Equinix has unveiled plans to build a new $40-million International Business Exchange (IBX) data centre Johor, Malaysia, called JH1 and scheduled to begin operations in the first quarter of 2024.
Intended to provide 500 cabinets and 1,960 square meters of colocation space, the IBX data center will support Malaysian companies and multinationals doing business in Malaysia with access to Platform Equinix to bring together and interconnect the foundational digital infrastructure that powers their success.
Equinix’s expansion in Malaysia will unlock opportunities for Malaysian businesses expanding internationally and for multinational corporations pursuing growth and innovation in the Malaysian market.
Malaysian companies are expected to benefit from the ability to accelerate their evolution from traditional to digital businesses by rapidly scaling their infrastructure, easily adopting hybrid multicloud architectures and interconnecting with strategic business partners within the Platform Equinix ecosystem of more than 10,000 customers.
This expansion marks Equinix’s second foray into ASEAN (the Association of Southeast Asian Nations) following the recently announced plans to expand into Indonesia, allowing the company to address digital infrastructure demand critical to the region’s digital growth.
“Establishing a presence in Johor strengthens Equinix’s leadership position in Asia-Pacific within a strategic market such as Malaysia, one of the most requested markets in [the region] by our global customers,” said Jeremy Deutsch, Equinix president in the Asia-Pacific region.
For this project, Equinix is working with the Digital Investment Office, Invest Johor, and Tenaga Nasional.
“We look forward to deepening our collaboration through future expansion, maximising local businesses’ digital growth potential with rich digital experiences and outcomes,” said Deutsch.
A two-story facility, JH1 will be located at Nusajaya Tech Park (NTP) in Iskandar, Johor. It is 15 kilometers from Singapore, allowing the data centre to address excess demand from organisations in the city-state in addition to Malaysian domestic demand.
Equinix also has the option of acquiring additional land in NTP to build a second facility, supporting Malaysia’s digital growth aspirations.
Companies and multinationals doing business in Malaysia will be able to access Platform Equinix to store and distribute large volumes of latency-sensitive data and applications closer to end users and local markets.
When opened, the new IBX data centre in Johor will increase Equinix’s total global footprint of more than 245 data centers across 71 metros and 32 countries. It is expected to also present opportunities for further expansion into new metros and market segments in Malaysia.
In APAC, Equinix currently has 51 data centres across 13 metros across Australia, China, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Korea and Singapore. In addition, Equinix also announced expansions into Chennai in India, and Jakarta in Indonesia in 2022.
