May 7 (Reuters) - Arista Networks ( ANET ) forecast

second-quarter revenue above Wall Street estimates on Tuesday,

anticipating higher demand for its cloud networking gear from a

boom in artificial intelligence applications and chips.

The results underscore strong spending on Arista's products

such as Ethernet switches and routers from clients, including

Microsoft ( MSFT ) and Meta Platforms ( META ), as they grow

their cloud and data center infrastructure to support AI needs.

The company forecast second-quarter revenue in the range of

$1.62 billion to $1.65 billion, the mid-point of which was

higher than the LSEG estimate of $1.62 billion.

Santa Clara, California-based Arista's results contrast with

those of peer Juniper Networks ( JNPR ), which reported downbeat

revenue last month due to sluggish demand for the networking

gear maker's products in an uncertain economy.

Arista's revenue for the quarter ended March 31 rose 2% to

$1.57 billion, beating analysts' estimate of $1.55 billion.

The company reported net income of $637.7 million, compared

with $436.5 million a year ago.

On an adjusted basis, the company earned $1.99 per share,

compared with $1.43 apiece in the previous year.