Interconnection and data centre giant Equinix today opened LD6, its sixth London data centre, in Slough. The company is focused on increasing capacity for the next two to four years.
The facility cost topped $79 million and will enable the LD6 International Business Exchange to provide new paths in and out of London.
The company said customers will be able to deploy data networks and services rapidly, and at scale, on a secure and flexible basis through Equinix’s portfolio of cloud and network service providers. These include Microsoft Azure, Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Google Cloud.
Equinix will use mass air cooling technology with indirect heat exchange and 100 percent natural ventilation.
The colo firm claimed LD6 is the UK’s only purpose built Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) gold-accredited energy efficient data centre to date.
The project increases the cabinet capacity by 1,385 units across 236,000 square meters. The second stage of the project is planned to add another 1,385 cabinets.
Once completed, the campus will be 388,000 square feet interconnected by more than 1,000 diverse dark fiber links.
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The hub is claimed to offer latency in the region of 30 milliseconds to New York and 4 milliseconds to Frankfurt and houses the Equinix Cloud Exchange, connecting 20 markets and offering access to Microsoft Azure, AWS and Google Cloud.
Matt Stagg, senior manager, Network Strategy at EE, said: "In 2017, 4G will be predominately a video distribution network – globally, a billion gigabytes will go across mobile networks each month.
"Strategically, we need to have a data centre provider, to connect to the top video providers, that understands this growth, and has a roadmap to support it – Equinix meets this need. The launch of LD6 as part of the Equinix London Slough Campus brings this roadmap into reality."
Russell Poole, managing director, Equinix UK, said: "LD6 is one of the most technically advanced data centres in the UK. It has been designed to ensure that we can continue to provide state-of-the-art collocation for our current and future customers.
"This latest addition to our thriving London campus sets new standards in efficiency and sustainability."
Julian David, CEO techUK, said: "The addition of LD6 to the Equinix London Campus is another sign of the growth and opportunity presented by the UK technology sector. The decision by Equinix, and many other global companies, to invest in the UK is further evidence of the crucial role of this country as a hub for technology innovation, services and talent."
The LD6 premises were the latest to enter the company’s list of 115 facilities worldwide, following recent openings in New York, Melbourne, Singapore and Toronto.
