UK’s digital infrastructure boosted by £179m to meet evolving business needs

Equinix, Inc., the world’s digital infrastructure company, confirmed its continuing commitment to growing its data centre capacity in the UK. It is expanding two of its International Business Exchange™ (IBX®) sites in London—LD7 and LD8—and has opened a new data centre—MA5—in Manchester, representing an investment of £179 million. In total, Equinix has invested more than £1 billion in the UK’s digital infrastructure.

In an increasingly dynamic world, including competitive pressures, growing customer demands, globalisation, and challenges posed by COVID-19 and Brexit, many businesses are accelerating their digital transformation efforts and prioritising the adoption of hybrid multicloud solutions. In response, Equinix continues to invest in the UK’s interconnection capabilities to help organisations adopt future-proof digital strategies and expand their global opportunities.

Russell Poole, 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, as the fastest growing core metro. This projected growth is due to be driven by a combination of network and financial services demand for capacity.

Furthermore, the Equinix 2022 Global Tech Trends Survey reveals the majority of UK digital leaders (64%) believe the UK is a trailblazer in technological innovation, with 57% of last year’s respondents suggesting that, globally, London is one of the best cities to do business in. Almost 8 out of 10 (79%) respondents expect the UK will remain a world-leading international business hub.

As well as underpinning the UK’s position as a hub for global business, data centres are delivering multiple career opportunities, including roles that coincide with Equinix’s own initiatives to attract new talent and tackle gender inequality within the tech sector. One such programme, recently launched and titled ‘I am Remarkable’, is encouraging women to join the industry. It is particularly focused on women who have no previous experience working in technology.

Lorraine Wilkinson, Vice President of Sales, 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.”

CT Bureau