Equinix

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A global digital infrastructure company operating carrier-neutral data centers and interconnection platforms.

Last updated November 4, 2026

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Overview

Equinix is a United States-based multinational digital infrastructure company headquartered in Redwood City, California. Its core business is the operation of carrier-neutral data centers, branded primarily as International Business Exchange, or IBX, facilities, together with digital interconnection services that allow enterprises, telecommunications carriers, cloud providers, content companies, financial institutions, and public-sector organizations to exchange traffic and connect infrastructure. The company was established in 1998 by Al Avery and Jay Adelson, former facilities managers at Digital Equipment Corporation. From the outset, Equinix positioned its facilities as neutral meeting points for competing networks. This model was intended to create a network effect: as more carriers, internet service providers, cloud platforms, and enterprises joined a site, the facility became more valuable to additional customers seeking low-latency connectivity and access to a broad ecosystem of partners. The company initially focused on internet connectivity and colocation, services sometimes associated with carrier hotels, before broadening its role into a larger digital infrastructure platform. Equinix expanded beyond the United States through a combination of acquisitions and new construction. Its 2002 combination with I-STT and Pihana Pacific established a significant Asia-Pacific presence. The 2007 acquisition of IXEurope provided a foundation in Europe, while later transactions added capabilities and facilities in Latin America, the Middle East, Australia, Japan, India, Canada, West Africa, Chile, and Peru. Major transactions included Switch and Data in 2010, TelecityGroup in 2015, Bit-Isle in 2015, selected Verizon data centers in 2016, Itconic and Metronode in 2017 and 2018, Packet and GPX India in 2020, Bell Canada facilities in 2020, Main One in 2022, and data centers acquired from Entel in Chile and Peru in 2022. Equinix's offerings extend beyond space, power, and physical security. Equinix Fabric provides software-defined connections among data centers, cloud services, networks, and business partners. Equinix Internet Exchange supports internet traffic exchange and peering, while Equinix Metal, developed through the acquisition of Packet, provides on-demand bare-metal infrastructure. The company also operates xScale data centers designed for hyperscale customers and offers data center management and visibility tools such as IBX SmartView. In January 2015, Equinix converted into a real estate investment trust, or REIT, a structural change intended to provide tax advantages and support shareholder value. In September 2020, it repositioned its corporate description around the term digital infrastructure company, reflecting the increasing importance of cloud computing, distributed applications, edge computing, internet of things workloads, and data-intensive services to its business. Sustainability has become a significant part of Equinix's corporate strategy because data centers require substantial electricity and cooling resources. After environmental criticism concerning renewable-energy use and carbon emissions, the company announced a long-term renewable-energy commitment in 2015 and entered into agreements connected to wind power in the United States. It issued green bonds in 2020, joined the Climate Neutral Data Centre Pact in 2021, and has promoted initiatives including waste-heat reuse. The company has also acknowledged that artificial-intelligence workloads are increasing demand for data-center capacity and placing additional pressure on electricity systems. Equinix is listed on the Nasdaq under the ticker EQIX. Reference material describes it as operating more than 260 data centers in 33 countries across five continents by 2025 and employing more than 13,000 people worldwide. Its present positioning is that of a global, neutral interconnection platform rather than simply a landlord or colocation operator: cus…

History

Equinix was founded in 1998 by Al Avery and Jay Adelson, two former Digital Equipment Corporation facilities managers. The founders developed a carrier-neutral data-center concept in which networks that might otherwise compete could colocate and exchange traffic. This neutrality was central to the company's commercial model: every additional carrier, service provider, cloud platform, or enterprise increased the potential connectivity value of the facility for other participants. The company began international expansion in October 2002 through its combination with I-STT, the internet infrastructure subsidiary of Singapore Technologies Telemedia, and Pihana Pacific. The transactions helped Equinix establish operations and relationships in China, Singapore, Australia, and Japan. In 2007, Equinix entered Europe through the acquisition of IXEurope, adding an established portfolio of facilities and making Europe a major part of its global platform. In 2010, it opened what it described as its fiftieth data center in London and acquired Switch and Data Facilities Company, expanding its United States internet-exchange and colocation presence. During the early 2010s, Equinix expanded into additional regions and strengthened its acquisition program. It entered Dubai and Indonesia in 2012 and acquired Asia-Tone, a Hong Kong data-center provider, in the same year. In 2014, the acquisition of ALOG Datacenters of Brazil expanded its Latin American footprint. Equinix converted to REIT status in 2015. It also acquired Nimbo, a professional-services company, and agreed to acquire TelecityGroup, then one of Europe's largest data-center operators. European Commission approval required Equinix to sell eight facilities to Digital Realty; after that remedy, the Telecity transaction closed at an approximately $3.8 billion valuation and more than doubled Equinix's European capacity. Equinix also acquired Japanese provider Bit-Isle in 2015. In 2016, Equinix announced an agreement to acquire 29 data centers in 15 markets from Verizon. It continued expanding in Brazil, Spain, Portugal, Australia, and the United States. It opened a São Paulo facility in 2017, acquired Itconic in 2017, purchased the Dallas Infomart building in 2018, and acquired Australian operator Metronode and its ten data centers in 2018. The company opened its first South Korean data center in 2019. The 2020 period brought several strategic developments. Equinix completed its acquisition of Packet, a startup specializing in bare-metal servers delivered as a cloud service, and used that capability to develop Equinix Metal. It entered India through the acquisition of GPX India, including a Mumbai campus, and completed the acquisition of 13 Bell Canada data centers. The company also increased investment in xScale facilities intended for hyperscale customers. In September 2020, Equinix began describing itself as a digital infrastructure company, emphasizing the broader role of its physical sites, network ecosystem, cloud connections, and software-defined services. Equinix announced the acquisition of Main One in December 2021, adding a major West African connectivity and data-center platform. In 2022, it expanded into Chile and Peru by acquiring four data centers from Entel. It also announced its entry into Malaysia, where the JH1 IBX facility in Iskandar Puteri began operations in the first quarter of 2024 with reported capacity for 500 cabinets and approximately 1,960 square meters of colocation space. The company has simultaneously pursued environmental initiatives. Greenpeace criticized Equinix in 2014 over renewable-energy use and emissions. In response, Equinix announced a long-term clean-energy commitment in 2015 and entered into renewable-energy arrangements associated with wind farms in Texas and Oklahoma. It issued $1.35 billion in green bonds in September 2020 and introduced a framework for tracking the use of green-finance proceeds. In January 2021, it joined the Climate Neutral Data Centre Pact, which includes a goal of climate-neutral data centers by 2030. Equinix has also developed heat-reuse projects and has addressed the increasing energy requirements of artificial-intelligence computing. By 2025, reference material described Equinix as operating more than 260 data centers in 33 countries across five continents, with a workforce exceeding 13,000. Its development strategy combines new IBX facilities, acquisitions, hyperscale partnerships, cloud and network interconnection, and software-defined access to distributed infrastructure.

2025
Global platform exceeds 260 data centers
[1]Equinixen.wikipedia.org
Reference material describes Equinix as operating more than 260 data centers in 33 countries across five continents.
2024
Malaysia facility begins operations
[1]Equinixen.wikipedia.org
The JH1 IBX facility in Iskandar Puteri begins operations after Equinix announced its Malaysian market entry in 2022.
2022
Expansion into Chile and Peru
[1]Equinixen.wikipedia.org
Equinix announces a $758 million acquisition of four data centers from Entel in Chile and Peru.
2021
Main One acquisition announced
[3]Equinix to acquire Main Oneequinix.com
Equinix announces a $320 million agreement to acquire West African provider Main One.
2020
Packet acquisition and digital-infrastructure repositioning
[1]Equinixen.wikipedia.org
Equinix completes the Packet acquisition, develops Equinix Metal, and begins presenting itself more broadly as a digital infrastructure company.
2018
Metronode acquisition
[1]Equinixen.wikipedia.org
The acquisition of Australian provider Metronode adds ten data centers to Equinix's portfolio.
2016
Verizon data-center transaction announced
[1]Equinixen.wikipedia.org
Equinix announces an agreement to acquire 29 Verizon data centers across 15 markets.
2015
REIT conversion and TelecityGroup agreement
[1]Equinixen.wikipedia.org
Equinix converts to REIT status and agrees to acquire TelecityGroup, subject to European regulatory remedies.
2010
Fiftieth data center and Switch and Data acquisition
[1]Equinixen.wikipedia.org
Equinix opens its fiftieth facility in London and acquires Switch and Data Facilities Company.
2007
Entry into Europe through IXEurope
[1]Equinixen.wikipedia.org
Equinix acquires IXEurope and gains a substantial European data-center platform.
2002
Asia-Pacific expansion begins
[1]Equinixen.wikipedia.org
The combination with I-STT and Pihana Pacific establishes a broader presence in China, Singapore, Australia, and Japan.
1998
Equinix is founded
[1]Equinixen.wikipedia.org
Al Avery and Jay Adelson establish Equinix around the concept of neutral data centers where competing networks can interconnect.

Products and positioning

A neutral, secure global platform for colocation, private connectivity, cloud access, internet exchange, and digital ecosystem interconnection.

Data center colocation
International Business Exchange (IBX) data centers
Equinix's IBX facilities provide secure, carrier-neutral environments where customers install servers, storage, networking equipment, and other infrastructure. Services generally include cabinet and cage space, power, cooling, physical security, remote hands, and access to a dense ecosystem of network, cloud, content, and enterprise participants. The facilities are designed to support both traditional colocation and architectures distributed across multiple regions.
Software-defined interconnection
Equinix Fabric
Equinix Fabric is a software-defined interconnection service that allows customers to provision private connections among data centers, cloud providers, networks, and business partners. It is intended to provide more direct and controllable connectivity than routing traffic solely across the public internet, supporting hybrid cloud, multicloud, distributed applications, and enterprise network modernization.
Internet exchange
Equinix Internet Exchange
Equinix Internet Exchange enables internet service providers, networks, content companies, and enterprises to exchange traffic through peering arrangements. By bringing participants together in Equinix facilities, the service can reduce routing distance and improve control over traffic exchange while giving networks access to a broad set of potential peers.
Bare-metal cloud infrastructure · 2020
Equinix Metal
Equinix Metal provides on-demand access to physical bare-metal servers as a cloud-style infrastructure service. It originated from Equinix's acquisition of Packet and extends the company's proposition beyond physical colocation by allowing developers and infrastructure teams to deploy dedicated compute resources programmatically in selected Equinix locations.
Hyperscale data center capacity
xScale data centers
xScale facilities are designed for large hyperscale customers requiring substantial, expandable data-center capacity. The platform complements Equinix's retail colocation and interconnection sites by addressing the infrastructure requirements of major cloud and internet companies while preserving opportunities for connectivity with the wider Equinix ecosystem.
Data center management · 2017
IBX SmartView
IBX SmartView is Equinix's data-center infrastructure management and visibility platform. It is intended to give customers operational information about their deployed environments and help them monitor aspects of infrastructure use and facility operations through digital tools.

Controversies

2020
Equinix discloses ransomware attack on internal systems
Equinix disclosed that ransomware affected some of its internal systems. The company said its data centers and services remained operational and that the incident did not affect customers. It said it was investigating and had notified law enforcement. The supplied source does not establish that customer or other data was exposed.
Source
2018
U.S. Customs and Border Protection contracts
Reference material reports that Equinix signed three contracts with U.S. Customs and Border Protection for technology-support equipment totaling more than $5 million. The contracts attracted scrutiny in reporting because of the agency's role in immigration enforcement.
Source
2014
Greenpeace criticism of renewable-energy performance
Greenpeace criticized Equinix's environmental performance, particularly its renewable-energy use and carbon-emissions response. Equinix subsequently announced a longer-term clean-energy commitment and entered into renewable-energy arrangements associated with wind farms in Texas and Oklahoma.
Source

2025Equinix London data-center wearable art project
United Kingdom
Equinix London worked with designer Maximilian Raynor on a wearable-art dress made from approximately 3,600 meters of repurposed network cable and other data-center equipment. The piece was presented at a London Fashion Week pre-show, linking the company's infrastructure identity with design and material reuse.
Outcome. Public brand and sustainability-oriented creative activation.
Source

Brand decisions

2022
Acquire Entel data centers in Chile and PeruM&A
Background
Equinix aimed to expand its Latin American interconnection and colocation footprint.
Action taken
Equinix acquired four data centers from Entel in Chile and Peru.
Aftermath
The transaction expanded Equinix's direct operations in both South American markets.
Announced acquisition value. $758 million (March 2022)
Source
2021
Acquire Main OneM&A
Background
Equinix sought to strengthen its presence in African data-center and connectivity markets.
Action taken
Equinix announced an agreement to acquire Main One, a West African data-center and connectivity provider.
Aftermath
The transaction expanded Equinix's African platform and added Main One's regional connectivity assets.
Announced acquisition value. $320 million (December 2021 announcement)
Source
2020
Acquire PacketM&A
Background
Equinix wanted to extend its physical colocation and interconnection business into programmable infrastructure services for developers and cloud-oriented customers.
Action taken
Equinix completed the acquisition of Packet, a provider of bare-metal servers delivered as a cloud service.
Aftermath
Packet's capabilities became the foundation for Equinix Metal, broadening Equinix's digital infrastructure portfolio.
Source
2020
Reposition as a digital infrastructure companyStrategy
Background
Cloud computing, internet-of-things deployments, edge applications, and data-intensive workloads were increasing demand for distributed infrastructure and private connectivity.
Action taken
Equinix changed its corporate positioning in September 2020 to describe itself as a digital infrastructure company.
Aftermath
The repositioning emphasized the combined role of IBX facilities, cloud connections, software-defined interconnection, bare-metal infrastructure, and digital ecosystems.
Source
2020
Issue green bondsOther
Background
Data-center operations require substantial electricity and cooling resources, increasing pressure to fund energy-efficiency and renewable-energy projects.
Action taken
Equinix issued green bonds and introduced a framework for identifying and reporting projects financed through green debt.
Aftermath
The program provided a formal financing channel for environmental projects and made sustainability funding more visible to investors.
Green-bond issuance. $1.35 billion (September 2020)
Source
2015
Convert to real estate investment trust structureStrategy
Background
Equinix owned and operated a growing global portfolio of data-center properties while also selling connectivity and colocation services. The company sought a structure suited to its property-intensive business.
Action taken
Equinix converted to REIT status in January 2015.
Aftermath
The change was intended to provide tax advantages and support shareholder value while the company continued expanding its data-center and interconnection platform.
Source
2015
Acquire TelecityGroupM&A
Background
Equinix sought to accelerate European expansion through the acquisition of a major regional data-center operator.
Action taken
Equinix agreed to acquire TelecityGroup. European Commission clearance required the sale of eight data centers to Digital Realty, while Equinix retained the London Docklands Harbour Exchange facility.
Aftermath
The transaction, valued at approximately $3.8 billion, more than doubled Equinix's European capacity and became the company's largest acquisition at the time.
Transaction value. $3.8 billion (2015-2016 transaction)
- Digital Realty — Digital Realty acquired eight European facilities as part of the regulatory remedy.
Source

Recent events

2026-08-12
Equinix launches Equinix Managed Solutions in Australia[5]Equinix在澳大利亚推出Equinix托管解决方案channellife.com.au
Reported: 2026-08-11
Equinix launched Equinix Managed Solutions in Australia, a managed private cloud and infrastructure service offering managed compute, storage and AI infrastructure delivered as a service for organisations seeking onshore data and processing options.
2021-12-07
Equinix announces planned acquisition of MainOne[6]Equinix宣布计划收购MainOnedatacenterfrontier.com
Reported: 2021-12-07
Equinix said it would acquire MainOne for $320 million. The all-cash transaction was expected to close in the first quarter of 2022, subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory approvals.
2021-09-01
Equinix completes acquisition of GPX India operations[7]Equinix完成收购GPX India业务prnewswire.com
Reported: 2021-09-02
Equinix announced that it had completed its acquisition of GPX Global Systems' India operations in a US$161 million all-cash transaction that included a fiber-connected campus with two data centers in Mumbai.
2021-09-01
Manoj Paul named managing director of Equinix India[8]Manoj Paul获任Equinix印度董事总经理telecom.economictimes.indiatimes.com
Reported: 2021-09-02
Equinix announced that Manoj Paul would lead Equinix India as managing director.
2021-08-13
Verizon expands SDI capabilities with Equinix[9]Verizon 与 Equinix 扩展 SDI 能力iconnect007.com
Reported: 2021-08-13
Verizon Business expanded its Software-Defined Interconnect solution with Equinix, adding support for Ethernet E-Line and E-LAN wide area networks and expanding automated connectivity options for customers.
Unconfirmed
Equinix joins NVIDIA AI LaunchPad[10]Equinix 加入 NVIDIA AI LaunchPaddonews.com
Equinix was the first to join the NVIDIA AI LaunchPad program and will make NVIDIA-supported hybrid-cloud solutions available globally through Platform Equinix.
Unconfirmed
Seagate and Equinix partner to offer Lyve Cloud to more customers[11]Seagate与Equinix合作向更多客户提供Lyve Cloudchinatimes.com
Reported: 2021-02-25
Seagate partnered with digital infrastructure company Equinix to make Lyve Cloud available to more customers. The article says the collaboration may support future connections to additional cloud services and expansion into more regions.
2020-09-21
Equinix and VMware expand collaboration on Network Edge[12]Equinix与VMware扩大Network Edge合作prnewswire.com
Reported: 2020-09-21
Equinix announced an expanded collaboration with VMware. VMware would offer SD-WAN Edge as a virtual network function on Equinix Network Edge, and VMware was extending its presence in Equinix data centers across several regions.
2020-09-09
Equinix discloses ransomware attack on internal systems[4]Equinix discloses ransomware attack on internal systemsdatacenterknowledge.com
Reported: 2020-09-10
Equinix disclosed that ransomware affected some of its internal systems. The company said its data centers and services remained operational and that the incident did not affect customers. It said it was investigating and had notified law enforcement; the supplied source does not establish that customer or other data was exposed.
2020-08-12
Equinix acquires GPX’s India data centres[13]Equinix acquires GPX’s India data centreseconomictimes.indiatimes.com
Reported: 2020-08-12
Equinix acquired GPX’s data-centre campuses in Mumbai, extending its presence to India.

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