Korea is home to one the densest AI scaleup ecosystems in the world, contributing to advancements in AI deep technologies. To address this AI growth, Equinix, Inc., the world’s digital infrastructure company , announced its second International Business Exchange (IBX data center in Seoul, named SL4. Scheduled to open in Q1 2024, the new will provide local and international businesses in Korea with the digital capabilities they need to accelerate their AI adoption.
According to the Equinix 2023 Global Tech Trends Survey, 72% of IT leaders in Korea believe that their existing IT infrastructure is not fully prepared for the demands of AI technology. Increasingly AI hardware requires a lot of power, specialized cooling, and specialized networking. To deal with these problems, enterprises need hybrid multicloud architectures that include cloud, colocation and on-premises data centers for running AI workloads at the core and edge and progressing enormous data sets through workflows.
With the launch of Equinix SL4, enterprises in Korea will have access to a rich ecosystem of companies, cloud adjacency, global interconnected data ingestion locations, and strategic partnerships with market-leading AI infrastructure providers through Platform Equinix and its on-demand digital services.
Chris Jang, Managing Director, Equinix Korea, said: “As AI technology continues to advance at a remarkable pace, it has become increasingly important for businesses to transform their IT infrastructure. At Equinix, we are committed to supporting our customers in Korea by providing them with interconnected digital ecosystems and robust digital infrastructure. By expanding our digital platform with SL4, businesses can efficiently connect with tech partners in ecosystems and advanced AI infrastructure.”
To be housed inside its xScaleTM data center SL2x located in Goyang-si, Gyeonggi-do, Equinix SL4 will provide a capacity of 475 cabinets. Directly connected to Equinix’s first IBX data center in Seoul, SL1, through low-latency dark fiber, SL4 will enable customers to securely interconnect with a rich ecosystem of leading cloud service providers, global networks, content delivery network providers, local carriers, internet service providers (ISPs), and internet exchanges such as Korea Internet Neutral Exchange (KINX) and Sejong Telecom’s Korea Internet Exchange (KRIX).
Equinix currently operates more than 250 data centers in 70 locations, serving more than 10,000 of the world’s leading companies. In the Asia-Pacific region, Equinix operates 52 data centers in major cities in Australia, China, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Korea, and Singapore. The company also announced plans to expand into Malaysia and Indonesia to support its business growth in these emerging markets.
