Equinix Expands Chicago Data Center Footprint

HostReview.com
Monday, July 18, 2005; 02:14 PM

Equinix, Inc. (www.equinix.com), a provider of network-neutral data centers and Internet exchange services, today announced the acquisition of additional data center space in the Chicago market to accommodate strong growth from regional businesses, including leading companies in the financial trading exchange industry.

The new data center space is located in the Lakeside Technology Center, the same facility as the company's existing Chicago Internet Business Exchange™ (IBX®) center, and it will add approximately 107,000 square feet to the existing 140,000 square foot IBX.

Acquired through the purchase of assets and a sub-lease from Verio, Inc., the built-out portion of the expansion adds space for 1,100 sellable cabinets. The new space will offer direct access to the more than 60 networks and 120 enterprises and content companies already operating within Equinix's Chicago IBX, a principal element of Equinix's value proposition. Equinix intends to begin placing new customers in the expanded space at the Chicago IBX in the first half of 2006.

Chicago is one of Equinix's fastest growing markets, with 45 percent growth in revenues in fiscal year 2004. Driving much of this growth has been Equinix's specialized data center and interconnection service for the financial trading industry, which has made Equinix's Chicago center an important hub in the IT infrastructure of electronic trading operations.

Combined with the recently announced acquisition of a new data center in the Silicon Valley, this expansion will increase Equinix's global data center footprint to more than 1.6 million square feet, solidifying Equinix's position as the leading provider of network-rich hubs for the exchange of core network traffic.

"A significant driver of today's expansion is the strong traction with Chicago's financial trading exchange community, which has come to rely on Equinix to support the growing IT infrastructure and interconnection requirements of electronic exchanges," said Peter Van Camp, CEO of Equinix.

The new space will feature a physical infrastructure that is consistent with Equinix's industry-leading standards for security, environmental control and power availability, and it will be constructed to be accessible from the company's current Chicago IBX center. Equinix intends to invest approximately $16.0 million to "Equinize" the center to bring it up to Equinix's standards, of which $4.0 to $7.0 million will be incurred in 2005.

Equinix is the leading global provider of network-neutral data centers and Internet exchange services for enterprises, content companies, systems integrators and network services providers.

Through the company's 15 Internet Business Exchange™ (IBX®) centers in five countries, customers can directly interconnect with every major global network and ISP for their critical peering, transit and traffic exchange requirements.