Fifth data hub for US-based internet giant
EQUINEX IS TO OPEN A NEW CENTRE IN GREATER MANCHESTER
AN INTERNET and data centre giant is to open its fifth site with an investment worth more than £60m.
US firm Equinix said its new International Business Exchange (IBX) data centre will be based in the Agecroft Commerce Park in Salford.
The California-headquartered firm said Manchester occupies a “key strategic location” at the intersection of the UK’s highly resilient “figure-of-eight” fibreoptic network.
The new IBX – called MA5 – will be Equinix’s fifth data centre in the Greater Manchester area and is scheduled to open in the second quarter of 2022.
Lorraine Wilkinson, vice president, UK, Equinix, said: “With a rich industrial history, Manchester has long been one of the UK’s leading cities for business, catering to globally renowned companies and start-ups looking to grow and scale their operations.
“MA5 will provide high-speed connectivity to the North of England, facilitating the next generation of digital transformation within the region. The new site will bring Equinix’s total investment in Manchester to over £130m, and over £1bn in the UK’s digital infrastructure as a whole.”
The firm employs about 1,000 people in the UK – and said the new MA5 centre will have a headcount of about 50.
Equinix, which is listed on the Nasdaq Stock Market, said MA5 had been designed for ‘high density deployments’ in support of digital transformation projects across industries.
It will offer ‘state-of-the-art’ colocation, interconnection and edge services – making it a new interconnection hub and remote geo-redundant deployment location for London.
The firm said the move to open the 6,480sq m site was in a bid to level up the UK’s digital economy. Russell Poole, MD, UK, added: “This new investment is a significant addition to our existing portfolio in the UK.
“MA5 forms part of a wider investment in the UK’s digital infrastructure, and cements Britain’s position as one of the most important markets globally to do business.” UK Science and Innovation Minister George Freeman, added: “We are investing in next-generation digital technologies to support UK businesses to build back better from the pandemic.”
Manchester has long been one of the UK’s leading cities for business Lorraine Wilkinson, vice president, UK, Equinix