- At MWC next week, HPE will tout its newest PTX routers, historically from Juniper
- The timing is fortuitous because AI is creating demand not only for HPE's legacy products, but also for Juniper’s routers
- With its portfolio of compute, storage, networking and security, HPE is set to compete heavily against Cisco
HPE closed its acquisition of Juniper in July 2025, and now the combined company is boasting that it can offer the full stack of compute, storage, networking and security to hyperscalers as the AI build-out booms.
At Mobile World Congress 2026 in Barcelona next week, HPE will tout the latest Juniper PTX 12,000 line of modular, compact routers, which have increased density and capability to work with the latest generations of ultra-high-speed optical networks.
HPE has a long history of providing compute, storage and security to enterprises and service providers, Julius Francis, senior director of product marketing for HPE’s Routing Infrastructure Solutions business, told Fierce. And Juniper was well-regarded for its networking and security offerings. Now, the combined company is able to offer “the full stack.”
He added, “Customers don't want point products. They want outcomes. And that means full stack.”
HPE’s timing in acquiring Juniper is fortuitous as AI has taken the world by storm, and hyperscalers are building AI data centers as fast as they can. All of those data centers will need to be connected, so Juniper’s networking heritage is a timely addition.
Smooth upgrade path
Juniper’s PTX routers have been around for about a decade. But the PTX 12,000 routers that HPE will showcase at MWC offer ultra-dense 800G port density on a platform that is ready for 1.6T. This means that customers can purchase the new PTX 12,000s and later upgrade to 1.6T, preserving architectural consistency.
Francis said, “I think enterprises are still in the 100 gig and 400 gig range capacity and throughput. But the hyperscalers and neo-clouds are bandwidth hungry. They need big pipes. And the big pipes right now are 800 gig throughput.”
At MWC, HPE will tout benefits of the PTX 12,000, including its Express 5 custom silicon, its port density, its reduced latency, its improved power consumption and its secure connectivity between data centers.
HPE’s big competitor Cisco seems to be riding a wave of new business from AI lately. And Fierce asked if HPE will be able to catch that same wave.
Francis said, “Absolutely. I think HPE has been a leader in this AI compute world with their computing, storage and security. I don't think you could find one company who has a leadership in compute, storage, security and networking across the board. So I think we are in a great position, especially as the AI-fabric build-out is happening.”
HPE hopes to increase its total addressable market with all the business from AI. But it’s not forgetting about the telecom market, either.
Ray Mota, CEO and principal analyst with ACG Research, said, “HPE delivers the architectural and operational foundation service providers need to fully participate in the AI value chain.”
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