Equinix to Open First Data Center in Bordeaux, France

BX1 will be the first carrier-neutral data center in the New Aquitaine region, built to meet the needs of edge computing and growing digital ecosystems

Equinix, Inc., the world’s digital infrastructure company, announced it intends to open its first data center in Bordeaux, France, in Q3 2021. With direct fiber links to Equinix’s International Business Exchange™ (IBX®) sites in Paris, this new facility—named BX1—will provide global businesses and local authorities located in New Aquitaine with the ability to connect directly and securely to the world’s digital economy, via comprehensive digital ecosystems.

Increasing connectivity opportunities further, BX1 will provide a landing hub for the new submarine cable, AMITIE, due to link France to the United States and Great Britain, creating a new European gateway for data traffic between the United States and Europe.

The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed the true importance of digital technology. From telecommuting, to increased automation and collaboration, technological innovation has made it possible to comply with restrictions, but also to capture new opportunities.

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Indeed, digital transformation is reshaping industries worldwide. According to the World Economic Forum, digital will account for 60% of global GDP by 2022, and it is estimated that 70% of the new value created over the next decade will be based on digital platforms. However, this development is dependent on the ability to process data and create synergies between companies within physical infrastructures, located as close as possible to users.

Strategically located in the southwest of France, near the Atlantic coast, Bordeaux is establishing itself as a new hub on the map of global connectivity. A pioneer of the smart city concept, Bordeaux has attracted a high concentration of start-ups and is home to cutting-edge industries such as aerospace and optics photonics. The city is also home to a growing business community of global and local companies that require low latency, increased bandwidth and strong connectivity to major network, content and cloud services providers, to establish and grow their businesses.

BX1 further supports this growing digital hub. And by providing access to Platform Equinix®, the development will offer a highly connected footprint of capabilities and services, enabling businesses to connect their core digital infrastructure around the world.

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Highlights/Key Facts

• BX1 will be the first carrier-neutral data center in Bordeaux. As a true connectivity hub, BX1 will offer customers secure and resilient colocation and interconnection services, as well as the opportunity to benefit from the comprehensive digital ecosystems housed in Equinix’s Paris sites, via Equinix Fabric.
• With more than 220 facilities across five continents, Platform Equinix enables companies in France to quickly and easily connect to the world’s most important business markets, including financial centers and gateways to emerging economies. BX1 further demonstrates Equinix’s commitment to helping companies compete more effectively in France and internationally, thus strengthening France’s position in the global digital economy.
• BX1 features a modular design—flexible, efficient and quickly adjustable. This allows for multiple configurations and scaling of a common model across different footprints. The site is due to provide colocation space of approximately 32,000 square feet (3,000 square meters).
• BX1 is being built in line with global environmental standards and will contribute to a portfolio of some of the most energy-efficient data centers in the world. Indeed, BX1 is due to utilize 100% renewable energy, with the decoupled energy platform supporting multiple power sources while providing greener energy storage and greater resilience. Equinix is dedicated to providing sustainable infrastructure, and has been awarded the EcoVadis Silver medal since 2017, recently scored the highest rating on its first response to the DPP’s Committed to Sustainability survey, and received an A- ranking from CDP. The company has also joined European cloud infrastructure and data center providers and European trade associations to form the Climate Neutral Data Centre Operator Pact and Self-Regulatory Initiative.

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