Arista Announces XPO High Density Liquid Cooled Pluggable Optics

Key Terms

multi-source agreement technical

A multi-source agreement is a contract in which a buyer or partner secures the same goods, services, or data from two or more independent suppliers under shared terms. For investors it signals lower operational risk and greater negotiating power—like shopping at several stores for the same item so a single outage or price hike won’t cripple supply—while also potentially affecting costs, margins and reliability of deliveries.

pluggable optics technical

Pluggable optics are small, removable modules that plug into network equipment to convert electrical signals into light for sending data over fiber or copper cables, similar to how a USB stick adds a specific function to a computer. They matter to investors because they let data centers and telecoms upgrade speed or reach without replacing whole systems, affecting customers’ buying cycles, equipment lifespans, supplier pricing power, and the pace of network-capacity spending.

liquid cooled optics technical

Liquid cooled optics are optical components or assemblies—such as lenses, mirrors, lasers, or sensors—that use a circulating liquid to remove heat and keep temperature stable. Controlling temperature this way preserves image quality, prevents component damage, and allows higher-power or longer-duration operation, much like a car radiator or a computer’s liquid cooling system; investors care because better thermal management can mean higher performance, lower failure rates, and clearer paths to scale and revenue.

open compute rack unit technical

An open compute rack unit is a standardized size and set of installation rules for servers and other equipment used in data center racks, created by the Open Compute Project to make hardware interchangeable. Think of it like a common shelf size in a supermarket so different brands of products fit the same space; for investors, this matters because standardization can lower equipment costs, simplify upgrades, increase vendor competition, and improve a data center’s efficiency and capital spending.

RF-Microwave technical

RF-microwave refers to technologies and components that use radio and microwave-frequency electromagnetic waves to send signals, detect objects, or deliver energy — think wireless communication, radar, certain medical devices, and industrial heating. Investors care because these systems underpin major industries (telecom, defense, aerospace, automotive, semiconductors): innovations, supply disruptions, or regulatory changes can quickly change revenue and market position, much like a faster highway changes traffic flow for every business relying on timely deliveries.

AI networking technical

AI networking is the use of artificial intelligence to run, optimize and protect computer and communications networks, like a smart traffic controller that routes data more efficiently, fixes bottlenecks, and spots threats automatically. For investors, it matters because AI-driven networks can lower operating costs, improve reliability and security, and enable new services—factors that can boost revenue, margins, and competitive value for companies in networking and cloud sectors.

Multi-source Agreement for 64-channel XPO module delivering 12.8Tbps capacity

SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Arista Networks (NYSE: ANET) today announced the formation of a multi-source agreement (MSA) for XPO, a revolutionary 12.8 Tbps liquid cooled optics module that supports a front panel density of 204.8 Tbps per open compute rack unit, a 4X improvement compared to 1600G-OSFP optics.

XPO was designed specifically to support AI networking including scale-up, scale-out, scale-across, and metro reach fabrics, offering the following key innovations:

• Record-Breaking Throughput: Delivers 12.8 Tbps per pluggable module.
• Unprecedented Rack Density: Achieves 204.8 Tbps per OCP rack unit.
• Integrated Cold Plate: Capable of cooling up to 400W power per module.
• Universality: Supports all industry optics standards (DR, FR, LR, SR, ZR/ZR+) as well as next-generation coherent-lite, slow&wide, copper, and RF-Microwave.
• Flexibility: Supports linear, half-retimed, or fully-retimed interface architectures.

“The unprecedented growth in AI fabric bandwidth and the transition to liquid cooling requires a new generation of pluggable optics modules,” said Andreas Bechtolsheim, Chief Architect at Arista Networks. “XPO solves this challenge by providing fundamental improvements in density, cooling capability and reliability for pluggable optics modules.”

“XPO is an important milestone for the optical industry, extending the benefits of pluggable optics to the extreme bandwidth demands of AI scale-out and scale-up systems,” said Matthew Mattina, VP for AI Systems Architecture at Microsoft. “Microsoft believes this specification can help establish a robust, broadly adopted form factor that enables a diverse optical ecosystem.”

“The XPO module is a breakthrough for AI data centers delivering 4X the front panel density compared to OSFP, while preserving the configurability and serviceability of a pluggable optics module,” said Sameh Boujelbene, Vice President of Dell’Oro Group. “The success of any new optical form factor hinges on a strong ecosystem of suppliers and I am pleased to see XPO supported by all major optical module suppliers.”

The XPO MSA will debut at OFC 2026 in Los Angeles with live demonstrations at the Arista booth 1571 (South Hall) and at many partner exhibits. A list of Arista speaking engagements at OFC can be found here.

For more information on the XPO MSA and how to join, please visit www.xpomsa.com

Additional Resources

• Watch the XPO Video
• Executive Blog: AI Datacenters are Reshaping the Optics Industry
• Whitepaper: XPO: Redefining Pluggable Optics for AI Networking
• Join our Webinar: The Next Generation of Pluggable Optics for AI Networking, on April 2. Register HERE.

About Arista

Arista Networks is an industry leader in data-driven, client-to-cloud networking for large AI, data center, campus, and routing environments. Its award-winning platforms deliver availability, agility, automation, analytics, and security through an advanced network operating stack. For more information, visit www.arista.com.

ARISTA is among the registered and unregistered trademarks of Arista Networks, Inc. in jurisdictions around the world. Other company names or product names may be trademarks of their respective owners. Additional information and resources can be found at www.arista.com. This press release contains forward-looking statements including, but not limited to, statements regarding the performance and capabilities of Arista’s products and services. All statements other than statements of historical fact are statements that could be deemed forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual performance or results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements, including rapid technological and market change, customer requirements, and industry standards, as well as other risks stated in our filings with the SEC available on Arista's website at www.arista.com and the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. Arista disclaims any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement to reflect events that occur or circumstances that exist after the date on which they were made.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260312930165/en/

Media Contact:

Amanda Jaramillo

Corporate Communications

Tel: (408)547-5798

amanda@arista.com

Investor Contact:

Investor Advocacy

Rudolph Araujo

Rod Hall

Tel: (408) 547-8080

ir@arista.com

Source: Arista Networks