Equinix has announced the opening of a new $113 million International Business Exchange data center in Amsterdam.
The Equinix AM4 facility has space for over 1,500 cabinets in Phase One, and is expected to grow with four planned expansion phases. At full build, the data center will have 4,200 cabinets comprising 125,000 square feet (11,500 square meters) of usable space.
The AM4 data center, along with Equinix’s existing facilities, uses in-ground Aquifer Thermal Energy storage instead of mechanical cooling, helping the company to maintain one of the lowest operating PUEs in the retail colocation market, according to the company’s press release.
Equinix data centers are designed, built and operated with high energy efficiency standards, reflecting the company’s long-term goal of using 100% clean and renewable energy worldwide.
When the final phase is complete, the data center will represent a total investment of $189 million for Equinix.
Michiel Eielts, MD of Equinix Benelux, said in a blog post that the new data center will help customers to thrive at the digital edge. “Our global colocation and interconnection platform, Platform Equinix™, already includes 175+ facilities in 44 markets on five continents. The minute AM4 opens July 5, it will greatly expand our customers’ opportunities at the digital edge, not just in Amsterdam, but regionally and globally.”
The AM4 data center is located in the Amsterdam Science Park, the second-largest data route in the Netherlands through which 38 % of total Dutch data traffic is routed. The new facility has been added to improve connectivity and provide low latency to 700 current customers, while offering attractive data center and cloud options for new customers as well.
The AM4 was designed to allow companies to extend infrastructure to the digital edge, and to improve workload performance measures by shortening the physical separation between data and customer.
Equinix EMEA President, Eric Schwartz, noted that Amsterdam itself is an important part of the company’s global footprint, representing the digital gateway to Europe for many clients.
“Businesses are increasingly looking for network-rich locations that have cloud connectivity but are also located in close proximity to end users,” he said. “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.”
