Equinix acquires BT's Irish data centers in €59 million deal

BT is selling its data center business in Ireland to Equinix as part of a new 'asset-light' strategy.

The company said it wants to move away from owning and operating data center facilities, instead partnering with globally scaled organizations. The idea is to give the company a much more commercially scalable and flexible model, with services available in over 560 locations worldwide.

"This announcement with Equinix marks an exciting new chapter for our data center business in Ireland," said Shay Walsh, managing director of BT Ireland.

"The deal builds on our existing successful partnership with Equinix and ensures that customers will benefit from top-tier data center services nationally and globally, allowing BT to specialise in our core strengths in cloud, networking, and security."

The €59 million deal includes two data centers in CityWest and Ballycoolin, Dublin - carrier-neutral facilities of approximately 150,000 gross square feet combined - along with staff and customers.

The Ballycoolin site was expanded only last year, with a multi-million Euro investment bringing up capacity to 3.5MW, with 650 square meters of fully allocated data halls.

Citywest, meanwhile, is a Tier III carrier neutral purpose-built facility that's been operating for more than 20 years, made up of two independent data center buildings.

Equinix currently has six data centers in Dublin. However, plans to expand have been hampered by what the company has referred to as a 'moratorium' on data center development after it was refused a national grid connection last year.

"Equinix has a vital and long- established business in Ireland, with a strong track record of delivering huge value to individuals and companies throughout the Irish economy," said Peter Lantry, managing director of Equinix Ireland.

"This acquisition of assets from our existing facility enables us to continue to offer exceptional interconnection services from our unique global platform, augmenting the €35 million annual contribution to national economic output arising from Equinix’s direct and indirect spend, measured in 2022."

The sale is expected to complete during the first half of 2025, subject to competition and regulatory clearance.

Equinix plans to spend the next few months transitioning the data centers from BT, maintaining uninterrupted operations to customers and incorporating the facilities into its own global network.

"We look forward to working closely with BT to ensure a seamless transition, welcoming their data center team and customers to Equinix and bringing the scale, expertise, and investment that next generation data center facilities require for excellent service delivery for organizations in Ireland and globally," said Lantry.