Data center company
Equinix, Inc. and Emirates-based Integrated Telecommunications Company PJSC have partnered to set up data center and interconnection services in the Middle East. Known as the du Alliance, the partnership brings the first carrier-neutral hub to the region where Equinix has built a 44,000-square-foot data center (the International Business Exchange™) in Dubai. The center will offer around 650 cabinets to customers that include carriers and cloud providers.
The first component of the data center will be in operation on January 1, 2013 and on completion it will represent an investment of around US$40 million. In addition, PJSC recently established a new platform brand - the datamena platform – and will invest an equivalent amount to extend the brand’s service options. The introduction of datamena and a carrier-neutral data center is expected to boost Internet development in the region and offer benefits to customers of both companies. It will also help boost growth in the Middle East, especially in the UAE where the initiative will help the country in its role of regional business hub.
“The Middle East continues to strengthen its position as an important business hub and we are seeing increased demand from our customers for data center services across the region”, explained Eric Schwartz, president of Equinix EMEA. “We see Dubai and the UAE as a key business gateway and are excited to open a new data center in the area to help facilitate growth,” he added.
