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Equinix points to smaller facilities as scrutiny of U.S. data center construction grows

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In short

The company keeps its sites between 30 and 60 megawatts, placing them safely under the roughly 100-megawatt threshold commonly targeted by proposed American oversight. Regulatory concerns have intensified after a BMI report revealed that 53% of anticipated hyperscaler expansion is concentrated in states where new governors might restrict construction. Backed by annualized gross bookings that exceeded $500 million in the third quarter, Equinix has boosted its capital spending to $7 billion to serve its broad enterprise base. Meanwhile, alternative development hubs in Asia are emerging, though they face their own grid connection issues and governmental pauses in countries like Australia and T…

Key points

  • Sub-100-megawatt facility sizing enables operators to expand while bypassing emerging reg…: Sub-100-megawatt facility sizing enables operators to expand while bypassing emerging regulatory caps directed at hyperscale facilities.
  • American construction hurdles may elevate development costs and reduce demand for equipme…: American construction hurdles may elevate development costs and reduce demand for equipment and semiconductor providers across Asia.
  • Asia is absorbing substantial international data center capital, but local grid connectiv…: Asia is absorbing substantial international data center capital, but local grid connectivity bottlenecks and government reviews are slowing progress.

Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1

Equinix says its smaller data centers could be less exposed to potential U.S. construction restrictions as regulators scrutinize the rapid buildout of artificial intelligence infrastructure.

The company's facilities typically range from 30 to 60 megawatts, compared with the roughly 100-megawatt threshold that Cyrus Adaggra, Equinix's Asia-Pacific president, said is generally targeted by U.S. proposals.

"We will invest in markets where we see customer demand, and because we have a footprint that is typically less than 100 megawatts, we tend not to fall and be caught by the legislation or the regulation, which is typically at about 100 megawatts in the U.S.," Adaggra told CNBC's "Squawk Box Asia."

His comments come as the U.S. midterm election results have heightened concerns that new restrictions on data center development could delay projects and raise construction costs.

About 53% of projected growth in the U.S. hyperscaler development pipeline is concentrated in states where newly elected governors could impose restrictions on data center construction, according to a Wednesday report from BMI, a Fitch Solutions company.

The firm said any impact would likely become more apparent…

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