Equinix has opened a new data center outside Munich, Germany.

The company this week announced it has opened a new International Business Exchange (IBX) facility known as MU4 at Dywidagstrasse 10 in Aschheim.

The first $90 million phase of MU4 provides more than 2,250 square meters (24,200 sq ft) of colocation space and more than 825 cabinets of capacity. Equinix currently has two other data centers – MU1 and MU3 – in operation in the Munich area.

Eugene Bergen Henegouwen, president, EMEA, Equinix said: "As one of Europe's major automotive, manufacturing and tech hubs, Munich is home to some of the world's most innovative businesses. This makes it a key strategic location for us to invest and grow in. We are proud to start the year with the continued expansion of our German footprint, and look forward to supporting more businesses in Munich as they accelerate their transformation with a powerful and sustainable digital infrastructure."

The data center is expected to be powered by 100 percent renewable energy purchased through a green power certificate from local supplier, Mainova.

The company said the next construction phase of the data center is due to see the installation of an Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage (ATES) system that will enable thermal energy to be stored and recovered. Equinix said it is also exploring options to provide waste heat from MU4 to external consumers in the future.

"We provide companies in Munich with the most dynamic digital infrastructure platform available, and want it to be as climate-friendly as feasible. As the first operator in the industry to commit to science-based climate targets, we continuously explore and invest in new climate friendly technologies to further reduce emissions and save resources,” said Jens-Peter Feidner, managing director for Germany at Equinix.

"On a local level, we are committed to working with operators, political decision-makers, and energy providers to target the long-term challenges of sustainable digitization to the benefit of the surrounding community. This includes design aspects such as the use of greened facades as well as potential measures supporting the energy transition like the use of waste heat.”