Equinix invests USD $65 million in Chennai data centre expansion
Equinix has announced the development of its first International Business Exchange (IBX) data centre in Chennai, supplementing its existing campus in Mumbai. The new facility, named CN1, is designed to support enterprises and hyperscalers, including artificial intelligence deployments, to assist businesses in maximising digital opportunities in India.
With an initial investment of USD $65 million, CN1 will cover nearly six acres in Chennai's Siruseri tech landscape and is slated to open in the fourth quarter of 2024. This data centre will be linked to Equinix's three existing data centres in Mumbai, providing a strong digital infrastructure network aimed at driving innovation and digital transformation across India.
Manoj Paul, Managing Director of Equinix India, remarked, "We are witnessing India's growing prominence as a pivotal data centre hub in South Asia, driven by strong interest from major global players looking to anchor and expand their operations here, along with Indian enterprises expanding their digital infrastructure to support the growth of one of the fastest growing economies in the world. Equinix has the most hyperconnected data centre campus in Mumbai with the largest concentration of cloud on-ramps, telecom service providers, Over-the-top (OTT) media service providers, internet exchanges, and financial ecosystem. The addition of our Chennai data centre will further extend this ecosystem to customers in Chennai. We are grateful for the support we have received from the Industries and IT Department, Government of Tamil Nadu; SIPCOT; and Guidance Tamil Nadu, which have facilitated our entry into the Chennai market."
Equinix CN1 aims to act as a dynamic hub for startups, enterprises, network, and cloud service providers, fostering an environment conducive to innovative and transformative initiatives. This development is expected to enhance Chennai's status on the global stage and open new avenues for international customers eager to leverage Chennai's strong tech ecosystem.
Chennai's thriving business ecosystem and robust infrastructure development, supported by proactive government initiatives, have made the city an attractive investment destination in the digital infrastructure sector. As Equinix's second metro in India, Chennai offers a dual-city redundancy option to customers, enhancing resilience and ensuring uninterrupted business operations.
Located in the SIPCOT (State Industries Promotion Corporation of Tamil Nadu) land in Siruseri, approximately 28 kilometres from Chennai's Central Business District, CN1 is strategically positioned close to future submarine cable landing sites. The strategic location supports Equinix India's broader expansion plans and extends Platform Equinix to a vital metropolitan area in the country.
The CN1 facility will ultimately have a capacity of 4,950 cabinets across its four stories when fully built, with the first phase providing 850 cabinets upon its opening in late 2024. In Mumbai, Equinix recently inaugurated a new IBX data centre, MB4, adding 350 cabinets, and has announced MB3, set to open in Q4 2024 with an initial capacity of over 1,375 cabinets, and more than 5,500 cabinets when completed.
Equinix hosts more than 300 companies in Mumbai, including about 200 network service providers and five internet exchanges. It also boasts the densest cloud ecosystem in India, offering on-ramps to eight cloud service providers, including Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud, Microsoft Azure, and Oracle Cloud.
Equinix is advancing its sustainability initiatives, with facilities in India, including the upcoming CN1 in Chennai and MB3 in Mumbai, expected to be fully powered by renewable energy. The company aims to achieve climate neutrality by 2030, with a strong focus on integrating clean and renewable energy across its global operations. In 2023, Equinix achieved 96% renewable energy coverage worldwide.
