Netflix Signs on With AMS-IX in New York

Streaming video juggernaut Netflix will be the first customer for AMS-IX New York, making it the first major Internet player to ink a deal with an Internet Exchange created through the Open-IX initiative in the U.S. This agreement follows Netflix’s connection to AMS-IX in Amsterdam earlier this year.

The announcement is not a surprise, as Netflix executives have been involved in the formation of Open-IX, a new network of neutral, member-governed exchanges that allow participants to trade traffic. The group is embracing a non-profit model that is widely used in Europe and spreads exchange operations across multiple data centers in a market.

AMS-IX USA Inc. has struck deals with Digital Realty, DuPont Fabros Technology, Sabey Data Centers and 325 Hudson in the New York/New Jersey area to build a distributed Internet Exchange, named AMS-IX New York. AMS-IX also plans to open exchanges in the Chicago and Silicon Valley markets, which are currently planned to go live in the first half of 2014.

“Netflix has been one of the key drivers of the Open-IX initiative," said David Temkin, Director of Network Architecture and Strategy and Chair Board of Directors of the Open-IX Association. "With our connection to AMS-IX New York we can finally get benefit from the European Internet Exchange model in the US. Moreover, our experience with AMS-IX in Amsterdam made it an easy choice to connect to AMS-IX New York as well.”