According to a recent report from Dell’Oro Group, Ethernet switch sales for AI back-end networks more than doubled in the first quarter of 2026. The report found that these switches accounted for approximately two-thirds of all data center switch sales within AI clusters, reflecting the growing infrastructure demands of AI workloads.
“The rapid expansion of AI clusters continues to drive strong demand for high-performance back-end networks, with Ethernet maintaining a clear lead despite a rebound in InfiniBand,” said Sameh Boujelbene, Vice President at Dell’Oro Group. “InfiniBand sales more than tripled during the quarter, supported by the ramp of 800 Gbps switches shipping with NVIDIA’s Blackwell Ultra platform. However, while greenfield deployments may have contributed to some of this growth, we believe a significant portion of this demand was tied to upgrades of the installed base in brownfield deployments rather than greenfield expansion.”
“The Ethernet vendor landscape in AI back-end networks remains highly dynamic. Celestica regained the leading position during the quarter, followed closely by NVIDIA. Arista ranked third, despite a significant portion of its AI-related product revenue being deferred. Including Arista’s deferred revenue for the quarter, its AI back-end network sales would have been very close to those of Celestica and NVIDIA. Cisco recorded the largest share gain during the quarter and ranked fourth. We expect ongoing customer diversification, vendor competition, and the transition to higher speeds to continue driving share shifts in this market,” added Boujelbene.
Additional highlights from the 1Q 2026 Data Center Switch – AI Back-end Networks Report:
- 800 Gbps switches accounted for the vast majority of the Ethernet switch shipments and revenues in AI back-end networks during the quarter.
- 1600 Gbps switches have begun sampling and are projected to ramp in the second half of 2026, creating new growth opportunities and potential share shifts in the market.
About the Report
Dell’Oro Group’s Data Center Switch – AI Back-end Networks Quarterly Report provides an in-depth look at switches deployed in AI back-end networks to connect accelerated servers. The report contains in-depth market and vendor-level information on manufacturers’ revenue; ports shipped; average selling prices for both Modular and Fixed Managed and Unmanaged Ethernet Switches for speeds ranging from ≤100 Gbps up to ≥3.2 Tbps. It also covers revenue split by various regions and various customers segments — including the Top 4 US Cloud providers, Top 3 China Cloud providers and large enterprises.
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