The company claims this represents an investment of £179 million, and its total investment in the UK’s digital infrastructure exceeds £1 billion.
Russell Pool, managing director for Equinix UK said: “Our commitment to expanding the UK’s digital infrastructure caters to the increasing number of enterprises requiring ultra-low-latency connectivity, both here and internationally.
“This further investment will help to maintain the nation’s position as a strategic digital business hub for enterprises looking to compete on a global scale.”
“The location of these data centres complements the growth of the UK’s two biggest cities.
“Manchester is one of Europe's fastest growing business centres for technology and media, while London is a long-established financial centre of the world.
“Despite Brexit-born uncertainty, there are many reasons to be optimistic about digital transformation and technology investment in the UK.”
The Global Interconnection Index (GXI) 2023, a market study published by Equinix forecasts that, in London, overall interconnection bandwidth – the measure of private connectivity for the transfer of data between organisations is expected to achieve a 43% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) by 2025.
This projected growth is due to be driven by a combination of network and financial services demand for capacity.
Equinix adds that it aims to attract new talent and tackle gender inequality within the tech sector.
Lorraine Wilkinson, vice president of sales for the UK at Equinix said: “We are hoping to attract more female talent into the industry. We know through anecdotal feedback that many candidates can be put off applying for tech roles as they believe they don’t have the right skillset.
“Our initiative helps women recognise that, although they may lack technical training, they hold many extremely valuable and transferable skills that make them ideal employees.
“Today, less than a quarter of IT and tech roles are filled by women, with any meaningful progress to address the imbalance being frustratingly slow.
“At Equinix, we recognise the value women bring to our workplace, and are working hard to address the gender imbalance.”
