Inside Equinix’s SY4 data centre.
Equinix is set to pump $13.3 million into an expansion of its ME1 International Business Exchange data centre in Melbourne.
The final expansion of the company’s Melbourne data centre will add 375 new cabinets to the facility. The expansion is scheduled for completion in the third quarter of 2018, at which point it will have a total capacity of 1,500 cabinets.
The fresh investment in the ME1 site follows rising demand from customers to enter the Port Melbourne data centre, located near the Melbourne CBD.
Equinix said that there are currently more than 30 network service providers available in its ME1 site, from an ecosystem of customers including cloud service providers and various enterprises.
The expansion follows the announcement in July last year of the data centre operator’s $54.6 million (US$42 million) investment into expanding its SY4 International Business Exchange data centre in Sydney.
The $54.6 million translated into 1500 additional cabinets, bringing the total capacity to 3,000, with a total usable floor space of more than 12,500 square metres. The expansion was expected to be completed by the end of 2017.
Now, Equinix has said that, as planned, the completion of the Sydney data centre expansion has been complemented and has doubled the capacity of the data centre to the expected total of 3,000 cabinets.
The expansion of the company’s local data centre footprint follows increasing customer momentum, and boosts its networking capabilities for current customers while providing additional options for other service providers and enterprises.
The US-headquartered Equinix has been substantially ramping up its presence in the local market, announcing plans in December last year to acquire Australian data centre operator Metronode and its 10 local data centres for $1.03 billion, in a bid to expand national capabilities across the country.
The acquisition of Metronode’s data centre operating business in Australia substantially expands Equinix’s national footprint, bringing the company's total International Business Exchange data centre footprint in Australia to 15.
“These expansions in our Melbourne and Sydney locations signify key milestones in our commitment to continue development of our national footprint in Australia,” Equinix Australia managing director, Jeremy Deutsch, said. “Building on our recent acquisition of Metronode, our expansion highlights our relentless commitment to increasing our capabilities and meeting the growth and expectations of our customers to scale over time.
“Both our Sydney and Melbourne campus locations are key digital hubbing points providing customers with direct and private access to a multitude of clouds, service providers, business partners, and end customers affirming our market leading position,” he said.
