Backblaze Data Shows AI Is Changing Network Traffic
Techstrong.IT, Tuesday, February 3rd, 2026
Artificial intelligence is no longer just reshaping compute infrastructure, it is now fundamentally altering how data moves across networks. That's the central conclusion of Backblaze's Q4 2025 Network Stats report, which draws on real-world production traffic to reveal how AI workloads are driving new trends in network traffic.
The cloud storage provider's analysis points to a decisive break from traditional internet traffic patterns. Instead of many-to-many connections spread broadly across regions, AI-driven workloads are producing fewer but far larger data flows, sustained over persistent links between storage and specialized compute platforms known as neoclouds. (Examples of neoclouds include CoreWeave and Nebius.) These patterns reflect the growing influence of large-scale model training and inference on network design.
Backblaze's data shows that neocloud-related traffic rose steadily from July through November, peaking in October. At the same time, migration traffic, based on large data transfers over private fiber links used to onboard massive datasets, surged between August and October before tapering off. While those peaks have passed, the company says the overall baseline level of network activity has now set at a higher level.