Equinix has opened its new MU4 data centre located in Aschheim, near Munich in Germany.
The first phase of the site will offer 2,250sqm of colocation space and more than 825 cabinets of capacity. MU4 is carrier-neutral and offers customers access to Platform Equinix as well as the company’s colocation and interconnection services.
In line with Equinix’s sustainability goals, the facility with feature a green façade and a partially planted roof, to provide natural insulation and cooling. The next phase of the data centre will also see the installation of an Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage (ATES) system to help optimise cooling efficiency, and reduce MU4’s overall carbon footprint.
The site is also expected to be powered by 100% renewable energy, purchased through a green power certificate from local supplier, Mainova.
Equinix already operates two data centres in the Munich area – MU1 and MU3 – alongside the FR8 and FR9x facilities, which were opened last year in Frankfurt. Equinix stated that its recent expansion in the German market has come as a response to growing demand for digital infrastructure services in the region. The company has invested US$90m in its new site and over US$1.6bn in Germany.
“As the first operator in the industry to commit to science-based climate targets, we continuously explore and invest in new climate friendly technologies to further reduce emissions and save resources,” said Jens-Peter Feidner, Managing Director for Germany at Equinix.
“On a local level, we are committed to working with operators, political decision-makers, and energy providers to target the long-term challenges of sustainable digitisation to the benefit of the surrounding community. This includes design aspects such as the use of greened facades as well as potential measures supporting the energy transition like the use of waste heat.”
