DE-CIX traffic hits 79 exabytes as AI & sport surge

DE-CIX said data exchanged across its internet exchange platforms reached 79 exabytes in 2025, up 16% from 2024, as live sports streaming and AI workloads pushed traffic to new peaks.

The internet exchange operator said the global total compared with 68 exabytes in 2024 and 38 exabytes in 2020. DE-CIX said it has more than 4,000 customers connected across its platforms.

At DE-CIX Frankfurt, which the company describes as Europe's largest internet exchange, traffic reached 48 exabytes in 2025. That figure rose 6% from 2024 and 65% from 2021, when it recorded 29 exabytes.

Record peak

DE-CIX linked the highest point of the year to a UEFA Champions League matchday on 9 December 2025. It said teams playing that day included Barcelona, Inter Milan, Liverpool, and Eintracht Frankfurt.

DE-CIX said global data throughput hit 26.99 terabits per second at 20:11 CET. The company said DE-CIX Frankfurt reached 18.73 terabits per second at the same moment.

Internet exchange operators run switching platforms where networks exchange traffic directly, which can reduce reliance on third-party transit routes. These exchange points sit alongside other parts of the internet supply chain, including subsea cables, data centres, content delivery networks, and the networks of telecoms operators and cloud providers.

DE-CIX said the busiest moment underlined the impact of major live events on network usage patterns. The company also cited gaming and software releases as sources of traffic spikes.

"The growth in global data traffic is being driven by streaming, AI workloads, billions of connected devices, and the rise of remote and hybrid work around the world. Add the spikes from major live events, gaming and software releases, and significant global happenings, it's clear that resilient, high-capacity digital infrastructure has never been more critical for our connected world," said Ivo Ivanov, CEO, DE-CIX.

Regional growth

DE-CIX reported faster growth in several newer hubs outside its Frankfurt base. It said data traffic across its North America platform reached 11 exabytes in 2025, up from 7.5 exabytes in 2024. That equates to 46% growth.

Within North America, DE-CIX said New York recorded 5 exabytes in 2025 after 16% growth. Dallas reached 3.5 exabytes after 35% growth. DE-CIX said its Chicago exchange grew 400% to more than 650 petabytes.

Outside North America, the company said Madrid and Dubai each recorded 2.7 exabytes of data traffic in 2025. Lisbon recorded 115 petabytes. DE-CIX said Istanbul saw 927 petabytes, up 28% from 2024.

In Southeast Asia, DE-CIX said traffic on its distributed platform rose 140% to 1.2 exabytes. It said Malaysia accounted for 93 petabytes.

New locations

DE-CIX also pointed to early traffic at recently launched sites in Latin America. It said Mexico City and Queretaro recorded 24 petabytes in their first months of operation. Sao Paulo recorded 10 petabytes over the same period.

The figures add detail to how internet traffic continues to spread across multiple regional interconnection points, rather than concentrating only in a small number of long-established hubs. Operators and content platforms have been building out regional footprints as video consumption rises and as more enterprise workloads move across connected data centres.

DE-CIX said the year's traffic patterns reflected both steady background growth and sharp peaks tied to live events and major online moments. It said it expects demand to keep increasing as connected devices and data-heavy workloads expand.