CHENNAI: Chief Minister MK Stalin on Friday inaugurated Equinix’s first International Business Exchange (IBX) data centre in Chennai, a Rs 574-crore facility at SIPCOT IT Park, Siruseri, that strengthens Tamil Nadu’s ambitions to become a leading hub for AI and digital services.
Calling data “the new oil” and Tamil Nadu “the refinery,” Stalin said the state is focused on attracting investments in cutting-edge technologies that can generate high-paying jobs and boost economic growth. Industries Minister TRB Rajaa noted that Equinix, world’s largest digital infrastructure provider, had signed its facilitation MoU with TN in 2022. The company has now commissioned a four-storey centre with a 3.6 MW initial IT load, advanced interconnection systems and liquid cooling technology to power AI, cloud and other high-density workloads. The facility, named CN1, is spread over nearly six acres and will initially house 800 cabinets, eventually scaling up to 4,250. Designed to provide 99.999% uptime, it will cater to banks, IT firms, pharmaceutical companies, OTT platforms and manufacturers.
The centre will be directly linked to the firm’s Mumbai campus. Equinix India MD Manoj Paul said the Chennai facility marks “a pivotal step in advancing the nation’s digitalisation journey.”