BASED ON A US$575 MILLION JOINT VENTURE
Equinix and PGIM real estate investment firm, have just announced the opening of the first xScaleTM data center in Australia, precisely located in Rosehill, Sydney.
Codenamed SY9x, the new facility is the first of two xScaleTM data centers to be developed and operated under the just closed US$575 million joint venture that was announced in 2021 between Equinix and PGIM Real Estate. Currently, the new Sydney data center provides about 14MW of power capacity and designed to deliver over 28MW when fully developed.
“To address the increasing demand for cloud and digital infrastructure, the opening of our first xScale data center in Australia in tandem with the continued expansion of our International Business Exchange data center capacity across the country ensure more and more organizations can implement their digital-first strategies,” said Guy Danskine, Managing Director, Equinix Australia.
“This infrastructure enables our customers to scale their operations, deliver exceptional customer experiences and unlock the value of artificial intelligence, machine learning, 5G and other emerging technologies.”
With the opening of SY9x, Equinix now operates nine xScaleTM data centers across different regions including FR9x in Frankfurt, LD11x and LD13x in London, OS2x in Osaka, PA8x and PA9x in Paris, SP5x in São Paulo, and TY12x in Tokyo.
Equinix also plans to open additional eight xScaleTM facilities, significantly expanding its hyperscale data center platform. Among these upcoming facilities, Equinix recently announced the signing of an agreement with GIC, Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund, to develop and operate two xScaleTM data centers in Seoul, South Korea.
“Since 2013, PGIM Real Estate has been investing in the vibrant and growing data center sector and we are now delighted to be opening our first hyperscale data center in Australia in partnership with Equinix,” said Morgan Laughlin, Global Head of Data Center Investments, PGIM Real Estate.
“PGIM Real Estate is projecting to continue expanding its investments in the global digital infrastructure sector, and we view our co-investment relationship with Equinix as an extremely important component of that strategic effort. In line with PGIM Real Estate’s strong commitment to sustainable building practices and reducing global carbon emissions, we are seeking opportunities to both use renewable energy at our assets whilst also to grow our investments in the renewable energy sector in tandem with the expanding focus on data centers.”
As announced, the second xScaleTM facility which will be named SY10x, is designed to provide more than 28MW of power capacity when built. Upon full build, the two Sydney xScaleTM facilities are expected to offer a combined power capacity of over 55MW.