The Top 10 Digital Capital Ranking
Among the world’s leading digital infrastructure hubs, the Dstream Group’s analysis identified and ranked the top ten locations globally, known as Digital Capitals:
- Frankfurt
- Amsterdam
- London
- Washington D.C. (incl. Ashburn & Reston)
- Paris
- Singapore
- Tokyo
- Bay Area (incl. San Francisco & Silicon Valley)
- Hong Kong
- New York
The study delves into various infrastructure categories such as Internet Exchanges, data centers, connectivity infrastructure, and networks, with Frankfurt emerging as the top Digital Capital. The city boasts 20 thriving Internet Exchanges, 200 terabits of connected port capacity, 2,500 unique networks, and the most interconnected data center landscape globally.
According to Serge Radovcic, a co-author of the study from the Dstream Group, Frankfurt has solidified its position as the Digital Capital in 2025 due to substantial investments in digital infrastructure. The city excels in interconnection, shaping the global Internet ecosystem and driving value creation.
London also performs well in the rankings, particularly in Internet Exchanges and data centers. However, Frankfurt stands out by securing top positions in three categories: IXs (tied with Amsterdam), networks, and data centers.
Internet Exchanges play a crucial role in the digital economy by optimizing data flows, enhancing network resilience, reducing latency, and increasing stability. The study, based on DE-CIX Frankfurt, quantifies the positive impact of peering on business, revealing the hidden champions of digital infrastructure.
DE-CIX CEO, Ivo Ivanov, emphasizes the importance of Frankfurt in global Internet traffic and the significance of Internet Exchanges for the digital economy. He highlights the essential role of high-performance and resilient digital infrastructure in driving innovation across various sectors.
The research methodology combines raw data from public sources, information from industry databases like PeeringDB and Euro-IX, and expert interviews to evaluate the digital landscape. The benchmarking process considers around 30 indicators to assess the strengths and challenges of each location in terms of networks, data centers, connectivity, and Internet Exchanges.
For further details, the full study titled “Frankfurt: The Digital Capital – Internet Exchanges as a success factor for digital ecosystems & economies” is available for download here.
