What is AMS-IX?
AMS-IX (Amsterdam Internet Exchange) is one of the world's largest internet exchange points (IXPs). It is a neutral, not-for-profit facility in Amsterdam where hundreds of internet service providers, content delivery networks, cloud providers, and networks connect and exchange internet traffic with each other.
AMS-IX is where the internet's traffic lanes converge in Europe. When your VPS connects to AMS-IX, your data has the most direct possible path to virtually any network on the planet.
How Does an Internet Exchange Work?
Normally, data travelling between two networks passes through multiple intermediate providers (transit), each adding latency and cost. An IXP creates a shared switching fabric where member networks connect directly — data between two AMS-IX members travels just a few milliseconds, regardless of their size or geography.
AMS-IX operates multiple high-capacity switching platforms across Amsterdam, connected by dark fibre. Member networks connect their routers to AMS-IX and announce the IP routes they can reach. Other members then send traffic destined for those routes directly, bypassing expensive transit providers.
AMS-IX Scale & Significance
| Metric | AMS-IX |
|---|---|
| Peak traffic | 10+ Tbps |
| Connected networks | 900+ members |
| Physical locations | Multiple Amsterdam sites |
| Founded | 1994 |
| Legal structure | Not-for-profit association |
How AMS-IX Affects Your VPS Performance
Our AMS1 datacenter at Cessnalaan 50, Schiphol-Rijk has direct physical connectivity to AMS-IX. This means traffic from your VPS to any AMS-IX member network takes the most direct possible path — no unnecessary hops through transit providers.
Practically, this means:
- Forex traders: IC Markets and Exness colocate servers in Amsterdam on AMS-IX, delivering 2–3ms latency
- European websites: Sub-20ms latency to most EU users, improving Core Web Vitals
- Global reach: Major CDNs, cloud providers (AWS, Google, Microsoft), and ISPs all peer at AMS-IX
- Reliability: Multiple redundant paths to thousands of networks
Why Amsterdam > Frankfurt or London
All three cities have major internet exchanges, but AMS-IX consistently carries more traffic and has more connected networks than LINX (London) or DE-CIX (Frankfurt). Amsterdam also sits more centrally in Western Europe, giving better average latency to the continent as a whole. See our full guide on why Amsterdam is the best EU VPS location.
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