An AI agent, or a person, prepares an order for an AI training cluster built on Cisco’s Nexus 9000 reference architecture: nodes with 8 GPUs, BlueField-3 NICs and Nexus 9000 east-west switches. Enter the order below, or load a sample, and the validator checks it against the published design: fabric size, optics, Spectrum-X software and licenses, storage links and any totals the order states. This validator contains no prices.
Scope of this validator: Cisco Nexus 9000 AI cluster orders (click to expand)
Cisco Nexus 9000 AI cluster designs only: UCS C885A M8-class 8-GPU nodes with BlueField-3 B3140H east-west NICs, and the N9364E-SG2-O, N9164E-NS4-O and N9332D-GX2B east-west switches, as described in the public Cisco N9000 Enterprise Reference Architecture data sheet for AI clusters.
Any case, not just the samples. The validator handles any order that involves these products and checks, in any combination, including combinations no sample shows.
What it checks
Nodes in scalable units of 4, at most 128 nodes; 8 GPUs and 8 east-west NICs per node
A spine-leaf fabric above 16 nodes, and enough leaf ports for 8 400G links per node
Leaf, spine and superspine counts against the reference sizes for 12, 32, 64 and 128 nodes (a difference goes to a person)
Optics: OSFP-800G-DR8 on the 800G switches; QDD-400G-DR4 or QSFP-200G-SR4 on the N9332D-GX2B; QSFP-400G-DR4 on the NICs
Spectrum-X: NX-OS 10.6(1)F or later, DCN Advantage and FGLB licenses (FGLB is not required for east-west with the N9164E-NS4-O)
At least 8 400G storage links, and stated GPU and scalable-unit totals against the computed ones
Not checked
Prices
The north-south network and NIC count (the data sheet is inconsistent, so it is not modeled)
The switch count for 16 nodes (the data sheet’s own tables differ)
Cabling quantities, power and cooling
Whether NX-OS 10.6(1)F and DCN Advantage are needed with the N9164E-NS4-O
Cluster designs outside the Nexus 9000 AI reference architecture
ReadyThe validator is called when you click Validate order.
1. Load a sample or enter the order
Samples (fictional customers):
Fields left blank are not sent. The validator only sees what is in these fields.
Cluster
Fabric
Spectrum-X software and licenses
Totals the order states
Sources and what is not modeled
Rules come from the public Cisco N9000 Enterprise Reference Architecture data sheet for AI clusters (updated April 25, 2026), read October 8, 2026. Reference sizes, optics, Spectrum-X requirements and the storage minimum are as the data sheet gives them; the port count is derived by arithmetic (8 400G ports per node against 128 per 800G leaf switch or 32 per N9332D-GX2B). The data sheet was read through a summarizing fetch in three passes, with the size tables cross-checked between passes but not against a raw copy. Not modeled: the north-south NIC count, the 16-node switch count, and whether NX-OS 10.6(1)F and DCN Advantage are needed with the N9164E-NS4-O. The F train of the NX-OS release is assumed, and a difference from the reference switch counts goes to approval rather than block. Cluster design, release numbers and licenses are supplied by the customer.