Equinix has opened its third International Business Exchange data centre in Warsaw, called WA3. The investment, announced in November 2019, will enable businesses in Poland to extend their access to Platform Equinix – a global platform of over 200 interconnected data centres and diverse business ecosystems. The value of the investment is approximately 34 million US dollars.
In the first phase, the new data centre offers 475 cabinets and more than 1,400m2 of colocation space. Once fully built out, the facility will include more than 3,500m2 of colocation space, with capacity for approximately 1,200 cabinets. The site has been built in accordance with the latest standards in building innovation – including measures such as a water mist system for fire suppression.
Easier access to Equinix services for customers in Poland
Through the three IBX data centres in Warsaw, Equinix offers both Polish and worldwide clients advanced colocation and interconnection services. The addition of WA3 enables local customers to leverage more Equinix solutions such as Equinix Cloud Exchange Fabric whereby through software-defined direct connections, they gain access to the largest cloud providers in the world, such as: Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, Oracle Cloud Infrastructure and Google Cloud.
The new data centre also offers access to the Equinix Internet Exchange (formerly Polish Internet Exchange (PLIX)). One of the largest IXs in Eastern Europe, it allows network operators, content providers and enterprises across industries, to exchange internet traffic with almost 250 peers through its 460+ active ports. Indeed, the IX has now reached 1 Terabit per second of IP traffic – a feat of network planning, implementation and engineering.
The key role of interconnection
“By opening a new data centre in Warsaw, we are increasing the capacity of interconnection in Poland. We believe the ability to securely process huge amounts of data – as enabled by interconnection – builds competitiveness in the digital economy. The latest edition of our annual market study, the Global Interconnection Index Volume 3, confirms this”, says Robert Busz, managing director of Equinix Poland.
“The independent survey we conducted alongside this report, shows four out of ten (39%) IT decision-makers in Poland and almost half (48%) in the world believe interconnection is the main factor enabling digital transformation.”
The new investment has been built in line with global environmental standards that contribute to a portfolio of energy-efficient data centres around the world. WA3 will be operating at 100% renewable energy from wind. Other measures deployed in WA3 include adaptive control systems, cold/hot aisle containment, energy-efficient LED and motion-controlled lighting, high temperature chilled water set points and more.
