Lumen Turbocharges Data Centers with Up To 400Gbps Connectivity to Fuel AI

Lumen announced that it is stepping up with major enhancements to data center and cloud connectivity across its U.S. network. This strategic expansion will enable Lumen to deliver blazing-fast, secure, cost-efficient infrastructure with up to 400Gbps Ethernet and IP Services at more than 70 third-party, cloud on-ramp ready data centers across 16 highly connected metro markets.

“This investment isn’t just about faster data center connectivity–it’s about creating the digital foundation for an AI-first economy,” said Ashley-Haynes Gaspar, Lumen’s Chief Revenue Officer. “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.”

With Lumen’s expansive fiber network, customers can quickly turn up services as needed–provisioning bandwidth in minutes, scaling up to 400Gbps and only paying for what they use. This makes it easy to connect to data centers and cloud on-ramps, scale enterprise applications, and respond to fluctuating AI and data-intensive demands, all while managing costs. Because Lumen owns and operates the underlying network, customers benefit from greater control, reliability, and performance.

“Lumen’s network investment in bringing high-speed connectivity to key data centers is a strategic move to meet the growing demand for more capacity and reach across data centers, anticipating customer needs amid the AI boom where network is emerging as an indispensable resource,” said Ghassan Abdo, vice president of research, worldwide telecommunications, IDC. “This expansion supports AI-first planning and multi-cloud architectures, ensuring a high-performance environment for business applications, which are the lifeblood of digital enterprises.”

High-speed data center connectivity up to 400Gbps is now available in the following metro markets:

Lumen solutions available at these data centers support speeds up to 400Gbps–built to meet the demands of AI, cloud, and next-generation enterprise workloads. Customers can access:

“This expansion is just the beginning,” added Haynes-Gaspar. “As enterprises race to harness the power of AI, Lumen is building the network foundation they need to move faster, scale smarter, and stay ahead. We’re not just keeping up with digital transformation, we’re helping our customers lead it.”

Lumen operates one of the most widely interconnected networks in the U.S. The Lumen network is designed to deliver <5 milliseconds of latency at the edge to meet 97% of U.S. enterprise demand and offers true network agility by enabling connectivity to all major cloud providers, 2,200+ third-party data centers, and more than 163,000 on-net customer locations.

Lumen is continuing to invest in the company’s network, expanding its footprint with a goal to reach 47 million intercity fiber miles by the end of 2028. By focusing on targeted infrastructure upgrades and investments that support high-growth markets, Lumen is building a foundation that delivers the modern, flexible digital infrastructure and connectivity that modern enterprises demand.

Source: Lumen media announcement