Equinix Invests $28M in Australia Data Center Expansion

By Robert Demeter

ME1 Data Center, Melbourne

Melbourne, Australia—Equinix Inc. has completed the second phase expansion of its International Business Exchange (IBX) in Melbourne, known as ME1. The company invested $28 million in the facility’s extension, indicating its commitment to customers, prospects and partners in the region.

Phase two of ME1 provides 750 new cabinets and an additional 17,900 square feet of colocation space. The completion of the expansion brings the total operational capacity of ME1 to approximately 1,125 cabinets and a total colocation area of 35,790 square feet.

The recently completed IBX will also enable new and existing customers to use evolving ecosystems in cloud, Network Service Providers, content, financial services and enterprise across other Equinix locations, including those in Sydney.

“The development and expansion of ME1 phase two addresses the growing demand from businesses planning to expand into Melbourne, which is now home to 25 percent of the Australian business population,” said Jeremy Deutsch, managing director of Equinix Australia. “Melbourne is a significant site for us, and one of the most requested by our customers. With our twin-metro strategy in Australia, customers can leverage the thriving customer base and the rapidly expanding ecosystems available to them.”

ME1 is located in Port Melbourne, 1.5 miles from the Melbourne CBD.

There are over 25 network service providers (NSPs) available in Equinix’s Melbourne data center from a diverse ecosystem of more than 100 customers. Equinix has 28 IBX data centers in APAC, in eight metros, including SY1, SY2 and SY3 in Sydney, ME1 in Melbourne, and its new SY4 facility, opening soon in Sydney.

Equinix recently acquired Digital Realty Trust’s operating business in Paris, and prior to that, Equinix sold eight carrier-neutral data centers in Europe to Digital Realty, in a transaction valued at about $870 million.

Photo courtesy of Equinix