The new centre, part of Equinix's continuing programme of measured global expansion to meet demand, will add to the company's three other International Business Exchange (IBX) data centres in Zurich, doubling the company's data centre footprint in one of the largest markets for Equinix's interconnection business in Europe. The announcement comes at a time when demand for colocation and data centre services in the market continues to outpace supply.

The ZH4 centre, located in central Zurich, will build upon the rich network density of Equinix's ZH1 and ZH2 centres in Zurich, a market with strong demand for the interconnection of leading service provider networks, including carriers, ISPs, international PTT's and other broadband networks. In addition to providing a centralised aggregation point for these networks to operate, the ZH4 centre will offer a variety of interconnection and peering services including direct cross-connects between networks, as well as the Equinix Exchange central switching fabric. In total, the facility will comprise 2,983 square metres (32,108 square foot) of gross space.

Equinix's three other Zurich centres are also located in central Zurich, comprising 1,146 square metres (12,335 square feet) of sellable data centre space and providing excellent carrier connectivity from the many network service providers located in this strategic telecommunications crossroads for Europe. All three existing centres, which combined total 2,461 square metres (26,490 square foot) of gross space, are connected via redundant networks for resilient dual-site solutions, and all are certified ISO9001.2000.

"With its position as a strategic hub for network service providers and the financial services and media sectors, Zurich is an ideal market for Equinix's data centre colocation and interconnection services," said Eric Schwartz, president of Equinix in Europe. "By investing in the construction of this new centre in a market that has seen seen few recent data centre builds, and at a time when demand continues to outpace supply, Equinix is signalling its strong commitment to this market and to building upon its leadership in the region."

The ZH4 centre, expected to open in Q2 2010, will accommodate approximately 500 cabinet equivalents.