Artificial Intelligence (AI) has emerged as a revolutionary technology that is rapidly transforming many industries and aspects of our daily lives. The evolution of generative AI applications is changing the ways in which the network interacts with the compute, memory, and storage, for both training and inference workloads. As AI continues to advance at an unprecedented pace, the network is no longer just the connectivity layer - it is the critical backbone of the entire ecosystem.

With extensive experience in large-scale and high-performance networking, Arista provides the best-in-class Ethernet-based solutions for AI/ML workloads built on a range of AI Accelerator and Storage systems. Exponential growth in AI applications requires standardized transports to build power efficient interconnects and overcome the scaling limitations and complexities of existing approaches. AI architectures built on the foundation of Arista AI Etherlink platforms maximize their performance and optimize their efficiencies.

Arista 7060XE7 Series - Unlocking A New Era of AI Networking

 

Arista AI Etherlink Portfolio

 

Key Arista advantages in AI Networking include:

  • Arista Etherlink™: Arista’s Etherlink portfolio consists of ultra-high performance standards-based Ethernet systems, with smart features for AI networking.These include a suite of specialist features, including Multipath Reliable Connection (MRC), Congestion Signaling (CSIG), PFC-aware DLB and ECN, packet trimming and packet spraying capabilities, that ensure reliable packet delivery to all NICs supporting RoCE. Rich telemetry support is also included. These Etherlink features are supported across a broad range of 1600G and 800G systems and line cards based on Arista EOS® and are compatible with the Ultra Ethernet Consortium (UEC).
     
  • Network Platforms: Arista offers a range of fixed, modular and distributed platforms that can be deployed within AI clusters of varying scale - from a few accelerators, to hundreds of thousands of accelerators. The latest addition to the AI Etherlink Portfolio includes the Arista 7060XE7 Series that provides 102.4T platform options, as well as liquid-cooling capabilities, in highly-efficient 4U and 2U footprints. A wide ecosystem of interconnectivity options is also supported, for front-panel connectivity of up to 1600G per port.

    The 7060X6 series, 7060X5 series and 7388X5 series offer a rich breadth of connectivity options in a range of 800G and 400G systems with up to 51.2Tbps of capacity in a choice of 1, 2 and 4U form factors.

    The Arista 7800R4 series high performance 800G AI Spine delivers up to 460 Tbps of throughput with 576 ports of 800G or 1152 ports of 400G in single device, enabling large, highly efficient, one-switch clusters or supporting tens of thousands of end systems as the large radix spine and/or leaf of a 2-tier network.

    Arista’s 7700R4 series Distributed Etherlink Switch (DES) provides a differentiated approach to AI back-end networks, scaling out the proven R4 Series architecture to support over 30,000 400GbE accelerators in a distributed arrangement of a single-hop system, retaining deterministic, fair and 100% efficient lossless forwarding - the perfect network fabric for AI.

    The breadth of options provides a complete tool-set for building AI networks while being accelerator-, scale- and topology-agnostic, using open standards based Ethernet and IP.
     
  • Network Operating Software: Arista Extensible Operating System (EOS) is the core of Arista cloud networking solutions for next-generation data centers and high-performance AI networks. Arista EOS provides all the necessary tools to achieve a highly reliable, premium lossless, high bandwidth and low latency network. EOS also supports extensive instrumentation, security, segmentation and policy capabilities which are critical for operating the highest value workloads.
     
  • Open Ecosystem: Arista has fostered strong partnerships and collaborations within the industry contributing to an open ecosystem for AI networking. Ethernet has a broad ecosystem with multiple system vendors, choices in silicon vendors, interconnect and optics that drive open standard solutions that interoperate flexibly across vendors. In short, customers have the flexibility and freedom of choice when it comes to building AI solutions with Arista’s accelerator and NIC agnostic portfolio and are never locked-in.
     
  • Interoperable: AI networks often interface with a range of storage and general purpose compute systems. An Ethernet-based AI network enables efficient and flexible network design that eliminates compatibility issues and the need for inter-domain gateways, which introduce pipeline bottlenecks. Ethernet is versatile and ubiquitous, providing customers with the option to deploy (and re-deploy) Arista’s consistent set of solutions across general purpose compute, Data Center, storage and AI networks.
     
  • Visibility and Telemetry: Arista's platforms with EOS provide extensive telemetry capabilities for AI networking. They enable real-time monitoring, analytics, and visualization of network data, offering insights into network performance, traffic patterns, and resource utilization. The streaming telemetry features facilitate proactive troubleshooting, analytics, capacity planning, and optimization, helping organizations maximize the efficiency and effectiveness of their AI infrastructure.
     
  • Total Cost of Ownership: Arista's solutions are designed to provide high performance networks at the best value. Arista’s open, interoperable solutions and emphasis on operational efficiency, automation, and streamlined management workflows contribute to lower operational costs and an overall total cost of ownership (TCO) for AI networking deployments.
 

Arista’s Etherlink for Standards Compatibility

The Arista Etherlink™ portfolio leverages standards-based Ethernet systems with a package of smart features for AI networks that are part of the Ultra Ethernet Consortium (UEC) spec. These include dynamic load balancing, congestion control and reliable packet delivery to all NICs supporting RoCE. Arista Etherlink will be supported across a broad range of 400G, 800G, and 1600G systems, based on EOS.

 

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