Former Arista COO launches NextHop AI for customized networking infrastructure

Sadana argued that unlike traditional networking where an IT person can just plug a cable into a port and it works, AI networking requires intricate, custom solutions. The core challenge is creating highly optimized, efficient networking infrastructure that can support massive AI compute clusters with minimal inefficiencies.

How NextHop is looking to change the game for hyperscale networking

NextHop AI is working directly alongside its hyperscaler customers to develop and build customized networking solutions. “We are here to build the most efficient AI networking solutions that are out there,” Sadana said.

More specifically, Sadana said that NextHop is looking to help hyperscalers in several ways including:

• Compressing product development cycles: “Companies that are doing things on their own can compress their product development cycle by six to 12 months when they partner with us,” he said.
• Exploring multiple technological alternatives: Sadana noted that hyperscalers might try and build on their own and will often only be able to explore one or two alternative approaches. With NextHop, Sadana said his company will enable them to explore four to six different alternatives.
• Achieving incremental efficiency gains: At the massive cloud scale that hyperscalers operate, even an incremental one percent improvement can have an oversized outcome.

“You have to make AI clusters as efficient as possible for the world to use all the AI applications at the right cost structure, at the right economics, for this to be successful,” Sadana said. “So we are participating by making that infrastructure layer a lot more efficient for cloud customers, or the hyperscalers, which, in turn, of course, gives the benefits to all of these software companies trying to run AI applications in these cloud companies.”

Technical innovations: Beyond traditional networking

In terms of what the company is actually building now, NextHop is developing specialized network switches that go beyond traditional data center networking equipment. The company’s solutions support speeds of 1.6 terabits per port, with dense switches offering 50-100+ terabits of throughput—performance levels that were once only found in massive telecom core routers.

Sadana also emphasized that NextHop isn’t simply delivering standalone network devices. The networking switch components are increasingly delivered in different ways, integrating with server and rack deployments. “We are no longer just a separate pizza box, it’s an integrated solution that gets to the customer the way they want it.”