Lumen Technologies says demand generated by artificial intelligence (AI) and multi-cloud architectures has led it to offer 400 Gbps Ethernet and IP services at more than 70 third-party data centers in 15 densely connected metropolitan markets. One more is slated for the upgrade, and others may be added later.
The 400 Gbps service is available in Northern Virginia, Atlanta, Chicago, Columbus, Dallas, Denver, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, New York City, Phoenix, Portland, San Jose, and Seattle.
San Antonio will be added during the fourth quarter, according to the company.
“This investment isn’t just about faster data center connectivity — it’s about creating the digital foundation for an AI-first economy,” Lumen Chief Revenue Officer Ashley-Haynes Gaspar said in a press release.
“We’re giving customers what they need most: performance, flexibility, and speed at scale–whether they’re turning up a single connection or orchestrating thousands of AI workloads across metro markets.”
The services being offered include ethernet on-demand, internet on-demand; point-to-point ethernet (E-Line); multipoint-to-multipoint ethernet (E-LAN) and simplified access to broader ethernet networks (E-Access).
The demand is great and appears to be growing. Late last month, the Fiber Broadband Association (FBA) released a white paper that said mainstreaming of AI will contribute to a tripling of the capacity of hyperscale data centers by 2029. This growth, the paper said, will require a doubling of fiber route miles and an even bigger increase in total fiber miles.
“The Underappreciated Need to Enable AI and Data Center Growth: Increased and More Strategic Fiber Interconnections,” was written for FBA by RVA LLC. The researchers found that complex and demanding fiber optic interconnections are transitioning from a behind-the-scenes role to one that is vital to AI performance, scalability, and security.
The Trump administration seems to be on board with the growth. Around the same time as the release of the FBA paper, the administration announced a series of 90 policies meant to ensure the United States is competitive in AI. At the same time, President Trump signed three executive orders promoting the technology.
