SINGAPORE (THE BUSINESS TIMES) - Nasdaq-listed Equinix has made a US$144 million (S$192.5 million) initial investment for the first phase of its fifth data centre in Singapore, it said in a press statement on Tuesday (Dec 1).

Named SG5, the nine-storey facility will be located at Tanjong Kling data centre park and be directly connected to the four existing Equinix International Business Exchange (IBX) data centres in Singapore via low-latency dark fibre links.

This will enable the digital infrastructure company's customers to securely interconnect with more than 705 firms in the market. Customers will also be able to choose from more than 200 network services providers.

The SG5's first phase will have a capacity of 1,300 cabinets and about 18,400 sq ft of colocation space. At full build-out, the facility will provide around 5,000 cabinets, with close to 129,000 sq ft of colocation space.

Equinix has also committed to a long-term goal of using 100 per cent clean and renewable energy and lowering its carbon footprint for its global platform. The green features it will adopt include motion-activated LED lights and automated control and regulation of motors, as well as hot aisle containment and ceiling plenum infrastructure, to name a few.

Equinix's Asia-Pacific president Jeremy Deutsch said the SG5 IBX data centre aims to create more opportunities for enterprises in the region to build a strong digital foundation, enabling them to develop into the digital leaders of tomorrow.

In January, Equinix made an initial US$85.3 million investment into building its fourth data centre - SG4 - in Singapore. The seven-storey facility in Tai Seng Industrial Estate opened this year.

In the Asia-Pacific, Equinix has 46 IBX data centres across Australia, China, Hong Kong, South Korea, Japan and Singapore. It also has plans to build data centre OS3 in Osaka, Japan; and PE3 in Perth, Australia.