Nvidia Takes on Cisco, Arista in Ethernet Switching

Nvidia is rapidly reshaping the Ethernet switching landscape, emerging as a serious challenger to long-standing leaders Cisco and Arista Networks, according to IDC’s Worldwide Quarterly Ethernet Switch Tracker for 3Q25. What was once a GPU-centric company is now positioning itself as a full-stack data-center networking powerhouse—driven by the explosive growth of AI and accelerated computing.

Nvidia’s Rise in Ethernet Switching

IDC data indicates that Nvidia has gained meaningful share in high-speed Ethernet segments, particularly 400G and emerging 800G switches, fueled by demand from hyperscalers, AI cloud providers, and large enterprises building AI-ready data centers.

Nvidia’s Spectrum Ethernet switch portfolio, tightly integrated with its GPUs, DPUs (BlueField), and CUDA software stack, has become a compelling alternative for customers seeking optimized, low-latency AI fabrics—without moving entirely to InfiniBand.

Nvidia Is Disrupting the Market:

Traditionally, Ethernet switching has been dominated by Cisco’s scale and Arista’s cloud-optimized architecture. Nvidia’s differentiation lies in vertical integration:

• AI-first networking designed for GPU clusters

• Tight coupling of switches, NICs, DPUs, and AI software

• End-to-end optimization for training and inference workloads

As AI clusters grow larger and more complex, networking is no longer a standalone layer—it is a performance bottleneck. Nvidia’s approach addresses this directly.

Impact on Cisco and Arista

Cisco continues to lead the overall Ethernet market, supported by its massive enterprise installed base and broad portfolio. Arista remains strong among hyperscalers with its software-driven EOS platform. However, IDC notes that AI-driven data center builds are shifting buying decisions, favoring vendors that can deliver integrated compute-networking architectures.

This trend introduces competitive pressure, especially in greenfield AI data centers, where Nvidia is increasingly being selected as a strategic supplier rather than just a component vendor.

A Structural Shift, Not a Short-Term Spike

Nvidia’s momentum reflects a deeper transformation of the data-center market. Ethernet is evolving from general-purpose networking into an AI-optimized fabric, blurring the lines between compute, networking, and acceleration.

For enterprises, this creates new architectural choices. For incumbents, it raises the stakes around AI-aware networking, silicon innovation, and software orchestration.

IDC expects competition in the Ethernet switch market to intensify through 2026 as AI infrastructure spending accelerates. Nvidia’s growing presence signals that the market is no longer just about ports and speeds—but about who controls the AI data center stack.

Moving forward,Nvidia is no longer just competing with Cisco and Arista—it is redefining the battlefield.