Datacenters consume vast amounts of energy, but operators can justify this consumption due to their essential role in modern infrastructure. Recognizing that this may not be apparent to all, Equinix is increasingly positioning itself as a leader in sustainability.
The Olympics are unavoidable in Paris these days, with fences and posters extending far beyond the stadiums. Behind the scenes, Equinix is more deeply involved with the event than a typical sponsor would be. In fact, the company is indirectly providing heat for the Olympic swimming pool in the Saint-Denis district. A heat exchanger, concealed within a cluster of brown containers in a parking lot, supplies the necessary energy to Saint-Denis’ existing heat distribution network. The pipes run inconspicuously back to PA10, one of the newer additions to Equinix’s global network of 260 datacenters.
PA10
Equinix announced PA10 in early 2022, emphasizing its sustainability features. Its 3D mockup showcased a prominent aspect of this commitment: a 430-square-meter greenhouse atop the new facility’s roof. Now completed, this IBX (International Business Exchange, Equinix’s term for its datacenters) utilizes some of the heat generated by its servers to grow tomatoes and other produce. The datacenter’s roof design also captures rainwater, which is later used for irrigation. Adjacent to the greenhouse, a thriving flower garden is tended by a bee colony that has made the rooftop its home.
The roof’s abundant flora immediately captures one’s attention, while the servers inside the building and the external heat network are less conspicuous. However, these less visible elements are Equinix’s actual focus. It has no intentions to break into the horticulture market; instead, a third party manages the largely automated greenhouse and vegetation. The greenhouse maintenance is relatively self-sufficient, adjusting sunlight exposure and replenishing nutrients as needed to optimize growth. Equinix’s core infrastructure remains hidden behind closed doors.
Once inside
An Equinix site is highly secure, comparable to an airport with stringent access controls. Anyone attempting to bypass the gates would only gain access to offices and meeting rooms, anyway. Beyond these areas lie well-secured corridors connecting the various Data Halls, including those of PA10 and the older facilities PA2, PA3, and PA9x.
Extending the aviation metaphor, Equinix locations function as IT airports, providing connectivity and housing for various clients. In this analogy, the “airlines” are the 4,000+ IT vendors who host their servers in Equinix IBXs. Like a well-designed airport, these facilities exhibit a coherent design throughout. For instance, each Data Hall features yellow-marked cable ducts at approximately 4 meters in height for connectivity and power distribution. Inside the Data Halls, transparent panels regularly intermingle with the floor tiles, allowing access to the water pipes below. There’s a key design principle that no visitor will ever fail to notice: all hydrological infrastructure is tucked away beneath the floor.
At the core of this digital infrastructure are the customers’ servers. These are often enclosed in cages that can extend to the ceiling, with openings so small that even a USB stick cannot pass through. Equinix’s access to this equipment is restricted just like anybody else’s. In case of a server fire, an automatic sprinkler system provides the necessary fire suppression.
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At the same ground level as the servers are CDUs (Cooling Distribution Units), which may belong to either Equinix or its customers. Equinix’s water system is completely separate from those of its clients. Multiple pumps are strategically placed throughout the facility to minimize downtime. This redundancy allows Equinix to boast of 99.999 percent availability, equating to a maximum of 5 minutes of downtime per year. The company is actively looking to add another 9 to this figure, ensuring availability is year-round with only 30 seconds of leeway.
Although we’re focusing on PA10 in Paris, it, like every Equinix IBX, is an integral part of the company’s wider network globally. This network comprises 260 datacenters across 33 countries and 71 metropolitan areas, recently expanding into Africa and India. Undersea cables connect all continents, with Equinix offering its own Equinix Fabric service, capable of speeds up to 50 Gbps. Redundancy is, as mentioned, critical; if an undersea cable fails, internet traffic may need to reroute around the globe. While this is slower than a direct path, it’s preferable to a complete outage.
Most Equinix customers distribute their data across multiple locations, a sensible approach given their often critical operations. Without naming specific clients, it’s evident that organizations in healthcare and finance cannot afford interruptions due to problems at Equinix.
The IBX network offers significant advantages to customers. It facilitates the required connectivity, with Equinix serving as a neutral facilitator to exchange data. It also provides an alternative to direct public cloud use. Equinix Cloud Adjacent Storage, for example, aims to strike a balance between on-premises and public cloud solutions. Equinix emphasizes benefits such as lower data egress costs compared to hyperscalers and flexibility in hybrid and multi-cloud setups without vendor lock-in. Additionally, Equinix offers private AI solutions, allowing secure AI deployment using just a few server racks, independent of public cloud services.
Impact on society
Equinix’s services extend beyond connectivity. Since 2016, the company has been committed to sustainability far more than it was before, driven by a sense of responsibility for the IT sector’s substantial electricity consumption and emissions. Arno van Gennip, VP of Global IBX Operations Engineering, states, “We have to be responsible for the communities we’re in. That’s good citizenship.”
Currently, 96 percent of Equinix’s global energy consumption comes from renewable sources. The remaining 4 percent of fossil fuel dependence in Australia will be eliminated once a massive wind farm goes on-line. However, challenges remain: since committing to full sustainability by 2030 in 2019, Equinix’s total consumption has increased by a staggering 60 percent.
In this industry, curbing growth is undesirable as it indicates product utilization. This leads to challenges in sourcing sufficient energy. Notably, Equinix is the only datacenter company committed to CO2 neutrality by 2030, a goal their competitors have yet to adopt. This neutrality will be independently verifiable. Equinix has already invested $4.9 billion in green bonds, demonstrating a diverse sustainability approach.
Locally, Equinix seeks partners to repurpose energy beyond sustainability efforts. In Paris, energy company SMIREC operates the heat network near PA10, capable of capturing 6.6 megawatts from PA10 – equivalent to heating 1,000 homes plus the Olympic swimming pool annually. Across Europe, 77 terawatt hours of waste heat could potentially be recovered from datacenters, benefiting 8 million households. However, Heat Export Senior Manager Noah Nkonge notes a lack of standardization in terms of heat transport, which is a problem across all industries. There are also several bottlenecks, such as having to heat water to 60 degrees to make it usable for the community. While older datacenters require retrofitting for heat export, newer sites like PA10 have incorporated this functionality from the design stage.
Stepping out
Equinix staff emphasize that this newfound level of public transparency is uncharted territory. Previously, they primarily hosted customers, potential clients, and local media. The motivation behind this new openness is clear: as Van Gennip notes, datacenters have largely remained “mysterious to most people.” To credibly position itself as “the world’s digital infrastructure company“, Equinix recognizes the need to engage more broadly with the public.
This outreach comes as IT infrastructure faces increasing scrutiny from sustainability activists, despite its crucial role in modern society. Equinix acknowledges that the necessity of datacenters for contemporary life, including the current global sustainability efforts, isn’t a sufficient justification on its own for the greater public. Consequently, the company is taking proactive steps to contribute to sustainable solutions which anyone can readily see, feel, smell and even eat.
Also read: nLighten wants to build sustainable datacenters all over Europe