Equinix LD6 – Slough

Colo-X analysis

Equinix LD6 was the third Equinix data centre to open on Buckingham Avenue on the Slough Trading Estate, adding a further 80,000 sq ft – or around 3,000 cabinet equivalents – to that already in LD4 (on the opposite side of Buckingham Avenue) and LD5 a few hundred metres away.

With all Equinix data centre buildings on the Slough Trading Estate connected by cross-connects, this is effectively one data centre campus, now including the more recently opened LD7, adjacent to LD6 and LD10, acquired from io, on the corner with Liverpool Road.

LD4 has a recognised financial trading ecosystem, a fast-growing LINX node with over 100 ports now in use (14% share of the London market) and growing carrier list which benefits customers in all Equinix Slough data centres including LD6. Quality is high, as you’d expect from a leading global operator, but pricing aggressive for power and associated services.

Equinix LD6 facility description

Like LD4 and LD5 before it, LD6 is a purpose-built data centre building, delivered across two floors each as a distinct phase of around 1,400 cabinet equivalents each. Use of adiabiatic cooling is aimed at keeping the facility power efficiency at the best operational levels.

Colocation options include full racks starting at 4kVA each but can offer higher power densities. Dedicated part racks of half or quarter racks available, as is per U colocation, through service providers.

Equinix in the United Kingdom

Equinix now run 9 colocation data centres in London (LD3, 4, 4.2, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9) and the “Exascale” site of LD10. With total capacity of some 140MW across these sites this makes Equinix the number two data centre operator in the UK, according to the Colo-X Data Centre Data Base (March 2023).

Equinix also run four data centres in Manchester with a combined 12.5MW.

Equinix Slough Trading Estate Campus LD4/5/6/7 and 10

On the Slough Trading Estate all six Equinix data centres offer a “campus cross-connect” model, meaning clients can run cross-connects between any of the Equinix sites, regardless of which they are in.

LD4 and its adjacent extension known as 4.2, are established ecosystems for ultra-low latency trading, especially for equities and FX, but there is a substantial price premium to be in these two sites as a result.

LD5, 6 and 7 offer “regular” Equinix pricing but with minimum power densities per rack, eg 6kW per rack in LD7 (Dec 2023).  For smaller deployments seeking less power and space, quarter and half racks offer lower total costs in wide cabinets, 800mm, along with all the other benefits of participating in the Equinix Slough campus.

Always worth contacting Colo-X how best to deploy into the Equinix Slough campus, as well as discuss pricing and arrange formal quotes via the Colo-X account manager.

Technical stats