Frankfurt internet exchange hits record 21.47 terabits

Traffic at DE-CIX's Frankfurt internet exchange reached 21.47 terabits per second for the first time, while total traffic across its global exchanges exceeded 32 terabits per second.

The peaks were recorded 20 minutes after kick-off in UEFA Champions League matches, as viewers streamed the games online.

The latest milestones came just 25 days after DE-CIX Frankfurt first crossed 20 terabits per second and the operator's global traffic topped 30 terabits per second. Peak traffic in both Frankfurt and across its worldwide exchange footprint rose by about 7 per cent in less than four weeks.

DE-CIX runs more than 60 internet, cloud and AI exchanges across Europe, North and South America, Africa, the Middle East and Asia. Its network links more than 4,600 networks in over 100 countries.

Frankfurt is one of the world's biggest internet exchanges and a major hub for European data traffic. Almost 1,100 networks are connected there, and nearly 48 exabytes of data were exchanged at the site in 2025.

DE-CIX linked the latest records to broader growth in demand for digital services. Streaming, cloud services, gaming and artificial intelligence are placing greater strain on networks, while major live events can trigger sharp surges in simultaneous demand.

At the Frankfurt peak, traffic was equivalent to about 12 million TikTok videos being streamed at the same time, according to DE-CIX. The data transmitted in one second would form a stack of paper about 17 times higher than Mount Everest if printed.

Traffic at DE-CIX's Frankfurt exchange has increased by more than 160 per cent since the start of 2020. The growth rate has become more pronounced, with record highs being reached at shorter intervals.

Traffic growth

Internet exchanges are central to how networks hand data to one another. By routing traffic directly between telecoms operators, internet service providers, cloud companies, content platforms and businesses, they help reduce delays and keep services available during periods of heavy use.

That role has drawn more attention as online viewing of live sport has grown and as cloud computing and AI workloads add to baseline demand. Sudden spikes tied to a single event can test infrastructure resilience, particularly when millions of users try to access the same content at once.

For DE-CIX, the speed at which new records are arriving is notable. Frankfurt moved from 20.02 terabits per second to 21.47 terabits per second in 25 days, while the group's worldwide figure climbed from above 30 terabits per second to 32.10 terabits per second over the same period.

Ivo Ivanov, Chief Executive Officer of DE-CIX, said the latest jump reflected the scale of global digital traffic and how live sport can expose underlying network demand.

"Just three and a half weeks ago, we crossed the 20-terabit-per-second mark in Frankfurt for the first time. Now we are already at almost 21.5 terabits, and worldwide at more than 32 terabits. This momentum is remarkable and demonstrates the scale that digital traffic has now reached," Ivanov said.

"Live sports make this development particularly visible when millions of people access digital content simultaneously. Behind this lies a long-term trend: streaming, cloud services, gaming and increasingly artificial intelligence are fundamentally changing the requirements placed on our networks. High-performance, direct and resilient connections are becoming ever more important for the digital economy," he added.