Equinix Opens State-of-the-Art Data Center in Amsterdam

New European data center facilitates interconnection and enables businesses to extend their digital edge

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Jul 05, 2017, 04:00 ET

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. and AMSTERDAM, July 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Equinix, Inc. (Nasdaq: EQIX), the global interconnection and data center company, today announced the opening of its new International Business Exchange^™ (IBX^®) data center in Amsterdam at its Science Park campus. The $113M facility, called AM4, supports the increasing demand for interconnection capacity to accelerate business performance.

Equinix's new AM4 International Business Exchange™ (IBX®) data center in Amsterdam at its Science Park campus officially opens on July 5. The $113M vertical structure sits adjacent to AM3 and supports the increasing demand for interconnection capacity to accelerate business performance.

According to Cisco, global IP traffic is set to increase nearly threefold in the next five years[1]. This growth in IP traffic will accelerate the need for greater connectivity for organizations hoping to create business value as they undergo digital transformation. AM4 enables companies to extend network infrastructure to the digital edge and enhance workload performance by shortening the distance between services and users.

Highlights / Key Facts

The European Commission's Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI) 2017[2] ranks the Netherlands as the 4th most advanced digital economy in the EU, and the Netherlands also ranks 4^th on the Global Competitiveness Index 2016-2017 (WEF)[3]. Digital infrastructure and interconnection capacity facilitates the flow of global data in and out of this market which opens up new business opportunities across markets and drives the larger digital economy.
The Netherlands has connections to more than 150 global submarine cables networks and Equinix data centers in Amsterdam represent one of the densest network concentrations in the world. This massive amount of network connectivity combined with the latest advancements in data center technology provides Dutch businesses with significant choice when strategizing future IT deployments. For this reason, multinationals looking to expand into Europe also consider Amsterdam a top destination, as it locating there facilitates connectivity to 80 percent of Europe within 50 milliseconds to maximize performance.
Today Equinix operates multiple Amsterdam data center campuses and the addition of AM4 further increases capacity to meet growing demand for hybrid cloud, interconnection and connectivity to business ecosystems across a number of vertical markets and internet exchanges. High connectivity makes Amsterdam Science Park an attractive location and cloud hotspot in Europe, which handles approximately 38 percent of the Dutch data traffic, making it the second-largest data route in the Netherlands.
The initial phase of AM4 includes space for 1,555 cabinets and is planned to have four expansion phases. At full build the vertical facility will represent a total investment of $189 million and provide 4,200 cabinets across eight floors with more than 125,000 gross square feet (11,500 square meters) of data center space.
Amsterdam is considered the digital gateway to Europe[4] and Equinix Amsterdam has more than 700 customers, providing connections to over 150 network service providers and access to an established cloud ecosystem which includes leading CSPs such as AWS, Google Cloud Platform, Microsoft Azure, Microsoft Office 365, Oracle, and IBM Softlayer. This broad choice of cloud options enable businesses to flexibly create a multi-cloud environment to meet their changing IT needs. Additionally, Equinix brings together buyers and sellers of cloud services via the Equinix Cloud Exchange™ in more than 20 markets globally including Amsterdam.
Equinix has a long-term goal of using 100 percent clean and renewable energy for its global platform and continues to make advancements in the way it designs, builds and operates its data centers with high energy efficiency standards. For example, Equinix's Amsterdam data centers at Science Park realize significant energy savings and reduction in their CO2 footprint using an in-ground Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage, instead of mechanical cooling, and has one of the lowest operating PUE's in the retail colocation sector.

Quotes

Penny Jones, senior analyst, European Services at 451 Research:
"With its connectivity to continental Europe as well London and the Nordics, Amsterdam has become a key hub for cloud and other service providers to offer enterprise interconnection. European enterprises are starting to realize their current network architecture is no longer optimal for digital transformation as they journey to the cloud. A deployment in a network-dense interconnection-oriented facility such as that being offered in Amsterdam could be a viable option to support their digital transformation."
Nina Tellegen, director, Amsterdam Economic Board:
"The Netherlands is one of the leading drivers of data centers in Europe. Thanks to its excellent connectivity, Amsterdam is the world's largest internet hub, making the digital sector one of the three main ports, next to Schiphol and the port of Rotterdam. Equinix' new data center AM4 ensures that Amsterdam remains the global internet hub and that European organizations are supported in their digital transformation."
Eric Schwartz, president EMEA, Equinix:
"Amsterdam has long been a key digital gateway and a significant piece of Equinix's global data center footprint. Businesses are increasingly looking for network-rich locations that have cloud connectivity but are also located in close proximity to end users. By moving IT to these sort of environments, businesses create a digital edge that increases performance and end-user experience, but also allows them to adapt to meet future needs. The addition of AM4 gives these businesses yet another way to interconnect in this key market."

Additional Resources

A New Amsterdam Data Center, a New Path to the Digital Edge [blog]
Equinix AM4 launch [video]
Interconnection 101 by 451 Research [analyst report]
Equinix Amsterdam data centers [website]

About Equinix
Equinix, Inc. (Nasdaq: EQIX) connects the world's leading businesses to their customers, employees and partners inside the most interconnected data centers. In 44 markets across five continents, Equinix is where companies come together to realize new opportunities and accelerate their business, IT and cloud strategies. www.equinix.com.

Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from expectations discussed in such forward-looking statements. Factors that might cause such differences include, but are not limited to, the challenges of acquiring, operating and constructing IBX centers and developing, deploying and delivering Equinix services; unanticipated costs or difficulties relating to the integration of companies we have acquired or will acquire into Equinix; a failure to receive significant revenue from customers in recently built out or acquired data centers; failure to complete any financing arrangements contemplated from time to time; competition from existing and new competitors; the ability to generate sufficient cash flow or otherwise obtain funds to repay new or outstanding indebtedness; the loss or decline in business from our key customers; and other risks described from time to time in Equinix's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. In particular, see Equinix's recent quarterly and annual reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, copies of which are available upon request from Equinix. Equinix does not assume any obligation to update the forward-looking information contained in this press release.

[1] Cisco Visual Networking Index: Forecast and Methodology, 2016–2021, http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/solutions/collateral/service-provider/visual-networking-index-vni/complete-white-paper-c11-481360.html
[2] https://ec.europa.eu/digital-single-market/en/desi
[3] http://www3.weforum.org/docs/GCR2016-2017/05FullReport/TheGlobalCompetitivenessReport2016-2017_FINAL.pdf
[4] Dutch Digital Infrastructure 2016, by Deloitte Consulting, November 2016. https://www.dinl.nl/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/17112016-Dutch-Digital-Infrastructure-Report-2016.pdf

SOURCE Equinix, Inc.