AI’s Real Impact on Large Scale Networking/Data Center Design and Operations

What do self-aware switches, open source firmware, and AI agents that talk back have in common? Parantap Lahiri, VP of Infrastructure at eBay, joins Nick Lippis to unravel the evolution of networking—from the first internet connections in India to today’s sprawling, AI-assisted infrastructures.

In this episode, Parantap shares why BGP became his second language, how eBay turned its alert storm into a whisper, and why networks should be built like air and water: everywhere, reliable, and invisible. You’ll hear stories of surviving “hairball” architectures, pushing complexity to the edge, and designing systems that don’t break when humans do.

Whether you’re deep in the weeds of network ops or just wondering how AI can help you stop firefighting, this one’s for you.

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