Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) has built and deployed its own 10-Gbit/s Ethernet switches -- a move that could have implications for the systems, chip, and optical transceiver markets.

Analyst Andrew Schmitt of Nyquist Capital was trying to trace shipments of SFP+ optical components and found the trail led to a Google-built switch. Schmitt, an industry analyst who has financial positions in Broadcom, Vitesse, Finisar, and AMCC, reported his findings in a column earlier today.

"This decision by Google, while small in terms of units purchased, is enormous in terms of the disruptive impact it should have on 10-GigE switching equipment providers and their component supply chains," he writes.

Google took the same DIY approach with servers a few years ago. In this case, its work has implications for switch vendors like Force10 Networks Inc. and Woven Systems Inc. , since Google not only couldn't find what it needed, but also built its boxes from off-the-shelf chips.

Moreover, Schmitt believes Google is taking an unconventional approach with its choice of optical interfaces.

Read Schmitt's column here.

— Craig Matsumoto, West Coast Editor, Light Reading