Equinix, Inc. (NASDAQ: EQIX) has announced plans for an International Business Exchange (IBX) data center in Milan, Italy. ML5, scheduled to open in the first quarter of 2021, will be the data center and connectivity services supplier’s fourth facility in the country.
The company will situate ML5 near Via Caldera in northwest Milan. First-phase construction is expected to cost $51 million, Equinix estimated. This initial phase will provide an expected capacity of 500 cabinet equivalents and colocation space of approximately 15,000 square feet (1,400 square meters). When fully built out, ML5 should provide total capacity of more than 1,450 cabinet equivalents and colocation space of more than 45,000 square feet (4,200 square meters), Equinix predicted.
Equinix will use the facility to offer colocation and interconnection services, including the Equinix Cloud Exchange Fabric (ECX Fabric) and Equinix Internet Exchange. The site also is expected to provide connections to the Milan Internet Exchange (MIX), TOP-IX, and major telecommunications carriers.
"This latest investment shows our continued support for the Italian market as a strategic interconnection point,” asserted Emmanuel Becker, managing director, Italy, at Equinix. “With this new site, we are further providing for companies in Italy looking to expand both locally and internationally. Data centers are crucial for connectivity and are at the heart of the country's economic model—especially in this critical period. Our goal is to continue to expand and offer more services to help companies extend their IT operations to the digital edge."
"Italy is a key growth market for Equinix in EMEA, particularly in the areas of automotive and financial services,” added Judith Gardiner, vice president, growth and emerging markets, at Equinix. “This expansion supports the increasing demands we're seeing from companies in Italy and the wider region to accelerate their digital transformation—which has only accelerated in the wake of COVID-19. ML5 will play a key role in helping businesses thrive in the evolving digital economy, through the formation of an interconnected metro area where customers can seamlessly connect with strategic business partners in Italy and across the world."
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