Equinix Mulling Sale Of Minority Stake In Hong Kong Data Center Facilities: Report

An Equinix spokesperson tells CRN in a statement that the company is ‘fully committed’ to its facilities in Hong Kong. 'As a platform company, all assets are important to the success of the platform and Equinix Hong Kong serves as a key interconnection hub for our global customer base,’ the spokesperson says.

Data center provider Equinix reportedly is selling a minority stake in its Hong Kong data centers in a deal that could provide the company with $2 billion in cash, according to Reuters.

Equinix has hired Citigroup to work on the deal, according to Reuters, which cited unnamed sources.

Without commenting on the report, an Equinix spokesperson told CRN via email that the company remains “fully committed” to its facilities in Hong Kong.

“We do not comment on rumor and speculation,” the company said in a statement provided to CRN. “Equinix is fully committed to our Hong Kong business and the success of our customers in this market. As a platform company, all assets are important to the success of the platform and Equinix Hong Kong serves as a key interconnection hub for our global customer base. We will continue to invest in future growth to ensure our customers can deploy in Hong Kong with confidence.”

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Equinix, which is publicly traded, is one of the world’s largest data center providers with a market capitalization of $76.37 billion as of Monday’s close. According to the company, it has 260 data centers in 33 countries and 71 cities and towns around the world including Hong Kong, with 99.999 percent uptime.

Lisa Miller, senior vice president of platform alliances and global channel at Redwood City, Calif.-based Equinix, told CRN last month that at the moment supply and demand are “a little out of whack.”

“So we are looking globally, everywhere, where we can start adding capacity. And that is not just Equinix,” she said. “I think many of our competitors are doing that same thing where we are all looking at how we can grow and expand.”

Demand in the data center market was already high prior to the public fervor around generative AI, but the technology has led to massive demand for data center space. Equinix expects revenue growth this year of between 7 percent and 8 percent, according to U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filings.

Equinix had 49 buildings under construction in 35 markets, according to regulatory filings, and opened 14 data centers last year. The company owns 55 data centers in EMEA, with five of those in leased facilities in Hong Kong.

Equinix named enterprise technology veteran Adaire Fox Martin as its CEO in June as part of a long-planned succession, the company said.

Fox Martin is the former head of Google Cloud’s go-to-market, the head of Google in Ireland, and previously was president of SAP’s Asia-Pacific business.

Equinix former president and CEO Charles Meyers transitioned to the role of executive chairman.