Kuala Lumpur, 09 October 2025 — Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) has introduced the Cisco 8223, the world’s most powerful and energy-efficient fixed routing system, purpose-built to connect data centres and support the next generation of artificial intelligence (AI) workloads.
At the heart of the 8223 is Cisco’s latest Silicon One P200 chip, delivering 51.2 terabits per second (Tbps) of bandwidth to handle the extreme traffic demands of AI applications. As AI adoption accelerates, the 8223 enables organisations to overcome performance bottlenecks, improve power efficiency, and future-proof their infrastructure.
“AI compute is outgrowing even the largest data centres,” said Martin Lund, EVP, Cisco’s Common Hardware Group. “With the Cisco 8223, powered by the new Silicon One P200, we’re delivering the massive bandwidth, scalability, and security required for distributed AI architectures.”
AI workloads are stretching the physical and power limits of modern data centres. The Cisco 8223 is designed for “scale-across” networking, allowing AI workloads to be distributed seamlessly across multiple facilities. With deep buffering and advanced programmability, it delivers the reliability, flexibility, and security needed for cross-site AI operations.
The system is the most power- and space-efficient router in its class, featuring 64 ports of 800G, 800G coherent optics for up to 1,000 km connectivity, and post-quantum encryption for next-generation security. Its programmable architecture allows it to adapt to emerging protocols and network standards without hardware upgrades, helping enterprises stay ahead as AI networks evolve.
Initially available for open-source SONiC deployments, the Cisco 8223 will also support IOS XR in the near future. The P200 chip will be deployable across modular and disaggregated systems, offering a consistent architecture for networks of all sizes.
“The increasing scale of cloud and AI requires faster, more efficient networks,” said Dave Maltz, Technical Fellow, Azure Networking, Microsoft. “We’re pleased to see the P200 advancing innovation in this space.”
“The Cisco Silicon One P200 aligns perfectly with our cloud strategy and energy goals,” added Dennis Cai, Vice President, Alibaba Cloud.
Since its launch in 2019, Cisco Silicon One has powered some of the world’s largest and most complex networks. With the Cisco 8223, Cisco is taking another major step forward—enabling AI data centres to connect faster, scale smarter, and operate more efficiently than ever before
