Introduction
Amsterdam isn’t just another data center location for European internet traffic. It’s where the majority of European traffic actually flows through. More data passes through Amsterdam data centers for European countries than any other continental location. This isn’t accidental. It results from decades of infrastructure investment, strategic subsea cable landings, and Amsterdam’s position as Europe’s primary internet gateway.
At ColossusCloud, we operate Amsterdam VPS hosting infrastructure from Digital Realty AMS7 facility (formerly Interxion), placing us right in the traffic flow middle. Here’s why that matters for European operations.
Why Amsterdam handles more European traffic than anywhere else
The numbers confirm: Amsterdam processes more internet traffic flows for European countries than any other location. After Germany, Amsterdam is the second busiest internet transit hub globally. But Amsterdam’s criticality isn’t just location. It’s the subsea cables landing there.
Subsea cables: Amsterdam’s advantage
Amsterdam serves as primary landing point for multiple transatlantic and intercontinental submarine cable systems. These aren’t just cables. They’re European internet connectivity’s literal backbone. When subsea cables land in Amsterdam, they create natural routing points for traffic heading to and from European countries.
Why this matters: When subsea cables land in Amsterdam, that’s where traffic enters Europe. From there, it routes to final destinations whether London, Paris, Berlin, or elsewhere. Because Amsterdam is where cables terminate, it becomes the natural hub for continental traffic distribution.
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 huge percentages of traffic destined for European countries first arrive in Amsterdam. From there, it routes to final destinations. This explains why Amsterdam data centers see such high traffic volumes. They sit at the point where international traffic enters Europe and gets distributed.
Traffic flow advantage
Because Amsterdam is where subsea cables land, it becomes primary routing point for European internet traffic. Hosting VPS servers in Amsterdam means:
- Shorter routing paths: Traffic doesn’t need detours through other cities
- Lower latency: Fewer network hops mean faster connections for VPS hosting
- Better performance: Virtual servers are at traffic flow source, not downstream
This explains why Amsterdam handles more data traffic flows for European countries than geographically more central locations. It’s not about distance. It’s about being where cables land and traffic naturally routes. For VPS hosting, this translates to better European user performance.
Our Digital Realty AMS7 facility
At ColossusCloud, we operate Amsterdam infrastructure from Digital Realty AMS7 facility (formerly Interxion AMS7). This isn’t just any data center. It’s a Tier III+ facility specifically designed for high traffic volumes flowing through Amsterdam.
Why AMS7 matters
AMS7 is strategically positioned within Amsterdam’s internet infrastructure. It’s carrier-neutral, meaning connections to multiple network providers ensuring optimal routing and redundancy. Current partners include leading network providers Cogent and NTT, providing direct access to high-capacity networks carrying European internet traffic.
Future AMS-IX connectivity
While not currently directly connected to AMS-IX (Amsterdam Internet Exchange), plans exist for future connection. AMS-IX is among world’s largest internet exchanges, handling over 11 terabits per second peak traffic. Establishing this connection will provide even more direct routing options and lower latency for European traffic.
Currently, Cogent and NTT partnerships, combined with Amsterdam’s traffic hub position, provide excellent connectivity and performance for European markets.
What this means for Amsterdam VPS hosting
Hosting VPS servers in Amsterdam means infrastructure sitting at European internet traffic flow heart:
Lower European market latency
Because Amsterdam is where traffic naturally flows, VPS servers have shorter routing paths to European destinations:
- Faster response times for European users accessing virtual servers
- Better performance for real-time applications on Amsterdam VPS
- Improved user experience across continent for hosted services
Better VPS hosting connectivity
AMS7’s carrier-neutral design enables routing through most efficient paths. With Cogent and NTT partnerships, access exists to high-capacity networks carrying bulk European internet traffic. This directly benefits VPS hosting performance.
Reliability through redundancy
AMS7 provides enterprise-grade infrastructure with redundant power, cooling, and network connections. Combined with Amsterdam’s traffic hub position, VPS hosting services benefit from multiple redundancy layers ensuring maximum uptime.
Technical reality: traffic flow numbers
Statistics tell the story: Amsterdam is second busiest internet transit hub globally, second only to Germany. But examining traffic flows specifically for European countries, Amsterdam often leads.
This isn’t marketing. It’s network routing result. When subsea cables land in Amsterdam, traffic needs routing. Amsterdam’s routing infrastructure efficiently distributes that traffic across Europe. This creates natural traffic flow concentration through Amsterdam data centers.
For businesses hosting VPS servers in Amsterdam:
- Virtual servers sit at natural traffic routing points
- High-capacity networks carrying European traffic are available
- Optimal routing paths to European destinations for VPS hosting
- Positioning is where traffic flows, not where it’s going
This explains why Amsterdam VPS hosting offers such excellent European market performance. Virtual servers sit at natural European internet traffic routing points.
Why subsea cables give Amsterdam the edge
Subsea cable advantage is real and differentiates Amsterdam from other European data center locations:
Cable landing points create traffic hubs
When subsea cables land in Amsterdam, they don’t just connect Amsterdam to other continents. They create routing points. Traffic through those cables needs distribution, and Amsterdam’s routing infrastructure handles that distribution.
This creates feedback loops: more cables land in Amsterdam because it’s good routing point, and Amsterdam becomes better routing point because more cables land there. This maintains Amsterdam’s position as Europe’s traffic hub for decades.
Routing advantage
Because subsea cables land in Amsterdam, BGP (Border Gateway Protocol) routing tables naturally route European traffic through Amsterdam. This isn’t controlled. It’s how internet routing protocols work. When traffic destines for Europe with Amsterdam entry point, that’s where it routes.
For our AMS7 facility, this means positioning at natural routing points. Traffic doesn’t need detours or extra hops. It flows through Amsterdam because that’s where cables land and routing infrastructure is optimized.
Real-world performance benefits for Amsterdam VPS hosting
What this means practically: hosting VPS servers in Amsterdam provides:
Optimized routing paths
VPS hosting traffic benefits from Amsterdam’s routing hub position. Instead of circuitous paths through multiple cities, traffic flows efficiently through Amsterdam’s optimized routing infrastructure. This means faster virtual server connections.
Access to high-capacity networks
Cogent and NTT partnerships provide direct access to high-capacity networks carrying European internet traffic. These aren’t small regional networks. They’re backbone carrying continent-wide traffic. Amsterdam VPS hosting benefits directly from high-capacity connections.
Future-proof infrastructure
Plans for AMS-IX connection will further enhance VPS hosting connectivity options. But even without that direct connection, Amsterdam’s traffic hub position means virtual servers already benefit from optimal European destination routing.
The bottom line
Amsterdam isn’t important for European internet routing because of marketing. 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 routes to final destinations. This creates natural traffic flow concentration through Amsterdam data centers.
At ColossusCloud, Amsterdam VPS hosting infrastructure is positioned at Digital Realty AMS7 facility to leverage this traffic flow. The facility is designed for high traffic volumes flowing through Amsterdam, with carrier-neutral connectivity and major network provider partnerships.
Hosting VPS servers in Amsterdam doesn’t just mean European data center location. It means virtual server infrastructure at natural European internet traffic flow points. That’s the technical reality of why Amsterdam matters for European internet routing and ideal VPS hosting location for European markets.
Ready to deploy in Amsterdam? Explore our VPS hosting plans.