Amid growing cybersecurity concerns, Equinix shares interconnection expertise with academics, government representatives and digital service providers, in push for European data sovereignty
LONDON, UK – November 16, 2022 – Equinix, Inc. (NASDAQ:EQIX, news, filings), the world’s digital infrastructure company™, has joined the international non-profit association, Gaia-X, to support its ambitious plans to develop a trusted, sovereign digital infrastructure for Europe.
Given recent geopolitical developments, European leaders are focused on ensuring solidarity and assurance, including in matters such as data privacy and digital sovereignty. The Gaia-X project was born from this desire to develop the next generation of digital infrastructure for Europe, ensuring European values of transparency, openness, data protection, and security are fully embedded.
Gaia-X aims to build a framework of open information technology standards and APIs to support a comparable and decentralised regional, federated digital infrastructure. This qualified data infrastructure will enable European service providers to interoperate and exchange data through an interconnected ecosystem of providers.
With its shared mission to provide a secure, open and transparent foundation for the digital economy, Equinix aims to further the project by sharing its expertise in delivering a global, federated network interconnection platform, based on neutral traffic exchange points. Equinix Fabric™ and Equinix Internet Exchange® facilitate interoperability and information sharing between autonomous customer and partner networks, technology systems, and applications. Gaia-X members are also working towards a common repository of data sources and infrastructure systems to ensure stored data can be exchanged in conformance with European data protection regulations, addressing data sovereignty goals, availability and innovation.
Commenting on Equinix’s role in the project, Peter Waters, Chief Privacy Officer for Equinix, said: “Equinix hopes to use its vast expertise in interconnection and digital infrastructure to play a key role in bringing this ground-breaking project to fruition as part of the company’s global efforts to play a role in future-proofing businesses and societies alike.
“In recent years, cybersecurity vulnerabilities have increased due to the vast amounts of data generated by companies as they grow their digital footprints to meet demand. Digital ecosystems should be designed to meet data privacy requirements, but also foster a free, but secure, flow of data, so users can collaborate without needing to worry about security issues. Equinix Fabric, and the diverse service provider partners it hosts, is delivering on the same essential elements Gaia-X is working towards. We are pleased to offer our expertise to support Gaia-X’s mission to create a federated and secure data infrastructure where businesses and individuals can retain data sovereignty and ensure their data can be exchanged, securely” he added.
The software framework developed through the Gaia-X initiative will also provide significant learnings for other regions looking to increase connectivity between countries while maintaining data sovereignty. The common set of policies and rules promoted by the European project can be applied to any existing cloud/edge technology stack to obtain transparency, controllability, portability, and interoperability across data and services. This is vital as companies continue to look for new business opportunities, expanding into new markets to reach broader audiences.
The latest Global Interconnection Index findings show digital leaders have grown their digital infrastructure more in the last five quarters than in the past five years. As businesses continue to expand into new markets, interconnection bandwidth is forecast to grow at over 35% CAGR, with 85% of global companies expected to expand multicloud access across several regions by 2025. This demonstrates just how vital connecting network and cloud operators through secure and open digital infrastructure will be for future business growth and stability.
- Learn more about the Gaia-X project
- Learn more about Equinix Fabric™
- Learn more about Platform Equinix®
- The Building Blocks of Digital Infrastructure
About Equinix
Equinix (NASDAQ: EQIX) is the world’s digital infrastructure company. Digital leaders harness Equinix’s trusted platform to bring together and interconnect foundational infrastructure at software speed. Equinix enables organisations to access all the right places, partners and possibilities to scale with agility, speed the launch of digital services, deliver world-class experiences and multiply their value, while supporting their sustainability goals.
Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from expectations discussed in such forward-looking statements. Factors that might cause such differences include, but are not limited to, risks to our business and operating results related to the COVID-19 pandemic; the current inflationary environment; foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations; increased costs to procure power and the general volatility in the global energy market; the challenges of acquiring, operating and constructing IBX and xScale data centres and developing, deploying and delivering Equinix products and solutions; unanticipated costs or difficulties relating to the integration of companies we have acquired or will acquire into Equinix; a failure to receive significant revenues from customers in recently built out or acquired data centres; failure to complete any financing arrangements contemplated from time to time; competition from existing and new competitors; the ability to generate sufficient cash flow or otherwise obtain funds to repay new or outstanding indebtedness; the loss or decline in business from our key customers; risks related to our taxation as a REIT and other risks described from time to time in Equinix filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. In particular, see recent and upcoming Equinix quarterly and annual reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, copies of which are available upon request from Equinix. Equinix does not assume any obligation to update the forward-looking information contained in this press release.
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