World’s first AI internet exchange launched by DE-CIX

Author: Joe Peck

DE-CIX, an internet exchange (IX) operator, has announced the launch of what it calls the world’s first AI Internet Exchange (AI-IX), making its global network of internet exchanges “AI-ready.”

The company has completed the first phase of the rollout, connecting more than 50 AI-related networks – including providers of AI inference and GPU services, alongside a range of cloud platforms – to its ecosystem.

DE-CIX says it now operates over 160 cloud on-ramps globally, supported by its proprietary multi-AI routing system. The new exchange capabilities are available across all DE-CIX locations worldwide, including its flagship site in Frankfurt.

Two-phase rollout

The second phase of deployment will see DE-CIX AI-IX made Ultra Ethernet-ready, designed to support geographically distributed AI training as workloads move away from large centralised data centres. Once complete, the operator says it will be the first to offer an exchange capable of supporting both AI inference and AI training.

AI inference – where trained models are applied in real-world use cases – depends on low-latency, high-security connections. According to DE-CIX CEO Ivo Ivanov, the growth of AI agents and AI-enabled devices is creating new demand for direct interconnection.

“This is the core benefit of the DE-CIX AI-IX, which uses the unique DE-CIX AI router to enable seamless multi-agent inference for today’s complex use-cases and tomorrow’s innovation in all industry segments,” Ivo says.

Ultra ethernet and AI training

Phase two focuses on AI model training. DE-CIX CTO Thomas King says that Ultra Ethernet, a new networking protocol optimised for AI, will enable disaggregated computing across metropolitan areas. This could reduce reliance on centralised data centres and create more cost-effective, resilient private AI infrastructure.

“Until now, huge, centralised data centres have been needed to quickly process AI computing loads on parallel clusters,” Thomas explains. “Ultra Ethernet is driving the trend towards disaggregated computing, enabling AI training to be carried out in a geographically distributed manner.”

DE-CIX hardware is already compatible with Ultra Ethernet and the operator plans to introduce it once network equipment vendors make the necessary software features available.

For more from DE-CIX, click here.