Equinix expands into the Philippines with three data center acquisitions

Equinix completes the acquisition of three data centers in the Philippines as it looks to expand its Southeast Asia footprint.

Equinix has expanded its presence in Southeast Asia by acquiring three data centers in Manila from Total Information Management (TIM). The move gives Equinix an entry point into the Philippines at a time when demand for digital infrastructure is rising across the country.

The facilities—named MN1, MN2, and MN3—offer more than 1,000 cabinets of capacity, with room to grow. MN2 is a newly launched site that adds 500 cabinets on its own. These sites are designed to support businesses looking to expand into the Philippines, while also connecting them to a broader regional and global network.

Equinix says its Manila data centers already host four major internet exchanges and several network service providers. This gives companies a range of options to connect locally and regionally. The facilities also aim to support the growth of AI workloads, which need high-performance computing and reliable connectivity.

"This expansion is instrumental in fostering interconnection, enabling our customers and partners to scale seamlessly and securely within one of the region’s most dynamic digital economies. By broadening our footprint in the Southeast Asia region, we are not only expanding our digital platform but also supporting the development of cutting-edge AI services and technology, aligning with the governments’ digital ambitions. This move reaffirms our commitment to empowering Philippines with innovative, world-class infrastructure to thrive in an increasingly interconnected world,” commented Cyrus Adaggra, President, Asia-Pacific, Equnix.

The expansion comes as Southeast Asia continues to attract interest from global tech firms. The region pulled in US$230 billion in foreign direct investment in 2023, even as global FDI dropped. Equinix already operates data centers in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore, and it has also announced plans to grow in Thailand. The Philippines adds another piece to the company's Southeast Asia network.

The country's digital economy is gaining traction, hitting around US$45 billion in 2024. That's about 8.5% of national GDP, driven by online commerce, digital media, and broader access to cloud services. Government programs like the National Broadband Plan and Digital Philippines Campaign are also helping fuel this shift. As demand for digital services increases, so does the need for reliable data infrastructure.

Continued expansion in APAC

With these new sites, Equinix now runs over 270 data centers across 75 cities in 35 countries. In Asia-Pacific, it has 63 facilities across key markets, including Australia, India, Japan, Korea, and China, where it operates through a local partnership in Shanghai.

While Equinix didn't share how much it paid for the sites, the company says the deal supports its wider plan to help customers build and scale their digital operations closer to where they do business. It also reflects growing interest in building AI-ready infrastructure in emerging markets.

The Philippines' strong tech talent base and growing number of internet users make it a promising market for expansion. The company says its global connections and partnerships with chipmakers and tech firms may help local organizations tap into AI tools and other emerging technologies.

Equinix's presence in Manila is anticipated to offer a combination of domestic and cross-border connectivity. Businesses that are set up in these sites will also be able to connect to over 10,000 other companies on the Equinix network.

The acquisition marks another step in building digital infrastructure in Southeast Asia, where reliable access to cloud services and data hosting continues to grow in importance for local and international firms alike.

Separately, Equinix's SG1 data center in Singapore saw two data halls go offline in a major outage on 31^st May 2025. The outage lasted more than an hour and caused widespread service issues across the country.

According to an Equinix statement, the outage occurred during scheduled maintenance at SG1 that required a reduction in power redundancy. It experienced equipment failure that resulted in a power outage to two data halls in the data center.

The facility at 20 Ayer Rajah Crescent in Singapore has 13MW of capacity and spans more than 100,000 sq ft (9,290 sqm). Multiple Internet Service Providers were impacted by the outage, including Singtel, StarHub, and ViewQwest.