Petroc Taylor
Research expert covering global developments in the use of data
Equinix, Inc. - statistics & facts
Surging data use across the globe has placed a spotlight on the critical infrastructure powering digital transformation. California-based Equinix is among the world’s leading digital infrastructure providers, having experienced remarkable growth amid intensifying demand for data center capacity. Equinix was founded in 1998 as a vendor-neutral data center platform, and now operates large data center facilities across the globe. Despite challenges posed by inflation and supply chain pressures, Equinix posted revenue of over eight billion U.S. dollars in 2023, an increase of around 13 percent compared to 2022, while the firm’s global headcount surpassed 13,000.
Sustainability will remain high on the agenda moving forwards, as new efficiency reporting rules, such as those introduced by the European Commission in 2024, begin to take effect. In addition, Equinix will need to negotiate local challenges in key data center markets, with the rapidly expanding industry placing a strain on local infrastructure. Above all, the company will seek to adapt its portfolio to shifting client needs, with the adoption of artificial intelligence technology the dominant industry trend.
Equinix’s portfolio spans the globe
Equinix operates as a colocation provider, allowing clients to rent capacity in its data center facilities termed ‘International Business Exchanges,’ or IBXs. As of 2023, the company had over 240 such facilities worldwide, with almost half in the Americas, while further so-called ‘xScale’ facilities are operated in joint agreements with major hyperscale firms. California’s Silicon Valley, where the firm is headquartered, remains a key hub for IBX data centers, as does the Northern Virginia region, the world’s largest data center hub. Equinix continues to invest in its global property, plant, and equipment portfolio, the value of which surpassed 18 billion U.S. dollars in 2023.Equinix lowers the PUE of its facilities
Energy efficiency has long been a point of contention in the power-hungry data center industry, as operators come under pressure from clients and regulators to provide transparency over sustainability metrics. A common metric for data center efficiency is power usage effectiveness (PUE), which is calculated by dividing the total energy consumption of a facility by the amount of energy used to power IT equipment. In 2022, Equinix lowered its PUE quotient to 1.46, meaning it had decreased the share of power used to run secondary infrastructure such as cooling. In addition, the company reported that renewable energy accounted for 96 percent of its total energy consumption in 2022, up one percentage point on the previous year.Sustainability will remain high on the agenda moving forwards, as new efficiency reporting rules, such as those introduced by the European Commission in 2024, begin to take effect. In addition, Equinix will need to negotiate local challenges in key data center markets, with the rapidly expanding industry placing a strain on local infrastructure. Above all, the company will seek to adapt its portfolio to shifting client needs, with the adoption of artificial intelligence technology the dominant industry trend.
