As the world grapples with the daunting challenges of the climate crisis, it is imperative that the global community identifies and supports the leaders that will drive and initiate positive change within their respective industries and organisations. This holds true for the digital infrastructure industry. 

The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the pace of digital transformation, as society increasingly relies on digital infrastructure for work, learning and interaction. This has placed significant additional pressure on the industry to address the sustainability issues that exist.

A company to take on this challenge is Equinix. As the world’s digital infrastructure company, Equinix’s purpose is to be the platform where the world comes together, enabling the innovations that enrich our work, life, and planet. 

“Equinix plays an important role in advancing technologies and helping elevate the standard of living for people all around the world,” said President and CEO of Equinix Charles Meyers.

Equinix empowers businesses to transition to hybrid cloud models quickly; interconnect with partners, customers, employees easily and innovate to deliver world-class experiences. The company is committed to addressing the impact of climate change within its operations, value chain and broader industry.

Equinix is dedicated to achieving 100% clean and renewable sources for its data centres, which are crucial in housing IT infrastructure, physical and virtual systems, networks and applications. These data centres operate round the clock, supporting a diverse range of essential services. Whether it is life-saving work carried out by hospitals and first responders or providing the power behind global financial markets, data centres play a pivotal role in modern life functioning seamlessly.  

As part of Equinix’s Future First sustainability strategy, the company is determined to play its part in tackling the climate crisis. “Our sustainability strategy is really about rallying our people and partners together to dream about a better future and then do what it takes to make it happen,” said Katrina Rymill, Senior Vice President of Sustainability at Equinix.

An example of this can be seen in Equinix’s partnership with Bloom Energy. The two companies are looking to accelerate the development of generator-less and UPS-less data centres. On-site solid oxide fuel cells have been enabled at the data centre to generate redundant cleaner energy off-grid and potentially eliminate the need for fossil fuel-powered generators and power-consuming Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS) systems. These partnerships will test core and edge technologies with the aim of proving the reliability, efficiency and cost of building the products.

The company’s sustainability drive is complemented by its desire to address social inequalities through the Equinix Foundation. The foundation identifies and supports community-driven non-profits and social enterprises that seek to increase digital inclusion across the world.   

What makes Equinix genuinely remarkable is that it simultaneously manages to expand its operations, reduce its emissions and make a positive contribution to the world we all live in.