Excessive CPU usage on a switch can lead to decreased network performance and faults, affecting the stability and reliability of communication. This document provides a detailed explanation of the common causes, impacts, and troubleshooting methods for excessive CPU usage in. Under normal operating conditions, on a non-stackable switch at a minimum, the CPU will have a certain baseline utilization. It is important to understand how Cisco IOS® XE is built. CPU utilization refers to the percentage of processing capacity being used by the switch's CPU. Here's a structured approach to troubleshooting and solving this.