FOSTER CITY, Calif. -- Equinix, Inc. (Nasdaq: EQIX), the leading provider of network-neutral data centers and Internet exchange services, announced today its firm intention to make an offer for the entire issued share capital of IXEurope Plc (IXEurope, AIM: IXE), a provider of colocation services in Europe. The acquisition comes as Equinix is in the midst of a more than $450 million expansion program in the U.S. and Asia-Pacific since 2006, and it is expected to strengthen Equinixs market leading position by enabling the company to offer a comprehensive global solution for customers.
Equinix will integrate IXEuropes network-neutral data center business and operations under the Equinix brand. IXEuropes business includes 14 data centers comprising more than 380,000 square feet of net sellable space throughout Europe, including centers in London, Zurich, Frankfurt, Munich, Paris, Dusseldorf and Geneva. The companys more than 450 enterprise and Internet customers include Merrill Lynch, Avis Europe, Deutsche Boerse, Citigroup, Rackspace and SurfControl.
With the addition of IXEurope to Equinixs announced expansions, Equinix will have a total footprint of more than three million square feet of data center space across 17 markets in the U.S., Europe and Asia-Pacific, making it the most comprehensive, network neutral, global service provider in the market. Equinix is targeting completion of the transaction in mid-September 2007. The closing and its timing are subject to the approval of IXEuropes stockholders and the UK courts as well as satisfaction or waiver of other closing conditions.