Andreas Bechtolsheim – Next Generation Optics for Scale-Up, Scale-Out and Scale-Across
Andreas “Andy” Bechtolsheim is Co-Founder and Chief Architect of Arista Networks, where he leads advanced AI, silicon, and optics initiatives. He previously co-founded Sun Microsystems, serving as Chief System Architect responsible for next generation server, storage, and network architectures. He has been a founding member of the Open Compute Project (OCP) Board of Directors since 2011.
Andy received an M.S. in Computer Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University in 1976 and was a doctoral student in Computer Engineering at Stanford University from 1977 to 1982. His honors include a Fulbright scholarship, the Stanford Entrepreneur Company of the Year award, the Smithsonian Leadership Award for Innovation, the EY 2015 US Entrepreneur of the Year Award (shared with Jayshree Ullal), and membership in the National Academy of Engineering.
At BalticNOG 2026, Andy will bring this experience to the stage with his talk, “Next Generation Optics for Scale-Up, Scale-Out and Scale-Across.”
AI Is Rewriting the Optics Roadmap
The extreme bandwidth demands of AI data centers are accelerating the development of new optics that are denser, more reliable, and more power efficient than what the previous optics roadmap called for. Andy’s talk covers what’s driving that shift and where it’s headed next.
Scale-Up, Scale-Out, and Scale-Across
Andy will cover the AI optics roadmap across the full spectrum, scale-up, scale-out, and scale-across, giving a picture of how optics requirements differ depending on where and how a data center is scaling.
What It Means for Switches, Routers, and Optical Line Systems
From there, Andy will get into the implications for next generation switches, routers, and optical line systems, connecting the optics roadmap directly to the hardware decisions operators will be making as AI infrastructure scales up.
Why You Shouldn’t Miss This Talk
Few people have shaped as much of the infrastructure the internet runs on today as Andy Bechtolsheim. This talk gives you a direct line into where AI-driven optics are headed, from someone building that roadmap at Arista right now.
If you’re planning network infrastructure with AI workloads in mind, this talk gives you a clear look at what’s coming next in optics and what it means for your hardware decisions.
đź“… When: 23-24 September 2026
đź“Ť Where: BalticNOG 2026, Riga, Latvia
đź”— Don’t miss BalticNOG! Register today: https://balticnog.org/tickets/
