Web infrastructure in Chicago
Chicago is a major data center hub in the United States, hosting 26 facilities and 13 internet exchange points. The city's central location and dense fiber infrastructure make it a primary interconnect point for the Midwest and beyond. Operators here serve a wide range of clients from content delivery networks to enterprise IT.
Chicago as an internet hub
Leading operators include Cogent Communications, Inc. with 3 facilities, plus CoreSite, DataBank, Digital Realty, Lumen Technologies Inc, and Colocation America Corporation each with 2 facilities. Centersquare and Crown Castle Inc. also operate single facilities. Equinix Chicago is the largest exchange with 251 connected networks, followed by DE-CIX Chicago with 78 networks.
Chicago offers strong connectivity to both coasts and Canada through multiple IXPs and carrier hotels. Enterprises, cloud providers, and financial services firms buy colocation and cross-connects here to reach diverse carrier options and low-latency peering within the Equinix and DE-CIX ecosystems.
Key facts
- CoreSite, DataBank, and Digital Realty each operate two data centers in Chicago.
- Equinix Chicago connects 251 networks, the largest IXP in the city.
- DE-CIX Chicago connects 78 networks, the second-largest exchange.
- 13 internet exchange points operate in Chicago.
- Cogent Communications, Inc. has three data center facilities in the market.
Data centers in Chicago
All 26 facilities →Equinix CH1/CH2/CH4 - Chicago
Equinix, Inc.
13 carriers
Digital Realty CHI (350 E Cermak)
Digital Realty
5 carriers
CoreSite - Chicago (CH1)
CoreSite
3 carriers
CoreSite - Chicago (CH2)
CoreSite
2 carriers
Netrality Chicago - 717 S Wells
Netrality Data Centers
2 carriers
QTS Chicago (CHI1)
QTS Realty Trust, Inc.
2 carriers
Digital Realty CHI (600-780 S Federal)
Digital Realty
1 carriers
SBA Edge, LLC
SBA Edge, LLC
1 carriers
TierPoint Chicago - Polk
TierPoint, LLC
1 carriers
365 Data Centers Chicago (CH6)
365 Data Centers
CDC1 - 350 E Cermak Rd
Colocation America Corporation
CDC2 - 600 S Federal st
Colocation America Corporation
Centersquare Chicago (ORD1)
Centersquare
CME Cermak
CME Group
Cogent Chicago 1
Cogent Communications, Inc.
Cogent Chicago 2
Cogent Communications, Inc.
Cogent Chicago 3
Cogent Communications, Inc.
Crown Castle Chicago (725 S Wells)
Crown Castle Inc.
DataBank Chicago (ORD1)
DataBank, Ltd.
DataBank Chicago (ORD2)
DataBank, Ltd.
Level(3) Chicago (Canal)
Lumen Technologies Inc
Level(3) Chicago (Kingsbury)
Lumen Technologies Inc
Northwestern University co-location facility
710facility@ittns.northwestern.edu
Printer's Square Chicago (600 S Federal)
Printer's Square