Equinix to build a new Data Center in Barcelona

Equinix, a US global digital infrastructure company, is constructing its second data center in the Barcelona metropolitan area as the city grows in importance as a crucial hub for subsea and terrestrial cable networks that connect the digital world.

The new site will serve as a strategic connection point for data communications between Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, with Barcelona quickly becoming a vital subsea hub.

Jim Poole, Vice President at Equinix, noted: "Subsea cables play a vital role in enabling the modern digital world. We anticipate much progress following the pandemic-induced backlog in the next few years. Subsea cables provide the underlying capacity between metros on different continents. At the same time, Equinix democratizes that capacity, making it easily accessible to many businesses and enabling rapid international expansion without significant CAPEX investment".

"Addressing digital demand sustainably is vital and something we are focused on at Equinix. The timing of this investment couldn't be better, given the surge in demand from companies in Barcelona and across the Mediterranean", said Judith Gardiner, Vice President for Growth and Emerging Markets at Equinix. "The potential for Barcelona to become a dense and valuable strategic hub cannot be overstated. We are delighted to be able to serve this great city by adding it to our strategy to galvanize our position as the connectivity core of the Mediterranean".

Barcelona, a world-renowned hub for innovation and technical expertise, continues to attract and house major international organizations and tech companies, such as Airbnb, Amazon, Google, HP, Microsoft, and Ubisoft, to the historic city. In fact, half of the 50 leading global innovative companies are present in Catalonia.

Equinix's new facility, the BA2 International Business Exchange™ (IBX®) data center, will be adjacent to the company's existing BA1 site, forming a campus and dense digital ecosystem. In addition, it will add much-needed digital capacity to the city to enable local businesses to expand and grow and encourage international companies to settle or expand on Platform Equinix® in Barcelona, already a vital and strategically located hub for global communications.

The Catalonia region alone accounts for a quarter of all IT companies in Spain. Furthermore, the technology sector in Catalonia accounts for 20% of the country's overall revenue, with Barcelona serving as a vital link from various European locations, thereby playing a significant role in the success of global enterprises.

Barcelona has set an example of sustainability by becoming the first city worldwide to receive the Biosphere certification for sustainable tourism.

Catalonia has over 22,000 companies related to the ICT and digital sector, 210 technology parks, centers and research facilities, such as the Barcelona Supercomputing Center. Furthermore, the presence of many renowned international tech events, clusters, and universities means that digital is booming in Catalonia.

The technology industry remains a fast-growing sector in Barcelona and Spain, bolstered by the digitization efforts of the local government.

Source: Equinix