACI deployments, so we’ve heard all the recent talk about ACI potentially being phased out. After meeting with Cisco’s Data Center Networking Business Unit this week, we want to set the record straight.
Cisco ACI isn’t going anywhere; in fact, it has a robust roadmap full of practical, valuable enhancements directly based on real-world demands we’ve seen from our own customers.
Setting things straight: Cisco ACI is here to stay
Despite what you might have heard from competitors or market whispers, Cisco remains fully committed to ACI. During the recent update from Cisco’s global DC Networking Business Unit, it was clear they’re focused on keeping ACI relevant and up to date, responding directly to customer feedback and evolving industry needs.
Key features that got our attention
Getting back to regular release cycles
If you’re like us, you’ll appreciate Cisco’s commitment to returning to a predictable software release schedule. Yes, recent updates have taken longer than expected, but that was mostly to ensure stability and reliability, something we can certainly support. Starting with the 6.2 release expected late in 2025, Cisco plans to bring things back onto a steady, predictable track. That’s good news for anyone running an enterprise data center and trying to plan upgrades.
Mixed-version fabrics: About time!
A feature we’re genuinely excited about is the ability to support mixed software versions long-term across your fabric. This means you won’t have to upgrade every node simultaneously, making life a whole lot easier for us engineers and dramatically reducing risks and downtime. Many of our customers have asked for this flexibility, and Cisco is finally delivering.
Introducing Nexus ONE architecture
One particularly impressive update is Cisco’s new Nexus ONE Architecture. It provides a powerful new approach to interconnecting different fabric types seamlessly, initially ACI and VXLAN EVPN, using three main components: Group Policy Object (GPO), Border Gateway, and Nexus Dashboard.
- GPO brings enhanced security and policy management across multiple fabrics.
- Border Gateway functionality now integrated directly within ACI allows standardized and straightforward interconnection with VXLAN EVPN fabrics.
- Nexus Dashboard 4 serves as the central orchestration and management tool, enhancing overall operational simplicity and visibility.
Upcoming software releases such as NXOS 10.5.x, ACI 6.1.x, and Nexus Dashboard 4.2 are expected to realise the potential of this architecture in production environments. Looking ahead into 2026 and beyond, Cisco has promised even more capabilities, including expanded GPO features, enhanced Border Gateway functionality in ACI 6.2, and improved flexibility for multi-pod and multi-site deployments.
Detailed hardware innovations
Cisco is also significantly expanding its hardware lineup to meet increasing bandwidth demands:
- Nexus 9332D-H2R: A compact, 32-port 400G switch suitable as both spine and leaf, perfect for scaling high-speed fabrics.
- Nexus 93400LD-H1: A versatile leaf switch providing 48 ports at 10/25/50G speeds with 400G uplinks.
- Nexus 9364C-H1: A high-density 2RU platform offering 64 ports at 100G speeds, usable as either spine or leaf.
- Nexus 9500 Line Cards: Including 16-port 400G and 36-port 100G line cards to boost existing chassis capacities.
- Nexus 9400 Line Cards: Now featuring a 22-port 50G option, enhancing flexibility within ACI environments.
Preparing for 800G
Upcoming 800G switches powered by Silicon One P200 and Cloud Scale CS100 ASICs are set to provide unmatched capacity, initially targeting spine deployments with leaf capabilities, following customer demands.
Enhanced APIC capabilities
Cisco is evolving APIC management significantly:
- Virtual APIC Options: Available now in multiple form factors (small, medium, large), supporting seamless migration between physical and virtual deployments.
- Warm Standby APIC: Now standard, improving reliability through quick failover and rapid recovery.
- Next-Gen APIC Platform: Based on UCS M8 hardware, consolidating previous medium and large APIC form factors into a single, scalable solution.
Multi-Site and ESG improvements
Endpoint Security Group (ESG) support has also been expanded significantly, with full functionality available from ACI version 6.1.4 onwards. ESG enhances multi-site deployments, simplifying policy management across geographically dispersed fabrics.
Getting ready for AI
We’re seeing an increasing number of customers interested in AI workloads, so Cisco’s upcoming ACI improvements, tailored for AI/ML training workloads, are very timely. Features such as enhanced buffer limits, dynamic load balancing, and Approximate Fair Drop (AFD) directly address the challenges encountered in high-performance, compute-intensive environments. It’s clear Cisco understands where the industry is headed.
Why these features matter
From an engineering perspective, these enhancements aren’t just flashy; they address real pain points that our customers have been highlighting for years. Cisco’s recent updates clearly show they’re listening and responding effectively.
These improvements will resonate well with network engineering teams and IT operations teams worldwide, demonstrating Cisco’s commitment not only to maintaining ACI but also to strengthening it further.
Need help planning your next steps?
At WhiteSpider, we’re here to help you get the most out of your Cisco ACI investments. Reach out to our team to discuss your upgrade path, understand how these changes impact your environment, or simply chat about how we can help you get ready for what’s next.