Equinix has announced a strategic initiative to enhance the reliability and sustainability of electricity for its global data center portfolio by engaging with energy companies on advanced power generation projects. The company reports that it is expanding beyond traditional utility contracts to integrate on-site generation technologies and investigate next-generation nuclear solutions to address increasing power demands and potential grid constraints.
For nuclear energy, Equinix has detailed several new agreements:
- It signed a deal in 2024 to procure 500 megawatts (MW) of energy from Oklo’s fission Aurora systems, which use fast reactors with inherent safety and can run on recycled nuclear material.
- It has preordered 20 of Radiant’s Kaleidos microreactors, mobile nuclear sources designed for rapid deployment and integration with existing infrastructure.
- Equinix signed a Letter of Intent for a power purchase agreement (PPA) with ULC-Energy that could supply up to 250 megawatts electric (MWe) from Rolls-Royce’s 470 MWe small modular reactor (SMR) to its Netherlands data centers.
- It placed a pre-order for 500 MWe from Stellaria for future European data center sites. The Stellarium Reactor uses a molten salt Breed and Burn design that breeds its own fissile liquid fuel and recycles waste in situ.
On-site energy generation also remains a focus. Equinix continues to expand its relationship with Bloom Energy, planning to deploy solid-oxide fuel cells at more than 19 locations in six US states to achieve over 100 MW of distributed onsite generation. It claims this reduces carbon dioxide emissions by 285,000 metric tons (MTCO2e) and conserves 382 billion gallons of water annually.
The company further notes ongoing implementation of the ASHRAE A1 Allowable standards since 2022 for broader operating temperature ranges and plans to deploy liquid cooling technologies to over 100 data centers worldwide. Equinix’s ongoing target is 100 percent renewable energy coverage by 2030, with 96 percent achieved globally in 2024, including 250 sites at full renewable coverage.
“Access to round-the-clock electricity is critical to support the infrastructure that powers everything from AI-driven drug discovery to cloud-based video streaming,” said Raouf Abdel, Executive Vice President of Global Operations at Equinix. “As energy demand increases, we believe we have an opportunity and responsibility to support the development of reliable, sustainable, scalable energy infrastructure that can support our collective future. By working with our energy partners, we believe we can support the energy needs of our customers and communities around the world by helping to strengthen the grid and investing in new energy sources.”
Source: Equinix
