US digital infrastructure company Equinix has officially opened MD5, its new International Business Exchange (IBX) data centre, in which it has invested €460 million. Located in Alcobendas (Madrid), this new facility expands interconnection capacity in southern Europe.

Equinix’s digital ecosystem in Madrid currently provides network and connectivity services to more than 225 companies and works with more than 70 providers. The new centre expands the colocation service, whereby users install their own equipment at Equinix’s facilities. From there, they are provided with direct, secure and low-latency interconnections with customers, partners and cloud providers, supporting the development of hybrid and multicloud architectures.

Advanced security measures
The new centre offers more than 4,400 square metres of colocation space and has been designed to support high power densities in critical environments. It is equipped with electrical redundancy systems, N+1 redundancy cooling (one unit more than required), backup generators in a 5+1 configuration (five in operation and one on standby), and advanced physical security measures with biometric access and continuous surveillance, ensuring an availability of over 99.99%.

Valentín Pinuaga, Managing Director of Equinix Spain, explained that the opening of MD5 “marks the consolidation of a commitment that Equinix has been building in this country for more than two decades. Today, we talk a lot about artificial intelligence, but there is a less visible and probably more important conversation: what is needed for that AI to truly work, at scale and securely. And this is where infrastructure comes into play. Data centres are the foundation on which the economy is built.”

Employment generation
According to a study carried out by KPMG for Equinix, the company will generate an additional €285 million for the Spanish economy between 2024 and 2027, with more than 310 direct employees and 750,000 indirect jobs supported annually across the value chain. 65% of its more than 300 customers in Spain are headquartered locally. In total, the company now operates eight data centres in Madrid and Barcelona, all powered by 100% renewable energy.

The MD5 building has also been designed with sustainability in mind. The company aims to secure LEED certification and ISO 14001 and ISO 50001 standards for it by 2027.

^{Photo: Equinix}