On January 29, 2026, Equinix, a global data center and digital infrastructure company, announced an ambitious expansion plan in Brazil. Faced with the growing demand for cloud computing and artificial intelligence in Brazil, the company is accelerating its local layout, planning to open or expand at least three key data centers within the year, while actively shifting towards renewable energy to ensure the sustainability and stability of its operations.

Three major facilities will be put into operation within the year

Victor Arnaud, President of Equinix Brazil, confirmed that the company plans to officially open two new data centers, SP6 and SP7, located in S ã o Paulo, within 2026, and simultaneously advance the second phase expansion project of the RJ3 data center in Rio de Janeiro. Among them, the SP6 data center has been basically completed and is planned to be put into commercial operation by the end of March 2026, with an official completion ceremony to be held in April; The SP7 data center is expected to be put into operation in the fourth quarter of 2026. It is worth noting that the progress of the Rio RJ3 Phase II project has far exceeded expectations, and the originally scheduled opening time for the first quarter of 2027 is expected to be advanced to the fourth quarter of 2026. In addition, the company has confirmed that it will plan to build a new RJ4 data center, and the relevant capital expenditure approval is currently underway. This marks Equinix's first simultaneous construction of two data centers in S ã o Paulo, and plans to further expand the SP8 and SP9 projects within the same campus in the future to meet the continuously growing market demand.

Lock in green power supply

To support the energy needs of its large-scale data center operations, Equinix is actively driving a transformation in its energy procurement strategy, shifting from the past certification model for clean energy usage to a long-term renewable energy purchase agreement model. The company has recently signed a wind power supply contract with Brazilian renewable energy company Auren Energia, adopting a self owned model. Arnaud revealed that the collaboration began in mid-2025 and went through a rigorous bidding and negotiation process. Although the existing agreement includes expansion clauses, the company is still evaluating other power purchase agreement options to meet the needs of more projects in the future. Arnaud pointed out that this partnership style power purchase model not only provides higher energy security, but also allows companies to directly participate in the development of renewable energy projects. Equinix is also actively exploring collaborations with emerging technologies such as hydrogen fuel cells and modular nuclear reactors globally, with the aim of building a diversified and sustainable energy supply system. Keywords: New Infrastructure News and Information, New Infrastructure News Network

Responding to policies and the AI wave

Equinix's expansion closely aligns with Brazil's national industrial strategy and the wave of artificial intelligence development. Arnaud believes that Brazil's ReData industry incentive policy has significant strategic importance and is expected to accelerate the return of related investments. He predicts that this temporary measure is expected to become a formal law and a long-term national strategic plan before its expiration on February 25, 2026. More importantly, if combined with an artificial intelligence regulatory framework, this policy may help Brazil become a strategic hub for AI model training and processing in the southern hemisphere. Arnaud analyzed that Equinix's data centers in Brazil will benefit more from AI inference projects that require extremely high network latency, rather than model training projects that can be conducted remotely. This further strengthens the value of investing in localized digital infrastructure in Brazil, not only serving the local market, but also aiming to enhance Brazil's key position in the global new landscape of technology and energy.Editor/Gao Xue