Localizing the Digital Economy: Why the Middle East Is Investing in IXPs

Between 2024 and 2026, governments, hyperscalers, carriers, and data‑center operators have converged around a shared realization: whoever controls the flow of digital traffic controls the future of economic competitiveness. At the center of this shift are Internet Exchange Points (IXPs), once quiet pieces of infrastructure that now sit at the heart of cloud expansion, AI acceleration, and digital sovereignty. The Middle East region’s digital transformation has been rapid.