Backblaze (BLZE) Status update summary

Quarterly network traffic highlights

• Added geo-location data to traffic analysis, revealing new insights on where data flows globally and regionally.

• Observed a seasonal dip in traffic during December and January, with a resurgence in February and March.

• Elephant flows—large, high-bandwidth transfers—are increasingly prevalent, driving network innovation and capacity planning.

• NeoCloud and hyperscaler traffic is highly dynamic and bursty, requiring flexible network scaling.

• CDN, hosting, and ISP regional traffic remain steady and predictable, aiding in operational planning.

Regional and network type analysis

• US West remains the primary region for historical content and ISP regional traffic.

• NeoCloud activity is concentrated in US East, correlating with hyperscaler and GPU provider locations.

• Excluding US data, significant traffic is seen in Germany, Netherlands, Singapore, Finland, and the UK.

• Within the US, California and Virginia are major hubs for NeoCloud and hyperscaler activity, with emerging concentrations in Illinois, Georgia, and New Jersey.

• Regional traffic patterns inform decisions on port capacity and network expansion.

Network operations and planning

• Magnitude metric (bits per IP address) highlights intense NeoCloud activity, especially in US East.

• Network upgrades are underway, moving from 100Gbps to 400Gbps and higher to support demand.

• Dynamic NeoCloud landscape requires ongoing adaptation and innovation in connectivity.

• sFlow sampling and network classification enable detailed traffic analysis without exposing customer data.

• Data-driven insights guide business decisions on where to expand and how to optimize network resources.