Alamai Technologies: Attempting to Keep Supply Ahead of Demand
In 2020, the amount of Internet traffic generated by YouTube alone is greater than the amount of traffic on the entire Internet in 2000. Because of video streaming and the explosion in mobile devices demanding high-bandwidth applications, Internet traffic has more than quadrupled since 2011 and is predicted to double
from 2019 to 2022 (see Figure 3.18). Internet video is now a majority of Internet traffic and will reach over 82% by 2022, according to Cisco. Mobile platform traffic is expected to grow sevenfold between 2017 and 2022. Cisco estimates that annual global Internet traffic will be around 4.8 zettabytes in 2022: that’s 4,800 exabytes, or, in other words, 48 ,with 19 zeroes behind it!
FIGURE 3.18 THE GROWTH OF INTERNET TRAFFIC
5000
4000
3000
2000
1000
How big is an exabyte?
1 exabyte is equivalent to 100,000 times all the printed material in the U.S. Library of Congress ( commonly estimated to be about 10 terabytes)
4.8 zettabytes “‘ •
3.8 zettabytes “‘ •
3.0 zettabytes “‘
• 2.4 zettabytes “‘-/
1.9 zettabytes “‘- /•
1.5 zettabytes “‘- /•
0 I I I I I
2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
SOURCES: Based on data from Cisco, 2018.