The Global Interconnection Academy is an online educational platform designed to increase understanding of digital infrastructure topics and train the next generation of interconnection specialists. As an emerging global knowledge hub for interconnection specialists, the Interconnection Academy delivers world-class training—free of charge—that bridges technical expertise with business strategy. The aim is to standardize the core knowledge of the interconnection industry and fill critical content gaps by transforming essential concepts into structured modules and courses.
Founded in 2021 by DE-CIX—the world’s leading Internet Exchange operator—in partnership with the Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF) in Barcelona, the Interconnection Academy seeks to provide a global standard certificate of excellence for interconnection experts through the transfer of both business and technical knowledge. The Interconnection Academy enables professionals at every level to embed interconnection into their IT environments and thrive in the digital economy.
Educational content available over the online platform ranges from easily digestible micro-learning modules (which explain areas of the interconnection industry and its business relevance to a lay audience) through to in-depth technical modules. It covers the full interconnection ecosystem from peering and networking fundamentals to cloud connectivity, data center infrastructure, security, compliance, and emerging technologies.
In 2026, the academy is expanding its course offerings. New modules on topics like networking and the interconnection ecosystem will be launched in the first half of the year, with additional educational content planned and in production.
Academy Partnerships: Working With The Infrastructure Community To Power Its Future
The Global Interconnection Academy actively partners with industry experts, businesses, and organizations to co-create high-quality, accessible learning materials that reflect the evolving landscape of interconnection and peering. Alongside the long-standing relationship the academy has with the IX operator DE-CIX and the UPF, a center of academic excellence, the Interconnection Academy has broadened its scope in recent months by creating partnerships with further organizations with a focus on imparting much-needed technical knowledge. These include a content-sharing agreement with the Nomad Futurist Academy, the educational arm of the Nomad Futurist Foundation, based in Hawaii. The two academies will host relevant modules mutually, thereby increasing the reach of academic content and the diversity of both offerings. Initially, the Interconnection Academy will add Nomad Futurists’ module on data center infrastructure to its offering, with availability in 2026. Other recent partnerships include an agreement with RIPE (Réseaux IP Européens, French for “European IP Networks”) and the Global Cyber Alliance. Together, these efforts are building a diverse and growing library of resources designed to equip the next wave of connectivity professionals with the knowledge and tools they need to lead.
Interconnection has become the backbone of digital transformation, and the rapid rise of artificial intelligence is only widening the global skills gap. Through the Interconnection Academy, the company aims to help develop the talent the world now urgently needs. To remain competitive in an AI-driven economy, enterprises and public institutions must ensure their teams have the expertise to design and operate modern interconnection architectures.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Yolandi Cloete serves as Interconnection Community and Academy Manager at DE-CIX, the world’s leading Internet Exchange operator. After nearly a decade shaping Africa’s peering landscape at NAPAfrica—the largest Internet Exchange on the continent—within Teraco’s Digital Realty facility, Cloete joined DE-CIX in 2025 to expand her global influence. She drives initiatives that empower communities, strengthen collaboration, and make interconnection knowledge accessible worldwide—transforming complex technical concepts into practical learning that fuels the growth of the global digital ecosystem.
Ivo Ivanov is Chief Executive Officer of DE-CIX and Chairman of the Board of the DE-CIX Group AG. Prior to these positions, Ivanov was Chief Operating Officer of DE-CIX and Chief Executive Officer of DE-CIX International, where he was responsible for the global business activities of the world’s leading Internet Exchange operator. Ivanov has more than 20 years of experience in the regulatory, legal, and commercial Internet environment. Having joined DE-CIX in 2007, in recent years he has been deeply involved in the establishment of DE-CIX sites in North and South America, Southern Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia, as well as several DE-CIX consultancy projects in Africa, Asia, and Europe.
