The carrier neutral MU4 is located in Aschheim, near Munich, and in its first phase will offer more than 2,250sqm of colocation space with more than 825 cabinets.
The customer proposition will focus on "the growing digital needs of local companies", particularly those in automotive, industrial, financial and healthcare sectors, as well as the availability of the Equinix Fabric™ service.
MU4 takes the German portfolio to 12 facilities in Munich, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt and Hamburg and, following the $90 million investment it demanded, it takes Equinix's total spend in the country to $1.6 billion.
Eugene Bergen Henegouwen, president, EMEA, Equinix said: "As one of Europe's major automotive, manufacturing and tech hubs, Munich is home to some of the world's most innovative businesses. This makes it a key strategic location for us to invest and grow in. We are proud to start the year with the continued expansion of our German footprint, and look forward to supporting more businesses in Munich as they accelerate their transformation with a powerful and sustainable digital infrastructure."
MU4 has been designed with a "green façade and partially planted roof" to enhance insulation and cooling, as well as aesthetics. Cooling efficiency will receive another boost when phase two construction is completed, as this will see an Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage (ATES) system installed at the site.
Equinix has also turned once again to Mainova for power, which supplies its other facilities in German. MU4 is "expected to be powered by 100% renewable energy", which will be purchased through a green power certificate from Mainova.
Jens-Peter Feidner, MD for Germany at Equinix said: "We provide companies in Munich with the most dynamic digital infrastructure platform available, and want it to be as climate-friendly as feasible. 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. 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 digitization 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."
In other news from Equinix, the US listed company has expanded its network edge services in five new European markets: Paris, Helsinki, Dublin, Milan, and Stockholm. Network edge is already deployed in the UK, Netherlands, Germany, and Spain.
