Equinix Leverages OCP Technology from Facebook to Develop Open Source Ecosystem Inside Equinix Data Centers

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Equinix Leverages OCP Technology from Facebook to Develop Open Source Ecosystem Inside Equinix Data Centers

Building upon Open Compute Project contributions, open source-based ecosystem will enable enterprises to create next-generation IoT and hybrid cloud platforms

REDWOOD CITY, Calif., March 9, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Equinix, Inc., the global interconnection and data center company, today announced that it has incorporated technology designed by Facebook and available from the Open Compute Project (OCP) to help develop an open source ecosystem inside Equinix International Business Exchange(TM) (IBX®) data centers.  As part of this announcement Equinix and Facebook will collaborate on technology innovation to build a diverse, open source platform for both software and hardware.  Building on contributions to OCP, this ecosystem will be built on a new, open source architecture that will enable faster innovation, and create greater efficiency in data center and hybrid cloud deployments.  To facilitate this ecosystem, Wedge open source switches, developed by Facebook and contributed to OCP, will be part of the new architecture inside Equinix.  By working with Facebook to build this ecosystem, Equinix is able to provide its enterprise customers with an optimal environment to push technology boundaries and develop next-generation interconnection solutions.

Many industry trends are driving the need for the massive scaling and performance increases provided by open source hardware and software.  For example, the industry is rapidly moving toward a more software-centric model, wireless capacity for 5G is currently limited, and there is an explosion of devices that require massive scaling.  OCP and the resulting ecosystem forming inside Equinix will provide the scale and performance to further drive these innovations and trends through interconnection.  As a result, customers will have an open source hardware and software platform to deploy their mobile, Internet of Things (IoT) and hybrid cloud deployments in a cost-effective manner.

Highlights / Key Facts

    --  The open source platform will provide an environment for true innovation
        across hardware and software, and enables access to the dense ecosystem
        of networks and cloud service providers inside Equinix data centers.
        Equinix is home to more than 1,100 network providers, as well as
        500-plus cloud service providers, which gives customers a broad choice
        of providers in any of Equinix's 40 global markets. In total, Platform
        Equinix hosts more than 6,300 customers, each of them potential
        customers or partners in developing new solutions or new routes into
        untapped markets.
    --  This open source platform will be powered by the Mesosphere Datacenter
        Operating System (DCOS), which is based on the proven Apache Mesos
        architecture that is used in production today, at very large scale, by
        some of the world's biggest and most innovative companies. DCOS is an
        ideal fit for Open Compute equipment because it aggregates all data
        center resources into a single pool; automatically schedules workloads
        wherever they can fit; and simplifies the process of managing complex
        systems such as Apache Spark, Apache Kafka and HDFS. This approach
        increases utilization and slashes energy bills, while also improving
        both development and operational efficiency. Placing DCOS in Equinix
        data centers will help users achieve their goals around hybrid cloud
        environments and IoT program applications, by enabling them to build
        their application infrastructure once and deploy it anywhere.
    --  Equinix recently joined the OCP Telco Project along with several leading
        network providers.  Since it was founded five years ago, OCP has brought
        new levels of openness to data center technology, and momentum is
        continuing to build around open source contributions for networking,
        servers, storage, and Open Rack.
    --  The Open Compute Project has been proven to reduce costs and provide a
        catalyst for innovation.  In fact, Facebook has saved their company
        billions since their work on OCP began.
Quotes

    --  Ihab Tarazi, CTO, Equinix:"We are thrilled to be working in close
        partnership with Facebook as we bring a new level of innovation and
        collaboration to our growing customer base.  By working together, we can
        drive technology evolution for interconnection by defining the
        next-generation architecture for the network and cloud edge, thus
        ensuring our customers have the scale and performance they require for
        newly evolving platforms and applications."

    --  Jason Taylor, Chairman and President of the Open Compute Project
        Foundation, and VP of Infrastructure, Facebook:"The OCP community works
        best when there is strong collaboration between companies, and that's
        why I think the work on this open architecture for software and hardware
        is so important. I look forward to seeing how the use of OCP technology
        like Wedge open network switches helps Equinix better meet the needs of
        enterprises."

    --  Tobi Knaup, CTO, Mesosphere:"The Open Compute Project has done an
        amazing job bringing next-generation data center designs to enterprise
        users, and Mesosphere is doing the same for webscale software with our
        Datacenter Operating System. Through our partnership with Equinix and
        Facebook, we will help our users run their data centers even more
        efficiently, while also making it much simpler to build, deploy and
        scale innovative enterprise applications."

    --  Andy Lawrence, Research VP, Datacenter Technologies and Eco-efficient
        IT, 451 Research:"As ever more people and devices come online around the
        globe, sharing data-intensive content, it is vital that the
        infrastructure and platforms are in place to support the demanding
        performance needs of IoT.  Equinix's involvement in OCP and its plans to
        create an open source ecosystem inside its global platform of data
        centers, is exactly the kind of initiative that is needed. It will place
        the company in a position to better respond to the needs of enterprises
        as they tackle the burgeoning possibilities of IoT."
Additional Resources

    --  An Innovation Platform:  Equinix Joins the Open Compute Project [blog
        post]
    --  Equinix Uses Facebook Technology to Build an Open Source-Based Ecosystem
        [blog post]
About Equinix

Equinix, Inc. (Nasdaq: EQIX) connects the world's leading businesses to their customers, employees and partners inside the most interconnected data centers.  In 40 markets worldwide, Equinix is where companies come together to realize new opportunities and accelerate their business, IT and cloud strategies. http://www.equinix.com/.

Forward Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from expectations discussed in such forward-looking statements. Factors that might cause such differences include, but are not limited to, the challenges of acquiring, operating and constructing IBX centers and developing, deploying and delivering Equinix services; unanticipated costs or difficulties relating to the integration of companies we have acquired or will acquire into Equinix; a failure to receive significant revenue from customers in recently built out or acquired data centers; failure to complete any financing arrangements contemplated from time to time; competition from existing and new competitors; the ability to generate sufficient cash flow or otherwise obtain funds to repay new or outstanding indebtedness; the loss or decline in business from our key customers; and other risks described from time to time in Equinix's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. In particular, see Equinix's recent quarterly and annual reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, copies of which are available upon request from Equinix. Equinix does not assume any obligation to update the forward-looking information contained in this press release.

SOURCE  Equinix, Inc.

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Equinix, Inc.

CONTACT: Press Contacts: Equinix Media Contacts (Americas): Sally Comollo, +1 (781) 366-5580, scomollo@equinix.com; Mindshare PR for Equinix, Wilson Craig, +1 (408) 516-6182, wilson@mindsharepr.com; Equinix Media Contacts (EMEA): Antonella Crimi, +44 (0)20 7634 4022, Antonella.Crimi@eu.equinix.com; Equinix Media Contacts (APAC): Lorraine Little-Bigelow, + (852) 2970 7742, llittlebigelow@ap.equinix.com; Equinix Investor Relations Contacts: Katrina Rymill, +1 (650) 598-6583, krymill@equinix.com

Web Site: http://www.equinix.com

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