Enhancing Riyadh's Internet Exchange Point (IXP) by LINX with 400 Gigabit Ethernet (GE) Connectivity to Boost Saudi Arabia's Digital Development

Enhancing Riyadh's Internet Exchange Point (IXP) by LINX with 400 Gigabit Ethernet (GE) Connectivity to Boost Saudi Arabia's Digital Development

Center3's Data Center Upgrade Boosts Saudi Arabia's Digital Hub Ambitions

Center3, a subsidiary of STC Group, has successfully completed a significant network upgrade at its data center in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. This upgrade, powered by the London Internet Exchange (LINX), has enhanced the Internet Exchange Point (IXP) and positioned the Riyadh IXP to meet the growing demand for high-capacity, low-latency interconnection services.

The LINX network upgrade has significantly improved the speed and resilience of the network, introducing 100GE and 400GE services. This enhancement is expected to support the growing customer demand and global interconnection needs, strengthening Riyadh’s role as a digital hub in the region.

This upgrade is a key part of Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 digital transformation agenda. By expanding network capacity and resilience, the upgrade supports the Kingdom’s transition into a regional digital hub, enabling robust and scalable infrastructure critical for Vision 2030’s goals of fostering a digital economy and enhancing connectivity within the country and internationally.

Center3 plans to accelerate data center expansion, aiming for a total capacity of 1 Gigawatt by 2030, further aligning with Vision 2030’s objectives to build a modern, high-performance digital infrastructure backbone throughout Saudi Arabia. Over $3B has already been invested by Center3, with an additional $10B planned for building a next-generation, carrier-neutral data center ecosystem.

Halil Kama, Director for the Middle East at LINX, stated that the upgrades ensure the Riyadh IXP remains at the forefront of regional interconnection. Since the inception of the LINX-powered IXP in Jeddah in 2019, the partnership between LINX and Center3 has played a pivotal role in shaping the Kingdom's interconnection landscape. The upgrades were carried out at the Remal facility (RDC102), and the enhanced network is now poised to meet the growing demand for high-capacity, low-latency interconnection services from global networks, content providers, and enterprises.

The upgraded network at Center3's Riyadh data center marks a major milestone in the evolution of the Internet Exchange Point (IXP) in Riyadh. Since its launch in 2024, the IXP in Riyadh has rapidly become a cornerstone of Saudi Arabia's digital infrastructure. Riyadh is fast emerging as a global digital hub due to these upgrades, with the enhanced network enabling 400GE capabilities and expanding 100GE availability. This positions the Riyadh IXP to meet the growing demand for high-capacity, low-latency interconnection from global networks, content providers, and enterprises.

In summary, the LINX network upgrade at Center3’s IXP has enhanced network speed and resilience, strengthened Riyadh’s role as a digital hub in the region, directly contributed to Vision 2030 by enabling scalable, future-ready digital infrastructure, and is complemented by planned data center capacity expansion at Center3, scaling up to 1 Gigawatt by 2030. The partnership between LINX and Center3 shows no signs of slowing down, with the upgrades ensuring the Riyadh IXP remains at the forefront of regional interconnection.

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