8-K
EQUINIX INC (EQIX)
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, DC 20549
FORM 8-K
CURRENT REPORT
Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934
Date of report (Date of earliest event reported): January 26, 2022
EQUINIX, INC.
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Charter)
| Delaware | 001-40205 | 77-0487526 |
|---|---|---|
| (State or Other Jurisdiction<br><br><br>of Incorporation) | (Commission<br><br><br>File Number) | (I.R.S. Employer<br><br><br>Identification No.) |
One Lagoon Drive
Redwood City, CA 94065
(Address of Principal Executive Offices, and Zip Code)
(650) 598-6000
Registrant’s Telephone Number, Including Area Code
(Former Name or Former Address, if Changed Since Last Report)
Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions (see General Instruction A.2. below):
| ☐ | Written communication pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425) |
|---|---|
| ☐ | Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12) |
| --- | --- |
| ☐ | Pre-commencement communication pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b)) |
| --- | --- |
| ☐ | Pre-commencement communication pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c)) |
| --- | --- |
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
| Title of each class | Trading Symbol(s) | Name of each exchange on which registered |
|---|---|---|
| Common stock,<br>par value $0.001 per share | EQIX | The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC |
| 0.250% Senior Notes due 2027 | The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC | |
| 1.000% Senior Notes due 2033 | The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC |
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (17 CFR §230.405) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (17 CFR §240.12b-2).
Emerging growth company ☐
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐
Item 7.01. Regulation FD Disclosure
On January 26, 2022, Equinix, Inc. ("Equinix") issued a press release that includes, among other matters, information related to the Joint Venture, as defined and described in Item 8.01 below and incorporated into this Item 7.01 by reference. A copy of the press release is furnished as Exhibit 99.1 and is incorporated into this Item 7.01 by reference.
The information in this Item 7.01 of this Current Report on Form 8-K, including Exhibit 99.1 attached hereto, is being furnished and shall not be deemed “filed” for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or otherwise subject to the liabilities of that section and shall not be incorporated by reference into any registration statement or other document pursuant to the Securities Act, except as otherwise stated in such filings.
Item 8.01 Other Events
On January 26, 2022, Equinix entered into an agreement to form a joint venture with GIC, Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund, (the "Joint Venture") whereby, upon closing, the Joint Venture will develop and operate two xScale data centers in Seoul, South Korea. Pursuant to the terms of the Joint Venture, upon closing, GIC will own an 80% equity interest in the joint venture, and Equinix will own the remaining 20% equity interest.
The Joint Venture plans to secure financing prior to closing to fund the planned development of the sites, working capital needs and other general corporate purposes of the Joint Venture.
The closing of the Joint Venture is subject to conditions including obtaining required regulatory approvals.
Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This Current Report on Form 8-K contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and other securities laws, including statements regarding the proposed Joint Venture and the development of certain data centers. The forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from expectations discussed in such forward-looking statements. Although Equinix believes that its forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, expected results may not be achieved, and actual results may differ materially from its expectations. Factors that might cause such differences include, but are not limited to, risks related to Equinix's ability to complete the closing of the joint ventures on the proposed terms and schedule; risks related to Equinix or GIC being able to satisfy their respective closing conditions related to the joint ventures, including obtaining regulatory approval; any inability of Equinix, GIC or the joint ventures to obtain financing as needed; risks related to whether the data centers which will be developed and contributed to the joint ventures will be integrated successfully, and whether such development and integration may be more difficult, time-consuming or costly than expected; risks that the expected benefits of the joint ventures will not occur; the challenges of operating and managing data centers and developing, deploying and delivering Equinix services; the ability to generate sufficient cash flow or otherwise obtain funds to repay new or outstanding indebtedness; competition from existing and new competitors; the loss or decline in business from key hyperscale companies; disruption from the joint ventures making it more difficult to conduct business as usual or maintain relationships with customers, employees or suppliers; and other risks described from time to time in Equinix's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. In particular, see recent Equinix 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.
Equinix’s forward-looking statements should not be relied upon except as statements of Equinix’s present intentions and of Equinix’s present expectations, which may or may not occur. Cautionary statements should be read as being applicable to all forward-looking statements wherever they appear. Except as required by law, Equinix undertakes no obligation to release publicly the result of any revision to these forward-looking statements that may be made to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. Readers are also urged to carefully review and consider the various disclosures Equinix has made in this Current Report on Form 8-K, as well as Equinix’s other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Equinix does not assume any obligation to update the forward-looking information contained in this Current Report on Form 8-K.
Item 9.01. Financial Statements and Exhibits
| (d) | Exhibits. |
|---|---|
| 99.1 | Press release issued by Equinix on January 26, 2022 |
| --- | --- |
| 104 | Cover Page Interactive Data File - the cover page iXBRL tags are embedded within the Inline XBRL document |
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
| EQUINIX, INC. | ||
|---|---|---|
| DATE: January 27, 2022 | By: | /s/ KEITH D. TAYLOR |
| Keith D. Taylor | ||
| Chief Financial Officer |
Exhibit 99.1
Equinix and GIC to Invest US$525 Million to Build Hyperscale Data Centers in Korea
Two xScale™ data centers in Seoul to accommodate growing demand for digital infrastructure
REDWOOD CITY, Calif., Jan. 26, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Equinix, Inc. (Nasdaq: EQIX), the world's digital infrastructure company^TM^, today announced the signing of an agreement to form a US$525 million joint venture in the form of a limited liability partnership with GIC, Singapore's sovereign wealth fund, to develop and operate two xScale data centers in Seoul, Korea. This new joint venture will bring the global xScale data center portfolio to more than US$8 billion across 36 facilities, and an expected greater than 720 MW of power capacity when completed and fully constructed.
Charles Meyers, President and CEO, Equinix, commented, "More and more organizations are embracing a digital-first strategy to scale their operations, enhance the experiences of their customers, and unlock the value of technologies like 5G, IoT, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML). Korea and the broader Asia-Pacific market are both enablers and beneficiaries as organizations prioritize digital transformation. To address demand for cloud and digital infrastructure, we have continued to invest in the region through the expansion of International Business Exchange^TM^ (IBX^®^) capacity and locations, as well as the expansion of our hyperscale program, xScale, in Australia, and now Korea."
The two facilities under this joint venture, to be named SL2x and SL3x, are expected to provide more than 45 megawatts (MW) of power capacity to serve the unique core workload deployment needs of hyperscale companies, including the world's largest cloud service providers. With more hyperscale providers expanding in Korea to support businesses' digital infrastructure needs, the cloud computing market in the country is expected to flourish. According to IDC Korea, based on its recent publication of 'Korea Cloud IT Infrastructure Market Forecast, 2021', the Cloud IT infrastructure market in Korea is expected to reach an average annual growth rate (CAGR) of 15% over the next five years, reaching approximately US$1.86 billion (2.2189 trillion won) in sales by 2025.^1^ The Global Interconnection Index (GXI Vol. 5), an annual market study recently published by Equinix, also estimates that Seoul will have the most interconnection bandwidth from hyperscale providers within Asia-Pacific by 2024.
To date, seven xScale data centers have opened globally, with more currently under development. The establishment of xScale data centers in Korea will allow hyperscale providers to add core deployments to their existing access point footprints at Equinix, enabling their growth on a single platform that can immediately span 65 global metros and offer direct interconnection to their customers and strategic business partners.
Highlights/Key Facts:
- Equinix entered the Korean market in 2019 with its first IBX, SL1. At the facility, customers can connect their corporate IT infrastructure to global hyperscale providers, including Alibaba Cloud, Amazon Web Service, Google Cloud, Microsoft Azure and Oracle Cloud, via Equinix Fabric^TM^, for a high-performance solution and enhanced user experience. With this xScale expansion, these hyperscale providers can continue to grow at Equinix, in close proximity to an ecosystem of more than 10,000 customers on its growing platform of more than 235 data centers around the world.
- xScale data centers offer access to Equinix's comprehensive suite of interconnection and digital services. These services will tie into the hyperscale companies' existing access points at Equinix, thereby increasing the speed of connectivity to their existing and future enterprise customers.
- The two new xScale facilities in Korea will also align with Equinix's Future First sustainability strategy and 100% renewable energy goal. Equinix has operated with 100% renewable energy in Korea since 2020. Equinix is also the first in the data center industry to commit to reaching global climate-neutrality by 2030, backed by its science-based targets (SBT) and sustainability innovation agenda. Equinix has continued to make advancements in the way it designs, builds and operates its data centers with high energy-efficiency standards, and all xScale data centers are expected to be LEED certified (or the equivalent regional certification).
- Under the terms of Equinix's joint venture agreement with GIC, GIC will own an 80% equity interest in the joint venture, and Equinix will own the remaining 20% equity interest. The joint venture is expected to close in Q1 2022, pending regulatory approval and other closing conditions.
Additional Resources
- Equinix and PGIM Real Estate Enter into a US$575 Million JV to Extend Hyperscale Data Center Program into Australia [press release]
- Equinix and GIC to Add $3.9B to Expand xScale Data Center Program [press release]
- Hyperscale Connectivity Drives $3 Billion in Data Center Projects by Equinix and JV Partners [press release]
- How Hyperscale Data Centers Can Power Cloud Provider Success [Equinix blog]
- Learn more about Platform Equinix [website]
About Equinix
Equinix (Nasdaq: EQIX) is the world's digital infrastructure company, enabling digital leaders to harness a trusted platform to bring together and interconnect the foundational infrastructure that powers their success. Equinix enables today's businesses to access all the right places, partners and possibilities they need to accelerate advantage. With Equinix, they can scale with agility, speed the launch of digital services, deliver world-class experiences and multiply their value.
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, risks related to Equinix's ability to complete the closing of the joint venture on the proposed terms and schedule; risks related to Equinix or GIC being able to satisfy their respective closing conditions related to the joint venture, including obtaining regulatory approval; any inability of Equinix, GIC or the joint venture to obtain financing as needed; risks related to whether the data centers which will be developed and contributed to the joint venture will be integrated successfully, and whether such development and integration may be more difficult, time-consuming or costly than expected; risks that the expected benefits of the joint venture will not occur; the challenges of operating and managing data centers and developing, deploying and delivering Equinix services; the ability to generate sufficient cash flow or otherwise obtain funds to repay new or outstanding indebtedness; competition from existing and new competitors; the loss or decline in business from key hyperscale companies; disruption from the joint venture making it more difficult to conduct business as usual or maintain relationships with customers, employees or suppliers; and other risks described from time to time in Equinix's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. In particular, see recent Equinix 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.
CONTACT: Equinix Media Relations: press@equinix.com; Equinix Investor Relations: invest@equinix.com
^1^https://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=prAP48159621
CONTACT: Equinix Media Relations: press@equinix.com; Equinix Investor Relations: invest@equinix.com