Opinion · 4 min read
The power wall: can the grid keep up with AI compute?
The bottleneck for the next phase of digital infrastructure is not chips or fibre. It is electricity.
By David Okafor · Data Centre Correspondent
Global digital infrastructure intelligence
Mapping the digital infrastructure that connects our world.
FiberCities documents and explains the fibre networks, cities, countries, data centres, subsea cables and internet exchanges that power modern civilisation — the reference layer beneath the digital economy.
Why digital infrastructure matters
Every video call, payment, search and sensor depends on a vast physical system most people never see. FiberCities makes that system legible — country by country, city by city — so policymakers, investors, operators and the curious can understand the networks shaping the 21st century.
- Countries
- 3+
- Cities
- 3+
- Topics
- 10+
Countries
Featured countries
National digital-infrastructure profiles, from fibre coverage to subsea landings.
Europe
France
Near-universal FTTH availability
- Population
- 68.2M
- FTTH coverage
- ~90%+
Europe
Germany
FTTH coverage rising rapidly from a historically low base
- Population
- 84.4M
- FTTH homes passed
- Rising fast
Europe
United Kingdom
Full fibre (FTTP) available to a majority of premises and climbing rapidly
- Population
- 67.6M
- Gigabit-capable
- ~83%
Cities
Featured cities
Metro-level connectivity profiles, with a preview of the FiberCities Index.
74 Index
Glasgow
United Kingdom · Europe
Full-fibre available from multiple operators across significant portions of the city
View profile →
92 Index
London
United Kingdom · Europe
Multiple overbuilt full-fibre networks across most of the metro
View profile →
81 Index
Manchester
United Kingdom · Europe
High — among the most competitive full-fibre markets in the UK
View profile →Insights
Latest insights
News, analysis, features and research on the infrastructure layer.
Analysis · 5 min read
The great UK altnet consolidation has begun
After years of land-grab overbuild, the UK’s independent fibre builders are entering a long-predicted phase of mergers and rationalisation.
By Elena Marsh · Infrastructure Editor
Features · 6 min read
Why Frankfurt became Europe’s interconnection capital
A combination of geography, neutral exchanges and abundant power turned a single German city into the gravitational centre of European internet traffic.
By David Okafor · Data Centre Correspondent
Infrastructure
Infrastructure topics
The building blocks of connectivity, explained in long-form.
Fibre Networks
Backbone Networks
The long-haul core that carries aggregated traffic between cities, regions and countries.
Read more →Connectivity
Connectivity
How the pieces fit together — access, backbone, peering, subsea and compute — into a working internet.
Read more →Fibre Networks
Dark Fibre
Unlit fibre strands leased to operators and enterprises that supply their own optical equipment.
Read more →Data Centres
Data Centres
The facilities that house compute and storage — now reshaped by power constraints and the AI build-out.
Read more →Fibre Networks
FTTH — Fibre to the Home
The gold standard of fixed broadband: a continuous fibre connection all the way to the residence.
Read more →Fibre Networks
FTTP — Fibre to the Premises
The broader umbrella term covering fibre delivered to homes and business premises alike.
Read more →2Africa
One of the longest subsea systems in the world, encircling Africa and landing in Europe.
- Length
- 45,000 km
- Status
- In service
- RFS
- 2024
Frankfurt Interxion Cluster
Continental Europe’s primary interconnection hub, adjacent to DE-CIX.
- Power
- 500+ MW
- Operator
- Digital Realty
- Country
- germany
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