Equinix continues Asia expansion with first South Korean facility

Carrier-neutral data centre will provide interconnection and colocation services to local business and help global customers expand into South Korea

Equinix has unveiled plans for a new International Business Exchange (IBX) data centre in Seoul, which marks the firm’s first entry into the South Korean market.

The new centre – dubbed SL1 – will provide 18,000 sq ft of colocation space to meet the growing adoption of cloud, and provide 550 cabinets in its initial phase.

The centre is set for completion by Q3 2019 and will reside in Sangam, Seoul’s Digital Media City near the central business district.

“Seoul, the fourth-largest metropolitan economy globally, is an important connection point for both regional and global businesses, and we are excited to expand our global platform to this new metro in South Korea,” said Samuel Lee, president of Equinix Asia-Pacific.

“Our operations will enable customers to securely deploy their infrastructure, reach global ecosystem partners and scale their businesses at the digital edge.”

Equinix is investing hard in APAC as it seeks to strengthen its position as one of the leading data centre providers in the region. Over the past three years, Equinix has invested an eye-watering $800 million (£622 million) in the Asia-Pacific, where 40 of its 200 global IBX facilities are located.

Equinix last week announced plans for its fourth Singapore data centre for an initial investment of $83.5 million (£66.41 million).

Equinix says the seven-storey facility will house 4,000 cabinets at full build and offer 132,180 sq ft of colocation space.

Towards the end of last year, Equinix completed the expansion of its Singapore SG3 IBX data centre, which opened in 2015.