Equinix, Inc. (Nasdaq: EQIX), the global interconnection and data centre company, today announces that it has made a significant investment in its Irish business with the acquisition of 8.2 acres of land. The €5 million site is located in Ballycoolin, Dublin, and will allow Equinix to eye up further expansion in Ireland as it consolidates its dominant role in the flourishing Irish data centre industry.
Strategic move by global tech giant
The land acquisition represents a strategic move by the global tech giant to position itself at the heart of Ireland’s digital economy. The location is richly populated by some of the biggest internet and cloud service providers in the world – crucial for enterprises looking to quickly and efficiently interconnect and exchange critical data with customers and partners.
As businesses boost their digital prowess, data volumes are soaring. Research carried out by Equinix shows that Irish enterprises expect their data volumes to grow by an average of 72 per cent in the next three years
1.
As enterprise digital transformations mature, the role of data centres will be central to their success. Figures published by IDA Ireland this year show that data centres have contributed €7.13 billion
2 to Ireland’s economy since 2010.
Four data centres in Dublin
Since landing in Ireland in January 2016, Equinix, the largest colocation provider in the country, has become a key player in stimulating this burgeoning digital landscape through its four data centres in Dublin.
Last year, the company launched ECX Fabric™ in Ireland. ECX Fabric is an on-demand platform that enables Equinix customers to discover and dynamically connect to any other customer across any Equinix location globally. Through a single physical connection and an easy-to-use portal, ECX Fabric provides access to more than 1,000 of the world’s largest enterprises and cloud service providers.
Maurice Mortell, managing director for Ireland and emerging markets, Equinix, said: “As a global business that works with the largest technology companies in the world, we must always be one step ahead of our customers’ needs and that is why we are making this investment.
“Companies tell us every day that their data volumes are skyrocketing and our own research confirms this. The demand is immense and it is no longer just demand for storage space.
"Enterprises are making their data work for them by interconnecting with other businesses and cloud service providers. We are ensuring that we will be there to not only store this data, but also to make it valuable to both businesses and the economy they benefit.
“Ireland’s digital ecosystem is thriving and we have positioned ourselves at the centre of that. By operating in densely interconnected areas, we are where multinationals and Irish companies meet and collaborate digitally. We offer customers direct connectivity to more than 200 data centres in 52 markets. We are enabling digital business in Ireland.”
1 Equinix/APCO Insight IT Decision-Makers Survey 2018
2 A Study of the Economic Benefits of Data Centre Investment in Ireland, IDA Ireland, May 2018