Equinix Expands Amsterdam Science Park Data Center

Equinix has completed second phase of expansion at its AM3 data center in Amsterdam's Science Park. The company said construction was fast-tracked because of high demand, primarily from cloud providers looking to store data at Science Park.

Each of the phases has roughly enough room for 1,400 cabinets. With the completion of Phase II, AM3 now spans about 190,000 square feet total, with capacity to support up to 2,800 cabs in the Amsterdam Science Park.

AM3 is located in what Equinix calls the "digital heart of Europe" (people in UK and Germany might want to have a word about that). Amsterdam is one of the largest European markets and is experiencing explosive tech growth. It’s an extremely network-dense location with a business-friendly environment.

Equinix AM3 houses more than 120 cloud providers. Those within the facility can reach 80 percent of Europe within 50 milliseconds.

The Amsterdam Science Park is now the second-largest data route in the Netherlands, behind Amsterdam South East, which handles 43 percent of the country’s traffic.

AM3 is one of the data centers in 17 markets connected to the Equinix Cloud Exchange, which gives customers on-demand direct access to multiple clouds and networks across the globe. The Cloud Exchange was launched in April and Equinix plans to add two more markets by the end of the year.

“A few years ago, the Amsterdam Science Park was considered Amsterdam’s best-kept secret, but now it has developed into an area of international allure,” said Eberhard van der Laan, mayor of Amsterdam. “The first fundamental research institutes were established in this former polder in the 1960s. Nowadays this environment delivers top performance and is a place where research and innovative entrepreneurship meet.”

“Located at the heart of Europe’s digital gateway, AM3 is one of Equinix’s most innovative and sustainable facilities,” said Steve Smith, CEO and president of Equinix. “By completing Phase II ahead of schedule, Equinix has doubled capacity at AM3, allowing a greater number of corporations and service providers to leverage the more than 250 networks available at Science Park Amsterdam.”

AM3, the company's third data center in Amsterdam, was originally announced in June 2011.