Equinix, based in California, has expanded its digital infrastructure services to Montreal with a new International Business Exchange (IBX) data center, according to a press release. The new establishment is scheduled to open later this year.
"MT2 represents a major milestone in our investment to bring the best of Equinix to Canada and the best of Canada to the world. Montreal is a key economic center in Canada and globally, with a thriving and innovative ecosystem known for its diversity, creativity and collaborative spirit,” Andrew Eppich, managing director at Equinix Canada, said. “Expanding our footprint in this metro will offer companies the best-in-class data center design with access to connectivity both globally and within Canada, so they can advance on their digital infrastructure and innovation journey at home and abroad."
The new facility, created as the region accelerates its contributions to the visual effects (VFX), gaming, financial services and aerospace industries, is expected to open in the second half of 2023.
“Equinix is committed to optimizing overall power use by operating its data centers within wider temperature ranges,” a recent press release stated. “MT2 is expected to be among the first cohort of data centers to support Equinix's efficiency commitment to sustainable air-cooling practices.”
The new establishment was created to leverage Equinix’s operational presence in Montreal, known as Canada’s most prominent economic center, and an area with potential for technology innovation. Using Equinix Fabric and Equinix Internet Exchange, it will enable a connection between companies and an increasing number of prospect customers, partners and services across 50 metros worldwide.
The city’s interconnection bandwidth is estimated to grow by a 46% CAGR by 2025, a Global Interconnections Index 2023 states, according to Equinix.
"Montreal is a vital innovation hub fueling Canada's economy. With the expanded presence, Equinix can help empower local businesses' digital transformation journeys with its extensive reach in Canada as well as globally, and its innovative and sustainable offerings,” Jason Bremner, research vice president, industry and business solutions, IDC, said.
The digital services will also help customers build digital infrastructure in a faster and more secure manner, “at software speed with automated bare metal and virtual network services to connect and consume networks on demand.”
The expansion will bring Equinix's total number of Canadian IBX data centers to 16 to offer customers access to more than 245 Equinix data centers, and expand the available collocation space by more than 37,000 square feet to appropriately fulfill the demands of Montreal-based organizations' growing demand for digital infrastructure services.