Equinix is expanding its Asian presence and its global cloud capabilities, by developing its first IBX data center in Osaka, Japan, in partnership with K-Opticom, and by partnering with CloudSigma to enable hybrid cloud services globally. CloudSigma joined Equinix's growing roster of cloud providers within its ecosystem.
The data center in Osaka, called OS1, will be Equinix’s first data center in the western region of Japan. The OS1 data center will provide a total capacity of 32,000 square feet and more than 800 cabinet equivalents. Partner K-Opticom is one of the largest access providers in Osaka/Kansai area. Along with Kanden Energy Solutions (KENES), the collective will open the new data center in the fourth quarter of 2013, with the first phase providing initial capacity of 320 cabinets. The total investment for Phase 1 of the Osaka data center will be $12 million. The data center will directly connect to Dojima, the network core in Osaka.
The announcement follows Equinix’s recent announcement to build its fourth IBX in Tokyo in response to high demand for data center services in Japan. Equinix choosing to partner in the region is smart, because it is a standard practice within an insular culture. Osaka is Japan’s second largest economy after Tokyo and saw internet traffic grow a staggering 68 percent and bandwidth increase at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 56 percent from 2008 to 2012 rivaling Tokyo. There is access to more than 900 domestic and international carriers located there, promoting the internationalization of Osaka overall.
“Osaka is another important strategic market, along with Tokyo in Japan,” said Kei Furuta, managing director of Equinix Japan. “Many of our global customers have requested Equinix data center services in Osaka. With the support of K-Opticom, Kenes and O-BIC, we can meet that demand by opening our first IBX data center in Osaka. As the backbone of the digital economy Platform Equinix is used by more than 4,000 customers worldwide and serves as an interconnection platform to promote business growth among customers. I am honored to be able to help invigorate the Osaka economy and promote internationalization through OS1.”
CloudSigma Deploys in Equinix Zurich and DC locations, More to Follow
Infrastructure as a Service provider CloudSigma has deployed in Equinix’s Zurich and Washington, D.C. facilities as part of a new partnership to market cloud and data center services in North America and Europe. Equinix will provide existing customers with a direct connect private line virtual LANs to CloudSigma to make it easy for companies to adopt hybrid cloud architectures.
These deployments represent the first phase in an ambitious targeted roll-out in selected markets covered by Equinix’s global footprint of more than 90 IBX data centers in 31 markets. There are future plans to deploy in emerging digital markets such as Brazil, United Arab Emirates and Asia Pacific.
“CloudSigma is a global company with ambitions to expand its presence in Europe and North America, as well as newly emerging digital markets such as Brazil, the United Arab Emirates and Asia Pacific, fueled by our existing customers’ demand,” said Bernino Lind, Chief Operating Officer, CloudSigma. “Equinix is a perfect strategic match for this expansion due to its innovative culture, proactive partnership approach, global footprint and the IBX connectivity solution.”
