Arista Networks has taken the wraps off its 7060XE7 Series, a new portfolio of 1.6T networking platforms designed to provide the foundation for rack-scale AI infrastructure. The 7060XE7 family features fixed switch platforms and configurable rack-scale systems, targeting racks for vertical and horizontal AI workflows. All will run Arista’s Extensible Operating System (EOS), which includes low-latency and intelligent packet buffering to manage the intense microbursts typical of AI communication and collective patterns.
The 7060XE7 family is built on Broadcom Tomahawk 6 silicon, a chipset that delivers higher bandwidth and lower power consumption compared to previous generations. Arista is also working with AMD on next-generation compute silicon and NICs to enable scale-out AI fabrics. This collaboration highlights the growing need for co-optimized compute and networking in AI data centers.
Strategic Shift to Rack-Scale Systems
Strategically, the 7060XE7 Series signifies Arista’s transition from offering standalone, high-performance switches to providing rack-scale systems that can handle the extreme density, power, and thermal efficiency AI requires. The platforms allow customers to build scale-up and scale-out AI fabrics using air, liquid and hybrid-cooled technology. This shift aligns with broader industry trends where AI workloads demand tightly integrated compute, storage, and networking within a single rack.
Specific configurations include the 7060XE7-64PS and 7060XE7-64PRS 4U Rack Switches, available in Q4, which are air-cooled and support pluggable Integrated heat sink (IHS) and Riding heat sink (RHS) optics. IHS is aimed at current air-cooled data centers, while RHS targets future liquid‑cooled AI fabrics and extreme port density. The 7060XE7-64PRS-RV3-L is a specialized 2OU liquid-cooled platform for high-density clusters, featuring 224G SerDes. This system uses DC power from the ORv3 rack and contains no internal fans, integrating with liquid-cooled XPU servers to maximize power efficiency. It will be available in Q1 2027. Finally, the 7060XE7-128PE provides 128 800G ports in an air-cooled 4RU design, utilizing 100G SerDes, for environments requiring deployment flexibility and backward compatibility.
Software and Protocol Innovations
On the software side, EOS is the featured network operating system, but the family also supports open-source software such as Software for Open Networking in the Cloud (SONIC) and OpenSwitch. One of the portfolio’s key features is the inclusion of full support for Open Compute Project’s Multipath Reliable Connection (MRC). MRC is an RDMA‑based transport protocol that allows a single reliable connection to simultaneously use many network paths over Ethernet. Arista’s Kenneth Duda, president and CTO, and Alan Judge, distinguished engineer, explained that MRC is an open protocol where endstation NICs stripe their traffic across multiple links and paths to the receiver, with out of order packets automatically handled. MRC responds to network congestion signals (ECN and packet trimming), shifting load to the best-performing paths, and avoiding links and paths that can’t actually reach the destination altogether.
MRC monitors each path, steering around congestion, avoiding paths with link errors, and avoiding failed links. The authors noted that this approach achieves very high fabric utilization with good load balancing, while interoperating seamlessly with scale-across and WAN networks utilizing standard dynamic routing protocols. The software also supports load balancing, congestion management, telemetry and diagnostics, and other technologies that will be core to AI networking.
Market Context and Competition
The new Arista family joins a growing ecosystem of vendors looking to tap into the 1.6T Ethernet world, which includes Cisco, Nvidia, Celestica and others. The 1.6T Ethernet standard (IEEE 802.3dj) is expected to enable data rates of up to 1.6 Tbps per port, significantly accelerating AI training and inference workloads. Arista’s early adoption of this technology positions it strongly against rivals.
Sameh Boujelbene, vice president of data center switch and AI networks market research at Dell Oro, noted that Arista’s new 7060XE7 Series is a strong signal of where large-scale AI fabrics are heading: higher bandwidth, better power efficiency, and tighter integration between compute, optics, silicon, cooling, and network operating software. She highlighted strong customer and ecosystem validation from Microsoft Azure, Oracle Cloud Infrastructure, Meta, AMD, and Broadcom.
Arista has a long history of innovation in data center networking, competing directly with Cisco and Juniper. The company’s EOS has been praised for its programmability and stability, making it a favorite among large web-scale providers. With the rise of AI, Arista is pivoting to address the unique challenges of AI networking, such as handling massive east-west traffic patterns and minimizing latency.
The 7060XE7 series also addresses power and thermal challenges. AI clusters generate enormous heat, and traditional air cooling may not suffice for future high-density racks. By offering liquid-cooled options, Arista is preparing for the next generation of AI hardware. The ORv3 rack standard ensures compatibility with hyperscaler designs.
Furthermore, the support for the OCP MRC protocol is a significant differentiator. MRC is part of the Ultra Ethernet Consortium’s efforts to create an open, high-performance Ethernet fabric for AI. By embracing open standards, Arista ensures interoperability and reduces vendor lock-in for customers.
In summary, the 7060XE7 Series represents a comprehensive solution for AI infrastructure, combining high-speed switching, flexible cooling, and advanced software. The first systems will ship in Q4 with additional models in early 2027, giving enterprises and cloud providers a path to scale their AI workloads efficiently. This development marks another step in the evolution of AI networking.
Source: Network World News