Fortinet and Arista Networks Announce Joint Secure AI Data Center Solution

Rhea-AI Summary

Fortinet (NASDAQ: FTNT) and Arista Networks announced a joint Secure AI Data Center solution on December 17, 2025, deployed at Monolithic Power Systems (MPS).

The validated, multivendor blueprint pairs Arista ultra‑low‑latency networking with Fortinet ASIC‑accelerated firewalls and zero‑trust segmentation to secure and accelerate AI training and inference. Key technical claims include up to 33x HTTPS/TLS performance via Fortinet ASIC offload, sub‑single‑microsecond latency, and deployments up to 80% faster through zero‑touch provisioning. The joint architecture targets reduced networking contention, higher tokens‑per‑second, tighter tail latencies, and unified management for scalable AI infrastructure.

Positive

• Deployments up to 80% faster via zero‑touch provisioning
• HTTPS/TLS offload yields up to 33x performance with sub‑microsecond latency
• Validated deployment at Monolithic Power Systems demonstrating real‑world scalability

Negative

• None.

Key Figures

Deployment speed up to 80% faster Zero-touch provisioning for Secure AI Data Center deployments

HTTPS/TLS performance 33x performance HTTPS/TLS offloaded to Fortinet ASIC for AI data center traffic

AI deployment failure rate 95% of AI deployments fail Secure AI Data Center reference architecture cites core barriers to adoption

Market Reality Check

$79.75 Last Close

Volume Volume 5,260,109 is similar to 20-day average 5,185,327, indicating no unusual trading interest ahead of the news. normal

Technical Price $82.47 is trading below 200-day MA $92.26 and 28.17% under the 52-week high $114.82.

Peers on Argus

Peers show mixed but generally positive moves: NET +1.27%, PANW +1.08%, SNPS +2.09%, while ZS -0.09%. With FTNT up 1.17%, today’s AI-focused announcement appears more company-specific than a broad sector momentum event.

Common Catalyst Cloudflare also issued AI-related partnership news, suggesting a broader focus on AI infrastructure collaborations across security and networking players.

Historical Context

Date	Event	Sentiment	Move	Catalyst
Dec 02	Skills gap report	Positive	+1.4%	Global cybersecurity skills gap report with AI training pledge and statistics.
Nov 18	Cybercrime initiative	Positive	-2.2%	Launch of global Cybercrime Bounty program with Crime Stoppers International.
Nov 12	Product ROI study	Positive	-1.8%	Forrester TEI study citing 308% ROI and efficiency gains from Secure LAN Edge.
Nov 05	Q3 earnings	Positive	+0.9%	Q3 2025 revenue growth, record operating margins, and raised guidance ranges.
Nov 05	AI data center launch	Positive	+0.9%	Initial Secure AI Data Center launch with new FortiGate 3800G firewall specs.

Pattern Detected

Recent Fortinet news has mostly been received positively, though two strong product/ROI announcements saw negative next-day moves, indicating occasional sell-the-news behavior.

Recent Company History

Over the last few months, Fortinet has reported solid financial growth, with Q3 2025 revenue of $1.72B and record operating margins, alongside AI-focused product launches like the Secure AI Data Center solution. Other releases highlighted ROI from Secure LAN Edge and new cybercrime collaboration initiatives. AI and skills‑gap reports have also featured prominently. Today’s joint Secure AI Data Center architecture with Arista extends this AI infrastructure narrative by adding a multivendor, data‑center‑scale blueprint.

Market Pulse Summary

This announcement extends Fortinet’s Secure AI Data Center strategy by adding a multivendor, zero-trust architecture jointly validated with Arista and deployed at MPS. It emphasizes ASIC offload for HTTPS/TLS, up to 80% faster zero-touch deployment, and integration across networking, security, and AI workloads. In light of recent AI product launches and solid Q3 results, key factors to watch include customer adoption of the joint blueprint, data center deal flow, and how this complements Fortinet’s broader Security Fabric platform.

Key Terms

zero-trust architecture technical

"to deliver a validated, scalable, zero-trust architecture for the AI data center"

A zero-trust architecture is a cybersecurity approach that assumes no user, device or network connection is safe by default and requires continual verification before granting access to systems or data. For investors, it matters because adopting this mindset reduces the likelihood and impact of costly data breaches, helps meet regulatory requirements, and can protect revenue and reputation—like installing multiple locks and ID checks on every door of a business rather than trusting anyone who walks in.

zero-touch provisioning technical

"Zero-touch provisioning, enabling deployments up to 80% faster"

An automated process that lets new hardware or software configure itself and connect to a network without manual setup by IT staff. For investors, it matters because it cuts deployment time and labor costs, reduces errors and downtime, and allows companies to scale services faster—similar to a smartphone that automatically installs settings and apps the first time you turn it on, enabling quicker customer rollout and improved margins.

asic technical

"By offloading HTTPS/TLS to Fortinet’s ASIC, delivering up to 33x performance"

ASIC is Australia’s corporate, markets and financial services regulator that enforces rules for companies, financial advisers and market operators; think of it as the referee and rulebook keeper for financial activity. It matters to investors because ASIC’s oversight, investigations and enforcement actions affect company credibility, legal risk and market fairness—actions that can change stock prices, investor confidence and the safety of financial products.

https/tls technical

"By offloading HTTPS/TLS to Fortinet’s ASIC, delivering up to 33x performance"

HTTPS/TLS is the technology that secures data sent between a web browser and a website by scrambling the information and verifying the site's identity — like sending a sealed, tamper-evident envelope that also proves who mailed it. For investors it matters because widespread use or gaps in this security affect customer trust, legal compliance and the risk of costly data breaches or operational disruptions, which can influence revenue, costs and company valuation.

ai/ml clusters technical

"large-scale AI/ML clustersFortinet: ASIC-accelerated firewalls"

AI/ML clusters are groups of computers set up to work together to build and run artificial intelligence and machine-learning models, like a team of workers sharing tools on a factory floor to finish a big job faster. For investors this matters because the size, efficiency and cost of those clusters affect a company’s ability to deliver AI-driven products, control operating expenses, and scale quickly, which in turn influences revenue potential and capital spending.

gpu clusters technical

"operate high-density GPU clusters with confidence."

GPU clusters are groups of high-performance graphics processors linked together to run very large, fast calculations—commonly for artificial intelligence, large data analysis, simulations, or video processing. For investors they matter because deploying or selling GPU clusters often requires significant capital and can signal growing demand for compute power, recurring revenue from cloud or services, and potential competitive advantage; think of them as a team of cooks that lets a kitchen handle many complex orders at once.

data pipelines technical

"to storage, data pipelines, and LLM workloads."

Data pipelines are organized systems that move, process, and organize information from one place to another, similar to a conveyor belt that transports items through different stages. They ensure that accurate and timely data is available for analysis, helping investors make informed decisions. By automating the flow of data, these pipelines improve efficiency and reduce errors in handling large amounts of information.

llm workloads technical

"to storage, data pipelines, and LLM workloads."

LLM workloads are the practical tasks and jobs handled by large language models—from summarizing documents and answering questions to drafting text, analyzing data, or automating customer interactions. For investors, they matter because the scale, complexity and frequency of these tasks drive demand for computing power, software, and data, which affects costs, revenue potential and competitive advantage much like factory production lines determine a manufacturer’s capacity and expenses.

AI-generated analysis. Not financial advice.

Joint solution combines security and low-latency networking to provide a secure AI data center blueprint

SUNNYVALE, Calif., Dec. 17, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Fortinet^® (NASDAQ: FTNT), the global cybersecurity leader driving the convergence of networking and security, today announced a Secure AI Data Center solution, built in close collaboration with leading technology partner Arista Networks, deployed at Monolithic Power Systems (MPS). This solution unites best-of-breed networking and security to deliver a validated, scalable, zero-trust architecture for the AI data center.

“AI infrastructure is advancing faster than most organizations can secure or operationalize it,” said Nirav Shah, Senior Vice President of Products and Solutions at Fortinet. “By collaborating with industry leader Arista Networks, we’re delivering a secure AI data center architecture and integrated solution that brings security, performance, and operational simplicity together from day one. This alliance gives customers a validated blueprint to scale AI with confidence, without compromising protection or creating unnecessary complexity.”

Building on the Secure AI Data Center Framework

The collaboration expands upon the Secure AI Data Center solution introduced by Fortinet, now enhanced through multivendor integration to provide the blueprint for deploying and scaling AI infrastructure with guaranteed performance, operational resilience, and security. Key advantages of the multivendor architecture include:

• Modular best-of-breed design for maximum flexibility and long-term ROI
• Hyperscale-grade performance optimized for AI training and inference
• Zero-touch provisioning, enabling deployments up to 80% faster
• Future-proof compute integration, supporting next-generation AI accelerators without redesigning infrastructure

By offloading HTTPS/TLS to Fortinet’s ASIC, delivering up to 33x performance with sub-single-microsecond latency, server CPUs are freed from compute- and cache-heavy crypto, reserving cores and memory bandwidth for forward passes and token sampling. This cuts networking contention, reduces latency and jitter, boosts tokens-per-second, and tightens tail latencies under load.

These capabilities ensure organizations can scale AI with higher confidence, lower total cost, and greater performance resiliency.

Integrated Multivendor Architecture

The collaboration delivers an integrated, scalable, and modular reference architecture designed to secure and accelerate every layer of the AI stack, from high-performance compute clusters and ultra-low-latency networking to storage, data pipelines, and LLM workloads.

The joint solution integrates:

• Arista Networks: Ultra-low-latency, high-performance networking with cluster load balancing, addressing the needs of the highest capacity data center networks and large-scale AI/ML clusters
• Fortinet: ASIC-accelerated firewalls, AI-aware threat protection, zero-trust segmentation, encrypted traffic inspection, and automated response for AI workloads

This solution design delivers continuous end-to-end security and resilient, high-performance infrastructure to maximize uptime, eliminate data bottlenecks, streamline operations, and improve compute ROI.

Addressing the Core Barriers to AI Adoption

AI projects face significant challenges, including skyrocketing infrastructure costs, vendor lock-in, performance bottlenecks, and security risks ranging from model tampering to data leakage. The Secure AI Data Center reference architecture identifies architectural complexity and skill gaps as key reasons 95% of AI deployments fail.

The alliance directly addresses these barriers by providing:

• Zero-trust protection from the network core through model inference
• Hardware-accelerated security that improves AI performance
• Open, modular architecture that eliminates vendor lock-in
• Self-healing automation for real-time detection and remediation
• Unified management across security and networking
  

This solution empowers organizations to scale AI confidently while reducing cost, complexity, and operational risk.

Empowering Customers with Proven Infrastructure and Scalable Deployment Services

Through this joint effort, MPS has leveraged the Fortinet security ecosystem as a core foundation for securely building and consuming AI services across its global operations. MPS collaborates closely with Fortinet to design and operate an AI data center infrastructure that meets the performance and scale demands of modern, compute-intensive workloads. By co-developing and validating the architecture with Fortinet, MPS demonstrates how the Fortinet Secure AI Data Center solution can help organizations adopt an AI-ready infrastructure that is secure, scalable, and aligned with real-world deployment and operational requirements.

Demonstrating the Power of the Fortinet Security Fabric

The solution further underscores the openness and collaborative capabilities of the Fortinet Security Fabric and the Fortinet Open Ecosystem, enabling integrated, automated solutions that converge advanced networking, security, and AI infrastructure. The solution leverages Fortinet Fabric-Ready technology partner Arista Networks to accelerate AI innovation.

Partner Perspectives

“Arista Networks is a leader in data-driven AI networking solutions. Our collaboration with Fortinet brings together best-in-class cybersecurity with Arista’s ultra-low-latency, high-speed networking, which is essential for AI applications,” said Ed Chapman, Vice President of Business Development at Arista Networks. “We are delighted to accelerate the deployment of AI-driven data centers with this integrated offering.”

“AI is transforming every aspect of our business, from product design to supply chain management, while introducing new operational challenges,” said Huy Ly, Head of Global Infrastructure/Security at Monolithic Power Systems. “Leveraging the scalable, affordable, and high-performing reference architecture and integrated solution gives us the visibility, performance, and protection we need to operate high-density GPU clusters with confidence. With this solution integrated into our AI environment, we can safeguard sensitive models and data while maintaining hyperscale throughput with greater efficiency and cost performance.”

Additional resources:

• Read more about the Fortinet data center firewall solutions.
• Read more about the Fortinet Security Fabric.
• Learn more about the Fortinet Open Ecosystem.
• Visit fortinet.com/trust to learn about Fortinet innovation, collaboration partners, product security processes, and enterprise-grade products.
• Read about how Fortinet customers are securing their organizations.
• Learn about Fortinet's commitment to product security and integrity, including its responsible product development and vulnerability disclosure approach and policies.
• Follow Fortinet on X, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram. Subscribe to Fortinet on our blog or YouTube.
  

About Fortinet

Fortinet (Nasdaq: FTNT) is a driving force in the evolution of cybersecurity and the convergence of networking and security. Our mission is to secure people, devices, and data everywhere, and today, we deliver cybersecurity everywhere our customers need it with the largest integrated portfolio of over 50 enterprise-grade products. Well over half a million customers trust Fortinet's solutions, which are among the most deployed, most patented, and most validated in the industry. The Fortinet Training Institute, one of the largest and broadest training programs in the industry, is dedicated to making cybersecurity training and new career opportunities available to everyone. Collaboration with esteemed organizations from both the public and private sectors, including Computer Emergency Response Teams (“CERTS”), government entities, and academia, is a fundamental aspect of Fortinet’s commitment to enhance cyber resilience globally. FortiGuard Labs, Fortinet’s elite threat intelligence and research organization, develops and utilizes leading-edge machine learning and AI technologies to provide customers with timely and consistently top-rated protection and actionable threat intelligence. Learn more at https://www.fortinet.com, the Fortinet Blog, and FortiGuard Labs.

Copyright © 2025 Fortinet, Inc. All rights reserved. The symbols ® and ™ denote respectively federally registered trademarks and common law trademarks of Fortinet, Inc., its subsidiaries and affiliates. Fortinet’s trademarks include, but are not limited to, the following: Fortinet, the Fortinet logo, FortiGate, FortiOS, FortiGuard, FortiCare, FortiAnalyzer, FortiManager, FortiASIC, FortiClient, FortiCloud, FortiMail, FortiSandbox, FortiADC, FortiAI, FortiAIOps, FortiAgent, FortiAntenna, FortiAP, FortiAPCam, FortiAuthenticator, FortiCache, FortiCall, FortiCam, FortiCamera, FortiCarrier, FortiCASB, FortiCentral, FortiCNP, FortiConnect, FortiController, FortiConverter, FortiCSPM, FortiCWP, FortiDAST, FortiDB, FortiDDoS, FortiDeceptor, FortiDeploy, FortiDevSec, FortiDLP, FortiEdge, FortiEDR, FortiExplorer, FortiExtender, FortiFirewall, FortiFlex FortiFone, FortiGSLB, FortiGuest, FortiHypervisor, FortiInsight, FortiIsolator, FortiLAN, FortiLink, FortiMonitor, FortiNAC, FortiNDR, FortiPAM, FortiPenTest, FortiPhish, FortiPoint, FortiPolicy, FortiPortal, FortiPresence, FortiProxy, FortiRecon, FortiRecorder, FortiSASE, FortiScanner, FortiSDNConnector, FortiSIEM, FortiSMS, FortiSOAR, FortiSRA, FortiStack, FortiSwitch, FortiTester, FortiToken, FortiTrust, FortiVoice, FortiWAN, FortiWeb, FortiWiFi, FortiWLC, FortiWLM, FortiXDR and Lacework FortiCNAPP. Other trademarks belong to their respective owners. Fortinet has not independently verified statements or certifications herein attributed to third parties and Fortinet does not independently endorse such statements. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein, nothing herein constitutes a warranty, guarantee, contract, binding specification or other binding commitment by Fortinet or any indication of intent related to a binding commitment, and performance and other specification information herein may be unique to certain environments.

Media Contact:
Travis Anderson
Fortinet, Inc.
408-235-7700
pr@fortinet.com

Investor Contact:
Anthony Luscri
Fortinet, Inc.
408-235-7700
investors@fortinet.com

Analyst Contact:
Brian Greenberg
Fortinet, Inc.
408-235-7700
analystrelations@fortinet.com

FAQ

What did Fortinet and Arista announce on December 17, 2025 about FTNT?

They announced a joint Secure AI Data Center solution integrating Arista networking with Fortinet ASIC security, deployed at MPS.

How does the Fortinet ASIC improve AI performance for FTNT customers?

Fortinet says offloading HTTPS/TLS to its ASIC delivers up to 33x performance and sub‑single‑microsecond latency, freeing server CPU for AI workloads.

What deployment speed improvement does the FTNT–Arista solution claim?

The joint solution claims zero‑touch provisioning can enable deployments up to 80% faster.

Which customer validated the Fortinet and Arista Secure AI Data Center for FTNT?

Monolithic Power Systems (MPS) co‑developed and validated the reference architecture in a production environment.

What layers of the AI stack does the FTNT and Arista architecture secure?

The reference architecture secures compute clusters, ultra‑low‑latency networking, storage, data pipelines, and LLM workloads with zero‑trust segmentation and encrypted traffic inspection.