Equinix reveals new data centre in Barcelona

Equinix has unveiled plans for a new data centre in Barcelona, as the city becomes a strategic hub for terrestrial and subsea cable networks.

The facility known as BA2 will be the second for Equinix in the city, located adjacaent to the existing BA1 data centre. Barcelona houses global tech companies like Airbnb, Amazon, Google, HP, Microsoft, and Ubisoft.

“The timing of this investment couldn’t be better, given the surge in demand we are seeing from companies in Barcelona and across the Mediterranean. The potential for Barcelona to become a dense and valuable strategic hub cannot be overstated,” said Judith Gardiner, Vice President for Growth and Emerging Markets at Equinix.

Boosting Barcelona as a data centre hub

The new site will serve as a connection point for data communications between Europe, Africa, and the Middle East.

“Subsea cables play a vital role in enabling the modern digital world, and we anticipate much progress in the next couple of years following the pandemic-induced backlog. Subsea cables provide the underlying capacity between metros on different continents,” said Jim Poole, Vice President at Equinix.

Major cable networks include 2Africa, Aqua Comms’ EMIC-1, Medloop by Sipartech, and the Medusa cable.

Joan Monraba, Country Manager for Colt Technology Services in Spain recognised the importance of the new facility: “Spain is an increasingly important digital market and a solid port in the Mediterranean connectivity map. Colt’s planned expansion into Equinix’s new Barcelona site builds upon our existing metro connectivity across the country.”

Barcelona was the first city in the world to be awarded the sustainable tourism Biosphere certification, which is in line with Equinix’s vision to become climate neutral globally by 2030. BA2 will utilize 100% renewable energy and be designed with the aim to be Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified.

The Spanish government’s Digital Spain 2026 sets out a roadmap to provide broadband coverage for 100% of the country’s population and promote 5G technology across the nation. Barcelona has more than 2,000 technology companies, 210 technology parks, centers and research facilities, and nine international facilities.

Last year, Equinix announced an upcoming data centre in Madrid, Spain. The MD6 facility will be located in the Alcobendas neighborhood, and is the first of two planned XScale facilities on the campus.

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