Hetzner Enhances European DDoS Protection With Nokia Deepfield Defender

Hetzner, the German cloud provider and data center operator, has deployed Nokia’s Deepfield Defender platform to enhance distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) protection across its European data center infrastructure. The deployment follows a period of extensive testing and is designed to address increasing cybersecurity risks associated with AI-driven applications and hyperscale workloads.

The integration of the Deepfield Defender platform allows Hetzner to embed security directly into its network fabric. According to reporting from Telecompaper and Techmezine, the solution utilizes AI-driven detection and multi-layer mitigation to identify and neutralize DDoS threats.

Technical specifications of the system include detection based on the IETF standard format of IPFIX IE315 uncached traffic samples, which the company identifies as providing the fastest detection capabilities for the network.

Strategic Infrastructure Expansion

This security upgrade is part of a broader partnership between the two companies to modernize Hetzner’s core network. In March 2025, Nokia and Hetzner announced a deployment of carrier-grade routing solutions, which initially went live in Germany and Finland before expanding across Europe.

That earlier infrastructure project focused on scalability and energy efficiency, utilizing Nokia 7750 SR-1x routers and single-lambda 100G transceivers. The architecture was designed to support future growth with 400G and 800G interconnectivity.

Through close collaboration with Nokia, we have been able to integrate new technology effectively into our system. This has ensured we remain flexible and agile whilst improving our data centers to meet our customer’s needs.

Martin Fritzsche, Head of Network at Hetzner

The routing deployment also integrated gNMI-based telemetry, providing real-time network visibility to allow for automated operations with minimal manual intervention.

Market Context and Security Pressures

The move to adopt AI-driven security tools comes as cloud networks face mounting pressure from the deployment of high-demand AI workloads. These applications often require higher bandwidth and greater network availability, which can also be leveraged by malicious actors to launch more sophisticated DDoS attacks.

By implementing the Deepfield Defender, Hetzner aims to maintain industry-leading uptime and ensure seamless digital experiences for its business and end-user clients across the European market.

Empowering one of Europe’s largest hosting providers with state-of-the-art reliability and performance is key to driving the next generation of digital services. With our leading routing technology, Hetzner gains the scalability, automation, and energy efficiency needed to meet growing demands while optimizing operational efficiency.

Matthieu Bourguignon, Senior Vice President for Network Infrastructure Europe, Nokia

The combined effort of updating routing hardware and deploying AI-driven security measures reflects a trend among European data center operators to transition toward future-proof architectures that prioritize both resilience and sustainability.