Dell’Oro Group reports Ethernet leads AI back-end network switch sales in 1Q 2026
Dell’Oro Group reports that Ethernet switch sales in AI back-end networks more than doubled in the first quarter of 2026 and made up about two-thirds of AI cluster switch sales, while InfiniBand rebounded. The findings matter to enterprise buyers tracking network vendor share as data center operators move to higher-capacity interconnects.
Market overview
According to Dell’Oro Group, Ethernet accounted for about two-thirds of data center switch sales in AI clusters during 1Q 2026. The report attributes strong activity to demand for high-performance back-end networks as AI clusters expand.
Dell’Oro Group also reported a rebound in InfiniBand during the quarter. Sameh Boujelbene said, “InfiniBand sales more than tripled during the quarter.”
Key findings and pricing or shipment mix
The report states that 800 Gbps switches accounted for the vast majority of Ethernet switch shipments and revenues in AI back-end networks during the quarter. It also notes that 1600 Gbps switches have begun sampling and are projected to ramp in the second half of 2026.
Boujelbene linked InfiniBand growth to 800 Gbps switches shipping with NVIDIA’s Blackwell Ultra platform. He added, “However, while greenfield deployments may have contributed to some of this growth, we believe a significant portion of this demand was tied to upgrades of the installed base in brownfield deployments rather than greenfield expansion.”
Vendor landscape in AI back-end networks
Dell’Oro Group reported that Celestica regained the leading position during the quarter, followed closely by NVIDIA, while Arista ranked third. It also said Cisco recorded the largest share gain during the quarter and ranked fourth.
Regarding Arista’s position, Boujelbene said, “Arista ranked third, despite a significant portion of its AI-related product revenue being deferred.” He added, “Including Arista’s deferred revenue for the quarter, its AI back-end network sales would have been very close to those of Celestica and NVIDIA.”
Analyst outlook
Boujelbene said Dell’Oro Group expects share shifts to continue as customer diversification and vendor competition proceed. He also stated that the market transition to higher speeds will contribute to those changes.
Report scope
Dell’Oro Group’s 1Q 2026 Data Center Switch – AI Back-end Networks Quarterly Report focuses on switches deployed in AI back-end networks that connect accelerated servers. The report includes market and vendor-level information on manufacturers’ revenue, ports shipped, and average selling prices for modular and fixed managed and unmanaged Ethernet switch products across speeds from ≤100 Gbps to ≥3.2 Tbps.
The report also covers revenue split by region and customer segment, including the top cloud providers in the U.S. and China, as well as large enterprises. The excerpted material does not provide additional methodology detail beyond the published report description.
This Analyst Signals brief reflects a neutral, fact-based summary of the original research note.