By David Moadel
Publication Date: 2026-10-19 18:06:00
AI data center spending is splitting networking stocks into clear winners and laggards, and the gap between Ciena, Arista, and Cisco reveals which part of the network hyperscalers are actually racing to build.
Networking hardware is leading a broad technology rebound, and suppliers of optical links and Ethernet switches for AI data centers are drawing the biggest buying. By Monday afternoon, Ciena Corporation (NYSE:CIEN | CIEN Price Prediction) stock was up 4% to $347.48. Meanwhile, Arista Networks (NYSE:ANET) stock also climbed 4%, hitting $183.32 and keeping pace with the gain in Ciena shares.
Shares of Ciena and Arista are running well ahead of the wider technology group. The iShares U.S. Technology ETF (NYSEARCA:IYW) is up 1.29%. Large-cap tech is advancing at a similar pace, with the Invesco QQQ Trust (NASDAQ:QQQ) also up 1.31%.
A sharp pullback in Ciena and Arista shares over the prior week came before the bounce. Hyperscaler spending on AI infrastructure remains the core…
