Arista XPO Optics Promises 4x Density, 100+ Partners

Arista Networks is promoting XPO, or eXtra-dense Pluggable Optics, a new high-density optical module format targeting AI data center scaling. The design delivers 12.8 Tbps per module with 16 modules per rack unit, claiming a 4x density improvement over OSFP, 75% switch footprint reduction, and liquid-first cooling that runs 20-25 degrees Celsius cooler than air-cooled alternatives. More than 100 companies have joined the XPO multi-source agreement since its OFC launch just weeks ago. Arista demonstrated full retimed, half retimed, and linear configurations at the show, with partners including Coherent, Molex, and Luxshare. The company argues XPO could reduce large-scale AI interconnect from roughly 1,400 OSFP racks to far fewer, saving billions in infrastructure costs.