Ask a network architect what stands between them and a simpler data center and you rarely get one answer. The spine wants one switch, the access layer another, and each box brings its own silicon, its own software stack, and its own limits on what can change once it is racked. Netberg’s answer is the new Aurora X2 Series: a flagship switch family built on our X2 programmable silicon at every tier, from 400G spine to 100G access, with both models sharing one architecture and one software stack.
One silicon architecture, two switches
The Aurora X2-81 is the high-bandwidth model: 12.8 Tbps of switching capacity, a 64MB packet buffer, and 32 x 400G QSFP112 ports, including 16 ports built for 24W optics. The Aurora X2-71 serves 100G access and aggregation: 3.2 Tbps across 32 x 100G QSFP28 ports, with the same shared packet buffer for burst handling. Both carry 2 x 50G SFP56 management ports and 2 x 10G SFP+ ports routed from the CPU board.
The Aurora X2-81 draws under 200 W at 12.8 Tbps, and the Aurora X2-71 under 100 W at 3.2 Tbps. For facilities constrained by power and cooling, those are the numbers that matter.
Programmable after deployment
The X2 data plane is fully programmable, so operators add protocols, telemetry, and packet operations as software on hardware already in the rack. New requirements ship as updates, on the operator’s schedule. The series supports ONIE, Ubuntu, and SONiC, so teams deploy their preferred open network operating system without hardware lock-in.
Where the Aurora X2 fits
- AI, storage, and compute clusters that need low-power, low-latency connectivity.
- Custom packet broker and packet tracing solutions tuned to a specific network.
- Broadband network gateways and load balancers.
- Hyperscale visibility fabrics with line-rate packet operations.
- Forensic infrastructure and network security appliances.
Timing, control, and reliability
Optional SkyWorks Si5401B timing, with 1PPS and 10MHz inputs, supports IEEE 1588-2008 PTPv2 and SyncE for synchronization-sensitive edge and telecom deployments. A quad-core Intel Xeon control plane with configurable memory and storage runs the NOS and applications, and N+1 hot-swappable fan modules with an Aspeed 2620 BMC (IPMI 2.0, Redfish) cover out-of-band management.
Availability
The Aurora X2 Series reaches general availability in Q4 2026. For systems, see Netberg’s announcement. For the silicon, see the Xsight X2.