By Patrick Sanders
Publication Date: 2026-10-15 23:15:00
When investors think about artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure, Nvidia is often at the top of the list. Nvidia has become the world’s largest company thanks to its vaunted graphics processing units (GPUs), which are considered indispensable for training and running AI models.
Another side of the coin is Cisco Systems, a blue chip tech company that makes switches, routers, and other equipment that moves information through data centers.
But there’s another company that deserves attention: Arista Networks (ANET -5.04%). And while it may not attract the same attention as Nvidia, Arista is becoming a core AI infrastructure play by helping solve one of the biggest challenges facing data centers.
Image source: The Motley Fool.
What does Arista Networks do?
AI data centers rely on thousands of graphics processing units (GPUs) working together to train and run complex artificial intelligence models. But all that computing power doesn’t mean much if the processors can’t communicate quickly enough. Massive amounts of data need to move between chips, servers, and storage systems, and slow connections can create bottlenecks that drag down the entire operation.
Arista’s role is to make high-speed Ethernet switches that direct traffic through data centers, ensuring information gets where it needs to go without slowing everything down. Arista also develops networking software, including its Extensible Operating System (EOS), that helps operators manage those connections and…