The year 2025 marks the 30th anniversary of DE-CIX, the world’s leading operator of data center and carrier neutral Internet Exchanges. For three decades, the company has been powering interconnection—a determinant for the digital future. Building on its global Internet Exchange (IX) ecosystem and the related interconnection services, DE-CIX drives innovation and economic prosperity through enabling low-latency, high-performance, secure, and resilient connectivity for people and enterprises across the world.
But how did DE-CIX grow into this role and earn its position at the pinnacle of global interconnection service provision? Crucial factors included DE-CIX’s ability to identify new interconnection needs and opportunities continuously, the steady investment in research, the development of innovative products, and the use of cutting-edge technology—all paired with strategic expansion and the development of strong partnerships all over the world. The synergy of these aspects, combined with a strong customer focus, has empowered DE-CIX to stay ahead of customers’ needs throughout all stages of the company’s history and to establish itself as a true pioneer of the interconnection services business.
THE FOUNDATION OF DE-CIX: RECOGNIZING THE ADVANTAGES AND THE POTENTIAL OF INTERCONNECTION EARLY
When DE-CIX was founded in 1995, the commercial Internet in Germany was still new and underdeveloped. For German networks to reach each other, data had to be sent via the US at very high international transit prices. Against this backdrop, Harald Summa—the founder and CEO of a newly established association for the Internet industry, the Electronic Commerce Forum, or “eco” for short—came together with three of Germany’s largest Internet service providers (ISPs) with the proposition to interconnect their networks locally. This approach enabled them to exchange data securely and at a low latency while avoiding exorbitant transit costs.
