In Japan, Equinix has opened the first unit in its promised datacenter expansion program. The International Business Exchange (IBX) data center has been named TY5, becoming the tenth Equinix facility in the Japanese capital.

TY5’s 5,078 square meters (54,663 square feet) have cost the company $43 million, providing space for 350 cabinets with a further 375 lined up for a second phase of development. The four-story building stands just a short distance from another facility, TY3, creating a campus with dark fiber connecting the two premises. To show its green credentials, Equinix has applied for a Leed Gold rating.

Turning Japanese

Equinix is pitching for a further share of the business from the nearby Japan Exchange and Tokyo Commodity Exchange which houses over 3,400 companies. Analyst firm Forrester has estimated the Japanese datacenter market will be worth $14.2 billion this year.

The company has plans to offer support to local and global enterprises, including financial services firms and cloud and content providers who are increasingly seeking data center colocation and interconnection services in Tokyo. More than just a machine shop, TY5 offers customers access to on-site lounges and conference rooms.

The Equinix data centers in Tokyo, including the facilities it recently acquired with the takeover of Bit-isle, are interconnected via the Oedo Metro Connect service to form a metro-wide virtual campus. This gives customers in TY5 access to over 70 network services providers and major global cloud providers through the Equinix Cloud Exchange and regional internet exchanges, like Jpix and Jpnap.

Samuel Lee, Equinix president for the Asia-Pacific region, called TY5 “a landmark development for Equinix in Japan, as well as a catalyst that will further accelerate the financial services industry across the entire APAC region.”