Global digital infrastructure firm Equinix has opened its sixth International Business Exchange data center in Hong Kong, and it is primed to meet the requirements of AI workloads.
Following an initial investment of US$ 124 million, HK6 is equipped with liquid-cooling technology to support the growing demand for AI compute capacity in the region. During its first phase, HK6 will house 1,000 cabinets with a view to scaling this to 3,550 cabinets in the final build-out. The data center is also designed to meet the power, thermal and operational needs required to host AI innovations.
“Hong Kong stands at the forefront of Asia-Pacific’s digital future and the launch of HK6 marks another significant step in our strategy to build the infrastructure that will power the AI era. Built upon Equinix’s foundational global best practices, this state-of-the-art facility expands upon the capacity, resilience and connectivity our customers need to innovate with confidence and unlock new growth opportunities,” Cyrus Adaggra, President of Equinix in Asia-Pacific, said in a press release.
The launch of HK6 aligns with the Hong Kong government’s move to advance its technology and AI agenda. At the heart of this push is the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Innovation and Technology Park (HSITP). HK6 will be connected to HSITP to facilitate co-development and accelerate research and development across the Greater Bay Area. The HSITP facility received a capital injection of HK$ 10 billion in February to accelerate the development of the Hetao Hong Kong Park.
Through HK6, organizations will be able to leverage Equinix’s AI Discovery Hub to build, test, validate, and ultimately scale their AI applications in a hybrid, multicloud environment.
“We are pleased to see the launch of Equinix’s HK6 data center in Hong Kong, adding momentum to the city’s digital infrastructure. HSITP is forging ahead to develop into a world-class innovation and technology (I&T) hub which connects the Mainland and the rest of the world,” Vincent Ma, Chief Executive Officer of HSITP, said in a statement. “Equinix’s focus on enhancing regional interconnection and AI computing capacity aligns with our objective to support I&T enterprises in the Greater Bay Area (GBA), research teams and start-ups with secure connectivity, and to expedite R&D progress.”
HK6 joins a vast Equinix ecosystem in Hong Kong. The data center sits in Tsuen Wan, clustered together with Equinix’s HK1, HK2 and HK3 data centers. Together, these facilities enable mission-critical workloads and hybrid multicloud architectures with high-speed and low-latency. Furthermore, the campus aims to meet the growing demand for AI-driven applications, while complying with sovereignty requirements.
Importantly, HK6 was developed with sustainability in mind. The facility runs on 100 percent renewable energy and is aligned with the Hong Kong government’s Climate Action Plan 2050, which aims to be carbon neutral by the middle of the century.