[phil21]

> Why not a country with more free space, like France?

I can't speak for everyone, but in my case it's laws, regulation, and general friendliness to business enterprises that bring income to the country.

Amsterdam is likely also the best connected area in Europe, the European equivalent of Ashburn, VA.

[FirmwareBurner]

>Amsterdam is likely also the best connected area in Europe, the European equivalent of Ashburn, VA.

Best connected to what exactly? If you ask most people, Vienna is a lot better connected with the rest of europe. Amsterdam is at an edge of the continent.

[phil21]

Fair. I am US-centric, so I care most about trans-Atlantic access. From a peering standpoint we still do more traffic out of Amsterdam than Vienna by quite a far margin.

[FirmwareBurner]

But then Ireland is even closer to the US than Netherlands.

[candiodari]

Not to the internet: https://www.submarinecablemap.com/

Ireland is a satellite, not a hub. The bulk of traffic goes to UK landing stations, then to London.