diff --git a/.github/actions/mamba-env/action.yml b/.github/actions/mamba-env/action.yml
index 6badcf68e15..a07b9e6d92a 100644
--- a/.github/actions/mamba-env/action.yml
+++ b/.github/actions/mamba-env/action.yml
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ description: "Prepare the environment to run Modin"
 inputs:
   python-version:
     description: "Python version to install"
-    default: "3.8"
+    default: "3.9"
   environment-file:
     description: "Conda environment yml"
     required: true
diff --git a/.github/actions/python-only/action.yml b/.github/actions/python-only/action.yml
index 2fe3d23c4fc..7402708f465 100644
--- a/.github/actions/python-only/action.yml
+++ b/.github/actions/python-only/action.yml
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ description: "Prepare the environment to run simple tasks"
 inputs:
   python-version:
     description: "Python version to install"
-    default: "3.8.x"
+    default: "3.9.x"
 
 runs:
   using: "composite"
diff --git a/.github/workflows/ci-required.yml b/.github/workflows/ci-required.yml
index bae4ef2c5a7..cfc3ce91158 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/ci-required.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/ci-required.yml
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ jobs:
           fetch-depth: 1
       - uses: actions/setup-python@v4
         with:
-          python-version: "3.8.x"
+          python-version: "3.9.x"
           architecture: "x64"
           cache: "pip"
           cache-dependency-path: '**/requirements-doc.txt'
diff --git a/.github/workflows/ci.yml b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
index 87465ddd514..b20b6ab24c4 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/ci.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
@@ -134,7 +134,7 @@ jobs:
         execution: [BaseOnPython]
     env:
       MODIN_TEST_DATASET_SIZE: "small"
-    name: Test ${{ matrix.execution }} execution, Python 3.8
+    name: Test ${{ matrix.execution }} execution, Python 3.9
     steps:
       - uses: actions/checkout@v3
       - uses: ./.github/actions/mamba-env
@@ -164,7 +164,7 @@ jobs:
       MODIN_EXPERIMENTAL: "True"
       MODIN_ENGINE: "native"
       MODIN_STORAGE_FORMAT: "hdk"
-    name: Test HDK storage format, Python 3.8
+    name: Test HDK storage format, Python 3.9
     services:
       moto:
         image: motoserver/moto
@@ -334,7 +334,7 @@ jobs:
         shell: bash -l {0}
     strategy:
       matrix:
-        python-version: ["3.8"]
+        python-version: ["3.9"]
         unidist-backend: ["mpi"]
     env:
       MODIN_ENGINE: "Unidist"
@@ -397,7 +397,7 @@ jobs:
         os:
           - ubuntu
           - windows
-        python-version: ["3.8"]
+        python-version: ["3.9"]
         engine: ${{ fromJSON( github.event_name == 'push' && '["python", "ray", "dask"]' || needs.execution-filter.outputs.engines ) }}
         test_task:
           - group_1
@@ -532,7 +532,7 @@ jobs:
         os:
           - ubuntu
           - windows
-        python-version: ["3.8"]
+        python-version: ["3.9"]
         execution:
           - name: ray
             shell-ex: "python -m pytest"
@@ -684,7 +684,7 @@ jobs:
         shell: bash -l {0}
     strategy:
       matrix:
-        python-version: ["3.8"]
+        python-version: ["3.9"]
     env:
       MODIN_STORAGE_FORMAT: pyarrow
       MODIN_EXPERIMENTAL: "True"
@@ -714,7 +714,7 @@ jobs:
         shell: bash -l {0}
     strategy:
       matrix:
-        python-version: ["3.8"]
+        python-version: ["3.9"]
         engine: ["ray", "dask"]
     env:
       MODIN_EXPERIMENTAL: "True"
diff --git a/.github/workflows/fuzzydata-test.yml b/.github/workflows/fuzzydata-test.yml
index b0407c16137..1c9d1c12e22 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/fuzzydata-test.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/fuzzydata-test.yml
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ jobs:
         shell: bash -l {0}
     strategy:
       matrix:
-        python-version: ["3.8"]
+        python-version: ["3.9"]
         engine: ["ray", "dask"]
     steps:
       - uses: actions/checkout@v3
diff --git a/.github/workflows/push-to-master.yml b/.github/workflows/push-to-master.yml
index 3ae660e1856..e1f3fa8004c 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/push-to-master.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/push-to-master.yml
@@ -99,7 +99,7 @@ jobs:
           AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY: foobar_secret
     strategy:
       matrix:
-        python-version: ["3.8"]
+        python-version: ["3.9"]
         test-task:
           - modin/pandas/test/dataframe/test_binary.py
           - modin/pandas/test/dataframe/test_default.py
diff --git a/.readthedocs.yaml b/.readthedocs.yaml
index bd8bd4ed4ff..7807bd06405 100644
--- a/.readthedocs.yaml
+++ b/.readthedocs.yaml
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ version: 2
 build:
   os: ubuntu-20.04
   tools:
-    python: "3.8"
+    python: "3.9"
 
 # Build documentation in the docs/ directory with Sphinx
 sphinx:
diff --git a/asv_bench/asv.conf.dask.json b/asv_bench/asv.conf.dask.json
index 30e44e14821..92eb25fbadf 100644
--- a/asv_bench/asv.conf.dask.json
+++ b/asv_bench/asv.conf.dask.json
@@ -55,7 +55,7 @@
 
     // The Pythons you'd like to test against.  If not provided, defaults
     // to the current version of Python used to run `asv`.
-    "pythons": ["3.8"],
+    "pythons": ["3.9"],
 
     // The list of conda channel names to be searched for benchmark
     // dependency packages in the specified order
diff --git a/asv_bench/asv.conf.hdk.json b/asv_bench/asv.conf.hdk.json
index 91367250671..3c3f4519068 100644
--- a/asv_bench/asv.conf.hdk.json
+++ b/asv_bench/asv.conf.hdk.json
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@
 
     // The Pythons you'd like to test against.  If not provided, defaults
     // to the current version of Python used to run `asv`.
-    "pythons": ["3.8"],
+    "pythons": ["3.9"],
 
     // The list of conda channel names to be searched for benchmark
     // dependency packages in the specified order
diff --git a/asv_bench/asv.conf.json b/asv_bench/asv.conf.json
index cfffc65ed74..e1f7c5ff876 100644
--- a/asv_bench/asv.conf.json
+++ b/asv_bench/asv.conf.json
@@ -55,7 +55,7 @@
 
     // The Pythons you'd like to test against.  If not provided, defaults
     // to the current version of Python used to run `asv`.
-    "pythons": ["3.8"],
+    "pythons": ["3.9"],
 
     // The list of conda channel names to be searched for benchmark
     // dependency packages in the specified order
diff --git a/asv_bench/asv.conf.unidist.json b/asv_bench/asv.conf.unidist.json
index b8e04c5bb1e..351fd3fb728 100644
--- a/asv_bench/asv.conf.unidist.json
+++ b/asv_bench/asv.conf.unidist.json
@@ -55,7 +55,7 @@
 
     // The Pythons you'd like to test against.  If not provided, defaults
     // to the current version of Python used to run `asv`.
-    "pythons": ["3.8"],
+    "pythons": ["3.9"],
 
     // The list of conda channel names to be searched for benchmark
     // dependency packages in the specified order
diff --git a/modin/pandas/test/dataframe/test_default.py b/modin/pandas/test/dataframe/test_default.py
index c80d6e7a0d3..972384e5e38 100644
--- a/modin/pandas/test/dataframe/test_default.py
+++ b/modin/pandas/test/dataframe/test_default.py
@@ -79,8 +79,6 @@
 )
 def test_ops_defaulting_to_pandas(op, make_args):
     modin_df = pd.DataFrame(test_data_diff_dtype).drop(["str_col", "bool_col"], axis=1)
-    if op == "to_xarray" and sys.version_info < (3, 9):
-        pytest.skip("xarray doesn't support pandas>=2.0 for python 3.8")
     with warns_that_defaulting_to_pandas():
         operation = getattr(modin_df, op)
         if make_args is not None:
diff --git a/modin/pandas/test/test_series.py b/modin/pandas/test/test_series.py
index 0fe8ad944f6..334b16b71e0 100644
--- a/modin/pandas/test/test_series.py
+++ b/modin/pandas/test/test_series.py
@@ -3539,10 +3539,6 @@ def test_to_timestamp():
         series.to_period().to_timestamp()
 
 
-@pytest.mark.skipif(
-    condition=sys.version_info < (3, 9),
-    reason="xarray doesn't support pandas>=2.0 for python 3.8",
-)
 @pytest.mark.parametrize("data", test_data_values, ids=test_data_keys)
 def test_to_xarray(data):
     modin_series, _ = create_test_series(data)  # noqa: F841
diff --git a/modin/utils.py b/modin/utils.py
index 14205533dcd..e8fbde43564 100644
--- a/modin/utils.py
+++ b/modin/utils.py
@@ -25,10 +25,7 @@
 import codecs
 import functools
 
-if sys.version_info < (3, 8):
-    from typing_extensions import Protocol, runtime_checkable
-else:
-    from typing import Protocol, runtime_checkable
+from typing import Protocol, runtime_checkable
 
 from textwrap import dedent, indent
 from packaging import version
diff --git a/requirements/env_hdk.yml b/requirements/env_hdk.yml
index 43d687489f7..d2c713dc409 100644
--- a/requirements/env_hdk.yml
+++ b/requirements/env_hdk.yml
@@ -19,8 +19,7 @@ dependencies:
   - sqlalchemy>=1.4.0,<1.4.46
   - scipy>=1.7.1
   - matplotlib>=3.6.1
-  # TODO: uncomment after Modin switch to python>=3.9
-  # - xarray
+  - xarray
   - pytables>=3.6.1
   - fastparquet>=0.6.3
   # pandas isn't compatible with numexpr=2.8.5: https://github.com/modin-project/modin/issues/6469
diff --git a/requirements/env_unidist.yml b/requirements/env_unidist.yml
index af2e6d75338..a4e0b0d3909 100644
--- a/requirements/env_unidist.yml
+++ b/requirements/env_unidist.yml
@@ -14,8 +14,7 @@ dependencies:
 
   # optional dependencies
   - pyarrow>=7.0.0
-  # TODO: uncomment after Modin switch to python>=3.9
-  # - xarray
+  - xarray
   - Jinja2>=3.0.0
   - scipy>=1.7.1
   - s3fs>=2021.8
diff --git a/requirements/requirements-no-engine.yml b/requirements/requirements-no-engine.yml
index 736f21724a5..7d8f339a5e2 100644
--- a/requirements/requirements-no-engine.yml
+++ b/requirements/requirements-no-engine.yml
@@ -12,8 +12,7 @@ dependencies:
 
   # optional dependencies
   - pyarrow>=7.0.0
-  # TODO: uncomment after Modin switch to python>=3.9
-  # - xarray
+  - xarray
   - Jinja2>=3.0.0
   - scipy>=1.7.1
   - s3fs>=2021.8
diff --git a/setup.py b/setup.py
index 596e2f5fe44..7d0eaef2409 100644
--- a/setup.py
+++ b/setup.py
@@ -63,5 +63,5 @@ def make_distribution(self):
         "sql": sql_deps,
         "all": all_deps,
     },
-    python_requires=">=3.8",
+    python_requires=">=3.9",
 )