Equinix Buys Data Center in Istanbul, a ‘Strategic Gateway’

Equinix has substantially expanded its presence in Istanbul, acquiring a data center and buildings for expansion from the British data center provider Zenium Technology Partners for $93 million.

The existing data center, which generates $2.5 million in annual revenue, is 16,000 square feet, but the additional shell buildings gives the site potential to be developed into a data center campus, with 130,000 square feet of data center space and 22MW of power capacity, Equinix said in a statement.

Istanbul is not a top data center market, but it is a “strategic gateway” between Europe and Asia, meaning it acts as an interconnection point for some networks that carry traffic between the two continents. A Mediterranean submarine cable system, called MedNautilus Submarine System, lands in Istanbul, linking the city to Italy, Greece, Cyprus, and Israel, according to the Submarine Cable Map by Telegeography.

Equinix’s previously existing Istanbul data center is called IS1, and the Zenium site will be renamed to IS2, the company said. In its announcement, the Redwood City, California-based data center provider said there is opportunity in helping Turkish businesses reach outside markets by offering interconnection services in Istanbul and in selling connectivity services to multinationals that use Istanbul as headquarters for the region.

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Zenium was founded by its CEO, Franek Sodzawiczny, who also co-founded Sentrum, a London colocation provider whose three-site greater-London portfolio was acquired by Digital Realty Trust in 2012 for about £716 million.

Istanbul was the first data center market London-based Zenium entered, followed by expansion into Frankfurt via acquisition in 2014. It entered the London data center market last year, acquiring a site in Slough. It’s also advertising a second London facility on its website, saying London Two will be available starting this month.