Equinix, the world’s digital infrastructure company, has announced the completion of the construction of AM7 phase 3, an expansion of Equinix’s AM7 International Business Exchange (IBX) in Amsterdam. The US$63 million investment boosts the capacity for further digitisation of local and international customers. To date, Equinix has invested over US$1 billion into its data centres in Amsterdam.
Equinix continues to invest in the Netherlands to support the country’s many emerging technology-driven industries, including financial services, healthcare, manufacturing, content & digital media and the public sector. With data generation and analysis continuing to rapidly increase across these industries, the need to reduce complexity is growing. Traditional network architecture no longer suffices; companies need to implement comprehensive digital architectures to access, store, exchange and analyse data efficiently.
Against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, the urgency for digital leaders to ensure their businesses have robust digital infrastructures and strategies in place is more pronounced than ever. Directly and securely connecting to wide-ranging business ecosystems is vital for competitive advantage. The demand for digital service providers is rising, with IT leaders recognising that interconnection is a key factor in Digital Transformation. In a digital hub such as Amsterdam, where many service providers are at the heart of thriving ecosystems, there is a continuous need for growth.
Key facts:
- The Netherlands has a mature digital infrastructure and an evolved data centre landscape, with its geographic location providing strong connectivity routes to countries around the world. The new era of digital trade has led Internet Exchanges, clouds, networks and service providers to choose to connect via Equinix’s Amsterdam data centres to critical global business ecosystems.
- Equinix is supporting the digital economy of Amsterdam by further investing in its capacity to host growing business ecosystems, enabling enterprises to deploy, extend and enhance their digital infrastructure to be prepared for whatever comes next. The completion of AM7 phase 3 will add 4,125 square metres and 1,420 cabinet equivalents to the existing site, bringing its total capacity to 11,600 square metres.
- Due to the influence of major macro-trends and the emergence of COVID-19-driven changes to business and consumer needs, interconnection bandwidth — the capacity for private data exchange — is predicted to grow by 45% per year through to 2023, according to Equinix’s Global Interconnection Index.
- Equinix is working with enterprises to simplify the transition to digital infrastructure models fit for the future of companies’ success. Through Equinix Fabric and Network Edge, Equinix is empowering digital leaders to architect a network with the agility needed to respond to increasingly dynamic business environments. This enables companies to directly and securely connect to partners, vendors and customers in a quick and scalable manner. Further, Equinix Metal bridges between the public cloud and colocation, making it an essential tool for application owners and developers.
- Equinix is working to protect, connect and power a more sustainable digital world by proactively addressing its environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) impacts. AM7 phase 3 has been built in line with global environmental standards and will contribute to a portfolio of some of the most energy-efficient data centres in the world. It has been designed to make best use of the local environmental conditions and provide ‘co-benefits’ to the local Amsterdam community. Environmental initiatives at the site include the transfer of residual heat to the front-of-house office, and the use of hybrid dry coolers for energy and water efficient cooling. Additionally, preparations are being made to connect residual heat to a low temperature heat network to provide heating to homes and businesses in Amsterdam Southeast.
Michiel Eielts, Managing Director, The Netherlands, Equinix, said: “The importance of digitisation has become clear to everyone, especially during the COVID-19 crisis. The Netherlands embraces digitisation and interconnection, and the direct exchange of data between organisations has become increasingly important. Amsterdam is one of Europe’s most cloud-dense and highly connected cities, offering low-latency connectivity to the rest of the world. Equinix’s AM7 is a state-of-the-art data centre and a key location in Europe. We have worked to ensure it supports large numbers of networks, cloud and service providers in a sustainable and energy-efficient way. That is so important. Rich connectivity is the foundation of successful business ecosystems, allowing participants to develop and grow, while also strengthening each other. AM7 is at the core of the Equinix Southeast campus, which forms an important hub in the international digital infrastructure that businesses need today.”
Eugene Bergen Henegouwen, President, EMEA, Equinix, said: “We are pleased to announce the completion of this latest build in Amsterdam. The increased investment enables us to serve even more customers and support them with highly interconnected ecosystems on Platform Equinix. The expansion of AM7, a strategic hub location, should greatly support Dutch organisations as they continue in their Digital Transformation journeys, helping them thrive in the global digital economy during these challenging times.”
Stijn Grove, Managing Director, Dutch Datacenter Association, said: “It has recently become even clearer that data centres are an indispensable link in our digitally transforming economy and society. Amsterdam has a crucial role to play as a key digital hub and gateway to Europe. AM7 offers new opportunities for the expansion of digital ecosystems and also demonstrates Equinix’s commitment to making their data centres as sustainable as possible.”
