Introduction
When it comes to internet traffic in Europe, Amsterdam isn’t just another data center location. It’s where the majority of European internet traffic actually flows through. More data traffic passes through Amsterdam data centers for European countries than any other location on the continent. This isn’t by accident. It’s the result of decades of infrastructure investment, strategic subsea cable landings, and Amsterdam’s position as Europe’s primary internet gateway.
At ServerPoint, we operate our Amsterdam VPS hosting infrastructure from the Digital Realty AMS7 facility (formerly Interxion), which puts us right in the middle of this traffic flow. Here’s why that matters for your European VPS hosting and operations.
Why Amsterdam handles more European traffic than anywhere else
The numbers don’t lie: Amsterdam processes more internet traffic flows for European countries than any other location. After Germany, Amsterdam is the second busiest internet transit hub in the world. But what makes Amsterdam so critical isn’t just its location. It’s the subsea cables that land there.
Subsea cables: Amsterdam’s secret weapon
Amsterdam serves as a primary landing point for multiple transatlantic and intercontinental submarine cable systems. These aren’t just cables. They’re the literal backbone of European internet connectivity. When subsea cables land in Amsterdam, they create a natural routing point for traffic heading to and from European countries.
Here’s why this matters: When a subsea cable lands in Amsterdam, that’s where the traffic enters Europe. From there, it needs to be routed to its final destination, whether that’s London, Paris, Berlin, or anywhere else in Europe. Because Amsterdam is where these cables terminate, it becomes the natural hub where traffic gets distributed across the continent.
Major cable systems landing in or near Amsterdam include:
- TAT-14: Transatlantic cable connecting Europe to North America
- AC-1: Atlantic Crossing cable system
- FLAG Atlantic-1: Global fiber-optic network
- Multiple other transatlantic and European cable systems
This concentration of subsea cable landings means that a huge percentage of traffic destined for European countries first arrives in Amsterdam. From there, it gets routed to its final destination. This is why Amsterdam data centers see such high traffic volumes. They’re sitting at the point where international traffic enters Europe and gets distributed.
The traffic flow advantage
Because Amsterdam is where subsea cables land, it becomes the primary routing point for European internet traffic. When you host VPS servers in Amsterdam, you’re not just close to European markets. You’re at the point where traffic naturally flows. This means:
- Shorter routing paths: Traffic doesn’t need to take detours through other cities
- Lower latency: Fewer network hops mean faster connections for your VPS hosting
- Better performance: Your virtual servers are at the source of the traffic flow, not downstream from it
This is why Amsterdam handles more data traffic flows for European countries than locations that might seem more central geographically. It’s not about distance. It’s about being where the cables land and where the traffic naturally routes. For VPS hosting, this translates to better performance for European users.
Our Digital Realty AMS7 facility
At ServerPoint, we operate our Amsterdam infrastructure from the Digital Realty AMS7 facility (formerly Interxion AMS7). This isn’t just any data center. It’s a Tier III+ facility that’s specifically designed to handle the high traffic volumes that flow through Amsterdam.
Why AMS7 matters
The AMS7 facility is strategically positioned within Amsterdam’s internet infrastructure. It’s carrier-neutral, which means we can connect to multiple network providers to ensure optimal routing and redundancy. We currently partner with leading network providers including Cogent and NTT, giving us direct access to the high-capacity networks that carry European internet traffic.
Future AMS-IX connectivity
While we’re not currently directly connected to AMS-IX (Amsterdam Internet Exchange), we have plans to establish this connection in the future. AMS-IX is one of the world’s largest internet exchanges, handling over 11 terabits per second of peak traffic. When we establish this connection, it will provide even more direct routing options and lower latency for traffic within Europe.
For now, our partnerships with Cogent and NTT, combined with Amsterdam’s position as Europe’s traffic hub, provide excellent connectivity and performance for European markets.
What this means for your Amsterdam VPS hosting
When you host VPS servers with us in Amsterdam, you’re not just getting a data center in Europe. You’re getting infrastructure that sits at the heart of European internet traffic flow. Here’s what that translates to for your Amsterdam VPS hosting:
Lower latency to European markets
Because Amsterdam is where traffic naturally flows, your VPS servers have shorter routing paths to European destinations. This means:
- Faster response times for European users accessing your virtual servers
- Better performance for real-time applications hosted on Amsterdam VPS
- Improved user experience across the continent for your hosted services
Better connectivity for VPS hosting
Our AMS7 facility’s carrier-neutral design means we can route traffic through the most efficient paths. With partnerships including Cogent and NTT, we have access to high-capacity networks that carry the bulk of European internet traffic. This directly benefits your VPS hosting performance.
Reliability through redundancy
The AMS7 facility provides enterprise-grade infrastructure with redundant power, cooling, and network connections. Combined with Amsterdam’s position as a traffic hub, this means your VPS hosting services benefit from multiple layers of redundancy, ensuring maximum uptime for your virtual servers.
The technical reality: traffic flow numbers
The statistics tell the story: Amsterdam is the second busiest internet transit hub in the world, second only to Germany. But when you look at traffic flows specifically for European countries, Amsterdam often comes out on top.
This isn’t marketing speak. It’s the result of network routing. When subsea cables land in Amsterdam, that traffic needs to go somewhere. The routing infrastructure in Amsterdam is designed to distribute that traffic efficiently across Europe. This creates a natural concentration of traffic flows through Amsterdam data centers.
For businesses hosting VPS servers in Amsterdam, this means:
- Your virtual servers are at the point where traffic naturally routes
- You benefit from the high-capacity networks that carry European traffic
- You get optimal routing paths to European destinations for your VPS hosting
- You’re positioned where the traffic flow is, not where it’s going
This is why Amsterdam VPS hosting offers such excellent performance for European markets. Your virtual servers sit at the natural routing point for European internet traffic.
Why subsea cables give Amsterdam the edge
The subsea cable advantage is real, and it’s what makes Amsterdam different from other European data center locations. Here’s how it works:
Cable landing points create traffic hubs
When a subsea cable lands in Amsterdam, it doesn’t just connect Amsterdam to another continent. It creates a routing point. Traffic coming through that cable needs to be distributed, and Amsterdam’s routing infrastructure is built to handle that distribution.
This creates a feedback loop: more cables land in Amsterdam because it’s a good routing point, and Amsterdam becomes a better routing point because more cables land there. This is why Amsterdam has maintained its position as Europe’s traffic hub for decades.
The routing advantage
Because subsea cables land in Amsterdam, the BGP (Border Gateway Protocol) routing tables naturally route European traffic through Amsterdam. This isn’t something we control. It’s how the internet’s routing protocols work. When traffic is destined for Europe, and the entry point is Amsterdam, that’s where it routes.
For our AMS7 facility, this means we’re positioned at a natural routing point. Traffic doesn’t need to take detours or extra hops. It flows through Amsterdam because that’s where the cables land and where the routing infrastructure is optimized.
Real-world performance benefits for Amsterdam VPS hosting
What does all this mean in practice? When you host VPS servers with us in Amsterdam, you’re getting:
Optimized routing paths
Your VPS hosting traffic benefits from Amsterdam’s position as a routing hub. Instead of taking circuitous paths through multiple cities, traffic flows efficiently through Amsterdam’s optimized routing infrastructure. This means faster connections for your virtual servers.
Access to high-capacity networks
Our partnerships with Cogent and NTT give us direct access to the high-capacity networks that carry European internet traffic. These aren’t small regional networks. They’re the backbone that carries traffic across the continent. Your Amsterdam VPS hosting benefits directly from these high-capacity connections.
Future-proof infrastructure
Our plans to connect to AMS-IX will further enhance connectivity options for VPS hosting. But even without that direct connection, Amsterdam’s position as a traffic hub means your virtual servers are already benefiting from optimal routing to European destinations.
The bottom line
Amsterdam isn’t important for European internet routing because of marketing or hype. It’s important because of physics and network architecture. When subsea cables land in Amsterdam, that’s where traffic enters Europe. When traffic enters Europe in Amsterdam, that’s where it gets routed to its final destination. This creates a natural concentration of traffic flows through Amsterdam data centers.
At ServerPoint, we’ve positioned our Amsterdam VPS hosting infrastructure at the Digital Realty AMS7 facility to take advantage of this traffic flow. We’re not just in Amsterdam. We’re in a facility that’s designed to handle the high traffic volumes that flow through Amsterdam, with carrier-neutral connectivity and partnerships with major network providers.
When you host VPS servers with us in Amsterdam, you’re not just getting a European data center location. You’re getting virtual server infrastructure that sits at the point where European internet traffic naturally flows. That’s the technical reality of why Amsterdam matters for European internet routing, and why it’s the ideal location for VPS hosting serving European markets.
Ready to deploy in Amsterdam? Explore our Amsterdam VPS hosting plans.