LinkedIn Expands in Equinix Chicago Data Center

The fast-growing professional social network LinkedIn has expanded its data center infrastructure by leasing space in a brand new Equinix Inc. facility in the Chicago market. LinkedIn already leases space in two of Equinix's data centers in Silicon Valley.

The new Chicago space expands LinkedIn's infrastructure and provides the ability to peer with the large number of network providers in the Equinix data center. LinkedIn says its network is currently used by more than 25 million professionals. Unlike MySpace and Facebook, LinkedIn has focused on business users.

The 228,000 Equinix data center in Elk Grove Village, Illinois is the largest of the company's 35 data centers and is the size of four football fields. In June 2006 Equinix paid $9.75 million to purchase an office/warehouse complex in Elk Grove Village from Amalgamated Bank of Chicago. The $175 million first phase of the facility will accommodate approximately 2,500 cabinets, with a second phase to later add space for another 1,300 cabinets. Equinix has more than 300 customers in its two existing centers in Chicago,

"LinkedIn, along with MySpace, Digg and other companies that rely upon the Internet as a principal element of their business model, have found that Equinix's neutral centers are the best locations where they can reach all of the world's major networks within a single location," said Margie Backaus, chief business officer for Equinix. "In addition, Equinix provides them with a top-tier data center infrastructure that offers a strong platform for business continuity operations."

Equinix (EQIX) is a leading global provider of network-neutral colcoation and interconnection services, operating 40 data centers in 18 markets across North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific.