GEC NEWS WIREAs Barcelona becomes an increasingly strategic hub for the terrestrial and subsea cable networks connecting our digital lives, Equinix is building its second data center in the metro.
The new site will serve as a strategic connection point for data communications between Europe, Africa and the Middle East, with Barcelona quickly becoming a vital subsea hub. Major cables include: 2Africa, connecting key coastal metros around the entire African continent and Arabian Peninsula; Aqua Comms’ Europe Middle East India cable, due to link Barcelona with Salalah and Mumbai; Medloop by Sipartech, connecting Barcelona to Ajaccio, Genoa and Marseille; and the Medusa cable, due to link Barcelona with Lisbon and a number of important Mediterranean, European and African metros.
This substantial digital connectivity will be further bolstered by Equinix’s global platform of more than 245 data centers, which includes key Mediterranean metros such as Bordeaux, Genoa, Lisbon and Milan.
Jim Poole, Vice President at Equinix, noted: “Subsea cables play a vital role in enabling the modern digital world, and we anticipate much progress in the next couple of years following the pandemic-induced backlog. Subsea cables provide the underlying capacity between metros on different continents, while Equinix democratizes that capacity, making it easily accessible to a wide range of businesses and enabling rapid international expansion without the need for significant CAPEX investment.”
A world-renowned hub for innovation and technical expertise, Barcelona continues to attract and house major international organizations and tech companies such as Airbnb, Amazon, Google, HP, Microsoft and Ubisoft, to the historic city. Equinix’s new facility, to be known as the BA2 International Business Exchange™ (IBX®) data center, will be located adjacent to the company’s existing BA1 site, forming a campus and dense digital ecosystem. It will add much-needed digital capacity to the city to enable local businesses to expand and grow, as well as encouraging international businesses to land or expand on Platform Equinix® in Barcelona—already an essential and strategically located hub for international communications.
“Spain is an increasingly important digital market and a solid port in the Mediterranean connectivity map. Colt’s planned expansion into Equinix’s new Barcelona site builds upon our existing metro connectivity across the country. By further bolstering our presence, we are well positioned to drive the next wave of growth for businesses, providing local and international businesses alike with access to the dense Colt IQ Network. As long-standing partners, Colt and Equinix are transforming the enterprise experience of procuring network and digital services with flexible, agile on-demand provisioning,” commented Joan Monraba, Country Manager for Colt Technology Services, Spain.
Leading the way in sustainability, Barcelona was the first city in the world to be awarded the sustainable tourism Biosphere certification. Equinix was the first company in the data center industry to commit to become climate neutral globally by 2030, in conjunction with an approved short-term science-based target to reduce emissions, and aligned to the Paris Agreement 1.5-degree scenario. The company has a long-term goal of sourcing 100% clean and renewable energy for its global platform. BA2 will utilize 100% renewable energy and be designed with the aim to be Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Certified.
“Addressing digital demand sustainably is of vital importance, and something we are focused on at Equinix. The timing of this investment couldn’t be better, given the surge in demand we are seeing from companies in Barcelona and across the Mediterranean” said Judith Gardiner, Vice President for Growth and Emerging Markets at Equinix. “The potential for Barcelona to become a dense and valuable strategic hub cannot be overstated, and we are delighted to be able to serve this great city by adding it to our strategy to galvanize our position as the connectivity core of the Mediterranean.”
Technology continues to be a high-growth sector in both Barcelona and throughout Spain, supported by the Spanish government’s digitization initiatives. Digital Spain 2026, for example, sets out a roadmap to provide broadband coverage for 100% of the country’s population and promote 5G technology across the nation. According to the Barcelona City Council, the area now has more than 2,000 technology companies, 210 technology parks, centers and research facilities, and nine international facilities such as the Barcelona Supercomputing Centre. The Catalonia region alone accounts for a quarter of all IT companies in Spain, and generates 20 percent of national turnover in technology, making connections to Barcelona from across Europe an essential driver of success for international business.
Equinix’s Barcelona sites enable customers to be part of a highly connected digital ecosystem. Hosting 45+ network carriers, these expansive facilities provide connectivity to the CATNIX regional internet exchange as well as the Equinix Internet Exchange®. Customers can leverage Equinix’s digital services to build digital infrastructure securely and rapidly at software speed with automated bare metal and virtual network services to connect and consume network on demand.
