Global Internet traffic reached new highs in 2025 as streaming, AI workloads, and live events continued to reshape digital infrastructure demand. Data from DE-CIX shows record volumes across its global Internet Exchange platforms, peaking on 9 December 2025 during a busy UEFA Champions League matchday that drove unprecedented real-time traffic.
The most intense moment of the year occurred on 9 December 2025, a date that coincided with a particularly busy UEFA Champions League matchday featuring high-profile fixtures involving clubs such as FC Barcelona, Inter Milan, Liverpool FC, and Eintracht Frankfurt. At 20:11 CET, global throughput across DE-CIX platforms peaked at 26.99 terabits per second, illustrating how live sports continue to act as powerful catalysts for internet usage spikes.
At the same time, DE-CIX Frankfurt set a new all-time record of 18.73 Tbit/s, reinforcing its position as Europe’s largest and one of the world’s most critical interconnection hubs.
To put the scale into perspective, the total data exchanged globally in 2025 would be sufficient to stream a football match in full HD continuously for approximately 2.2 million years. Even a single second of traffic during the December peak would, if printed, form a paper stack estimated to be more than 20 times the height of Mount Everest. Such comparisons highlight the exponential growth of data flows and the stress placed on core internet infrastructure.
DE-CIX Frankfurt alone accounted for 48 EB of traffic during the year, a 6% increase over 2024 and 65% higher than in 2021. This sustained growth reflects not only Europe’s dense digital economy but also Frankfurt’s role as a central exchange point for cloud providers, content platforms, networks, and enterprises.
DE-CIX North America
Beyond Europe, other regions showed rapid expansion. DE-CIX North America handled 11 EB of traffic in 2025, up 46% year-on-year. Dallas and Chicago in particular posted strong growth, with Chicago recording a fourfold increase as newer exchanges matured. In Asia, traffic across DE-CIX’s distributed Southeast Asian platform grew by 140%, while hubs in the Middle East, Southern Europe, and Latin America also reported rising volumes as regional interconnection ecosystems developed.
According to DE-CIX CEO Ivo Ivanov, the data reflects structural shifts rather than temporary anomalies. Streaming, AI workloads, billions of connected devices, and remote work continue to drive baseline growth, while major live events amplify peaks. Together, these forces underline the importance of resilient, high-capacity interconnection as a foundation of the global digital economy.
Executive Insights FAQ
Why was 9 December 2025 a standout day for internet traffic?
It coincided with a high-profile UEFA Champions League matchday that triggered large, simultaneous streaming audiences.
What does the traffic growth indicate about internet usage trends?
Baseline demand is rising steadily, with live events creating increasingly sharp peaks.
Why is DE-CIX Frankfurt particularly significant?
It is Europe’s largest Internet Exchange and a central hub for global connectivity.
Which regions showed the fastest growth in 2025?
North America, Southeast Asia, and newer exchanges in the Americas recorded the strongest relative increases.
What are the implications for digital infrastructure providers?
They must plan for both sustained growth and extreme peak loads driven by global events.
