DE-CIX revenue rises as US exchanges gain ground
Thu, 14th May 2026 (Today)
DE-CIX has released its annual results, reporting global revenue of USD $83.3 million. Its US exchanges now rank first or second in their respective markets.
Public PeeringDB data shows DE-CIX New York has become the third largest internet exchange in North America, while connected customer capacity across the region rose 40% in 2025 to 43 terabits.
The figures point to a year of expansion across the Americas for the Frankfurt-headquartered interconnection provider, which added new platforms in Mexico City, Querétaro, São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, and launched DE-CIX Houston in partnership with DataBank.
It also activated routes linking New York to São Paulo and Mexico to Dallas as it expanded its network between North and South America. The additions were designed to support traffic flows for enterprises, cloud providers, carriers and AI-based services moving data across the region.
Global revenue increased by USD $2.7 million, or 3.3%, in the 2025 financial year. Connected networks worldwide grew 25% to more than 4,300, while total connected customer capacity rose 40% to 220 terabits.
North America growth
Traffic growth in North America was strongest in Chicago, where peak traffic climbed 200% to 672 Gbit/s and connected customer capacity increased 85% to 6.6 terabits. In New York, peak traffic rose 9% to 1.93 Tbit/s, while Dallas recorded a 30% increase to 1.75 Tbit/s.
During the year, DE-CIX upgraded backbone infrastructure in New York and Dallas. It also introduced 400 GE access at both exchanges and said the sites are ready for 800 GE.
The wider business recorded traffic milestones in several markets. DE-CIX Frankfurt passed 18 Tbit/s for the first time, reaching a peak of 18.73 Tbit/s, while DE-CIX Mumbai grew 63% to 2.76 Tbit/s. In Dubai, the UAE-IX powered by DE-CIX moved above one terabit for the first time, and DE-CIX Istanbul rose 40% to 530 Gbit/s.
DE-CIX now ranks as the leading internet exchange operator across Europe, the Middle East and India, according to the company. It operates in 60 locations across Europe, Africa, North and South America, the Middle East and Asia, with access from data centres in more than 600 cities.
The results come as operators and network providers face rising demand for low-latency links and higher-capacity interconnection, driven by cloud use and AI-related workloads. DE-CIX said growth in high-capacity ports reflects a broader industry shift towards terabit-scale interconnection.
One marker of that trend was the deployment of what the company described as the world's first 800 GE customer port in Frankfurt. It also reported 120% growth in 400 GE ports globally during the year.
Ed d'Agostino, Vice President at DE-CIX North America, said the market position of its US exchanges marked a milestone for the company's regional strategy.
"In late 2025, DE-CIX Chicago became the number two Internet Exchange in its market, meaning every DE-CIX US exchange is now ranked either number one or number two in its respective market according to public PeeringDB data," d'Agostino said. "When we entered the US market more than a decade ago, our ambition was to build highly connected, carrier- and data center-neutral interconnection ecosystems in markets that were often underserved. Today, growing demand for AI-ready infrastructure, cloud connectivity, and low-latency interconnection is accelerating the adoption of that model across North America."
AI traffic
DE-CIX linked much of the demand increase to shifting traffic patterns tied to AI and cloud services. It said enterprise demand for cloud interconnection remained a major driver in the region, particularly as multi-cloud deployments and direct cloud on-ramps gained wider adoption.
Ivo Ivanov, CEO at DE-CIX, said the business had been preparing its network for larger AI-related traffic flows before the recent surge in demand.
"We started building for terabit-scale, real-time AI traffic before most networks were asking for it, and that's reflected in where we stand today," Ivanov said. "Everybody is coming to the realization that the success of AI will not be defined by algorithms alone, but by the infrastructure that allows intelligence to move, scale, and act in real-time. As AI-driven applications reshape industries and societies, the Internet is entering a new phase where latency, capacity, and proximity matter more than ever. At DE-CIX, we see this transformation unfolding in the rapid rise in high-capacity ports, the shift toward terabit-scale exchanges, and the acceleration of network density in both mature and emerging markets. By interconnecting networks and expanding our footprint to more edge locations, we are laying the neutral and resilient foundation required to support the real-time data exchange that current and future AI use cases will demand."
DE-CIX Frankfurt remains one of the world's largest internet exchanges, carrying more than 48 exabytes of data a year and connecting close to 1,100 networks.