Jeremy Deutsch (Equinix)
US-based data centre operator Equinix has officially launched its fifth International Business Exchange data centre in Singapore, the result of an initial US$144 million investment.
Equinix said in late 2020 it planned to open the new data centre in the first half of 2021. However, it is understood the official opening of the new facility was pushed back due to disruptions associated with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Representing the vendor’s fifth International Business Exchange (IBX) launch in the city-state, the facility – dubbed SG5 – was slated to provide an initial capacity of more than 1300 cabinets during the first phase, spanning approximately 18,400 square feet of colocation space.
Now, upon launch, Equinix has confirmed that the first phase of the SG5 IBX data centre – located at the Tanjong Kling data centre park – has more than 41,700 square feet (more than 3,970 square metres) of colocation space, providing an initial capacity of 1300 cabinets.
At full buildout, the facility will offer 5000 cabinets with a total colocation space of close to 129,000 square feet (12,000 square metres).
Equinix said the SG5 facility is directly connected to its four existing Equinix IBX data centres in Singapore via low-latency dark fibre links. It is expected this will enable customers to securely interconnect with more than 700 companies in the market.
The addition of the new data centre strengthens Equinix’s cross-island presence and location diversity, the company said, with all five of Equinix’s current IBX data centers strategically spread across the island.
“Businesses in the Asia Pacific region continue to increase their demand for digital infrastructure, with Singapore being the epicentre for digital business growth in the region,” said Jeremy Deutsch, president of Equinix Asia Pacific.
“We see a growing shift in the priorities of business leaders towards investing in environmental, social and governance initiatives when they consider their digital transformation plans, and Equinix is in full alignment with these goals as we put our sustainability targets into action.
“The expanded footprint in Singapore further brings our global target towards building the digital infrastructure of tomorrow responsibly and sustainably,” he added.
According to Equinix, the purpose-built facility will also help to address the need for a sustainable, future-ready digital infrastructure to enhance enterprises’ digital resiliency – a valuable factor in the Singapore market, which has stringent environmental regulations for data centre operators.
Specifically, the new facility leverages Equinix’s bespoke surface cooling technology, known as the Equinix Cooling Array, which supports high density customers while reducing water and power consumption needs.
Combined with connection to Singapore’s recycled NEWater – high-grade reclaimed water – an energy-saving process that is aligned with the Singapore government's green initiatives, SG5 is said to be well positioned to support customers’ requirements from higher densities to their environmental and sustainability needs.
"Singapore continues to flourish as the regional hub for digital exchange,” said Yee May Leong, managing director of Equinix South Asia. “Global businesses look to Singapore as the key location for where they build their digital infrastructure and leverage the ecosystem and cloud services available to ensure resilience, grow and scale across Asia-Pacific.
“As Singapore continues its Smart Nation journey and towards its National Green Plan 2030, we continue to support the digital transformation of the private and public sector with commitment in action for environmental sustainability,” she added.
In July, the Singapore government’s sovereign wealth fund, GIC Private Limited, said it had inked agreements for additional joint ventures with Equinix in a move that will see the global data centre operator further build out its xScale data centre portfolio.
The limited liability partnerships between GIC and Equinix will pump an additional US$3.9 billion into the vendor’s xScale data centre investment tally, which now comes to more than US$6.9 billion across 32 facilities globally.
