Sameh Boujelbene

Vice President

Dell’Oro Group’s Data Center Switch – AI Back-End Networks reports track the global market for high-performance switching infrastructure used to interconnect accelerated server clusters in AI data centers. The research focuses on scale-up and scale-out network architectures, including Ethernet, InfiniBand, UALink and NVLink, and provides detailed analysis of manufacturer revenue, port shipments, average selling prices, and vendor market share.

The AI industry is undergoing a major inflection point, driven by large language models and generative AI applications that require massive clusters of GPUs, and other accelerators. These environments depend on specialized back-end networks built around scale-up and scale-out/scale-across architectures, which differ significantly from traditional front-end networks.

This research focuses on how AI back-end networks are evolving across Ethernet, InfiniBand, UALink and NVLink technologies, rapid speed transitions from 400G to 800G, 1.6T, 3.2 T and beyond, and changing deployment strategies across hyperscalers, neocloud providers, and enterprises. It also examines the role of switching silicon, SerDes advancements, co-packaged optics, and open networking platforms such as SONiC in shaping next-generation AI data center architectures.

The chart below explains the definition of front-end networks and back-end networks.

Definition of Data Center Switch Frontend and AI Backend Networks Diagram-DellOro Group

The Data Center Switch – AI Back-end Networks report aims to answer critical market questions such as:

  • What are the unique requirements of AI Networks?
  • What is the total market opportunity for AI back-end networks?
  • What is the current and future share of Ethernet vs. InfiniBand in scale-out networks and Ethernet vs. UALink vs. NVLink in scale-up networks?
  • What is the vendor landscape in Ethernet AI back-end networks and how is it different from the front-end networks? Who is gaining share? Who is losing share?
  • How is the speed migration to 400 Gbps, 800 Gbps, 1600 Gbps and ≥3200 Gbps different from the front-end networks?
  • What’s the market forecast for co-packaged optics on data center switches?

To answer these and other important questions, Dell’Oro Group currently delivers both quarterly reports and 5-year forecasts for this market segment.

 

Data Center Switch – AI Back-end Networks Quarterly Reports

Dell’Oro Group publishes Data Center Switch – AI Back-end Networks quarterly reports with in-depth market-level and detailed vendor market share information by customer and technology segments:

Scope

    • Switching infrastructure for accelerated server connectivity
    • AI cluster networking across scale-up, scale-out and scale-across architectures

Metrics

    • Manufacturer revenue
    • Ports shipped
    • Average selling prices

Technology Coverage

    • Scale-up technologies (NVLink, UALink, Ethernet)
    • Scale-out technologies (Ethernet, InfiniBand)

Segmentation

    • Form factors: Modular, Fixed Managed, Fixed Unmanaged, Software
    • Port speeds: <100 / 200 / 400 / 800 Gbps / 1.6T / ≥3.2T
    • Protocols: Ethernet vs. InfiniBand in scale-out, Ethernet vs. NVLink vs. UALink in scale-up
    • Customer segments:
      • Top 4 U.S. Cloud, Top 3 China Cloud, Top 2 Tier 2 Cloud
      • Neo Cloud, Rest of Cloud
      • Telco Service Providers, Large Enterprises, Rest of Enterprises
    • Regions: North America, EMEA, APAC, APAC excluding China, China, CALA

Data Center Switch – AI Back-end Networks 5-Year Forecasts

Dell’Oro Group publishes Data Center Switch – AI Back-end Networks 5-year forecasts offering a complete overview of the market with historical data from 2020 to present. The forecasts provide a comprehensive overview of market trends and include tables covering revenue, port shipment, and average selling price forecasts for the following:

Forecast Coverage

    • Revenue, port shipments, and average selling prices
    • Market evolution by protocol, architecture, and customer segment

Detailed Forecast Includes

    • InfiniBand vs. Ethernet adoption in scale-out networks
    • Ethernet vs.UALink vs. NVLink adoption in scale-up networks
    • Form factors: Modular, Fixed Managed, Fixed Unmanaged, Software
    • Port speeds from 100 Gbps to ≥3.2 Tbps
    • Customer segments:
      • Top 4 U.S. Cloud, Top 3 China Cloud, Top 2 Tier 2 Cloud
      • Neo Cloud, Rest of Cloud
      • Telco Service Providers, Large Enterprises, Rest of Enterprises
    • Regional forecasts across North America, EMEA, APAC, China, and CALA
    • Co-packaged optics
    • SONiC forecast
    • Switching silicon and chip units (forecast)

For a complete view of data center switching infrastructure, customers are encouraged to pair this report with the Data Center Switch – Front-End Networks and Total Ethernet Switch reports. Together, these reports provide full visibility across front-end and AI back-end networks, enabling a comprehensive understanding of market trends, technology transitions, and competitive dynamics across the entire Ethernet switching ecosystem.

Related Research

For a comprehensive view of data center infrastructure, Dell’Oro Group also offers:

Click here to contact us to learn more about the Data Center Switch – AI Back-End Networks research program and available purchasing options.