Equinix’s New Data Centers in Frankfurt: FR8, FR9x and the Future of the FLAP Market

New data centers in Frankfurt and why they matter

New data centers in Frankfurt are changing how companies in Europe handle cloud, data, and digital services. Frankfurt has become a critical hub for finance, cloud providers, and network traffic, and Equinix’s latest facilities, FR8 and FR9x, are at the heart of this growth. These sites give businesses more capacity, better connectivity, and greener infrastructure to support their digital transformation.​

In this guide, you will learn what Equinix is building in Frankfurt, why the city is growing so fast as a data hub, and how these new data centers in Frankfurt support both colocation and hyperscale cloud demand. You will also see practical examples of how enterprises, cloud providers, and local industries can use these sites to improve performance, security, and sustainability.​

Frankfurt as a leading European data hub

Frankfurt is one of Europe’s main financial centers and a major hub for banking, trading, and manufacturing, which naturally drives high demand for low-latency digital infrastructure. The city is also home to DE-CIX, one of the largest internet exchanges in the world, making Frankfurt a prime location for dense interconnection between networks, clouds, and enterprises.

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Among the FLAP metros (Frankfurt, London, Amsterdam, Paris), Frankfurt has recently been the fastest‑growing location for private interconnection, with estimates of around 50% compound annual growth in private interconnection bandwidth. This growth is driven by cloud hyperscalers, content providers, and enterprises moving workloads closer to customers and partners.​

Equinix in Frankfurt: existing footprint and expansion

Equinix already operates multiple International Business Exchange (IBX) data centers in the Frankfurt metro, hosting hundreds of networks, cloud providers, and enterprises. These facilities act as neutral hubs where companies can colocate their equipment and connect directly to partners and cloud platforms with low latency.

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To meet rising demand, Equinix has been expanding both retail colocation and hyperscale capacity in the region. The new data centers in Frankfurt—FR8 and the xScale facility FR9x—are part of a larger investment plan that adds capacity for both traditional colocation customers and very large cloud and IT service providers.​

Inside FR8: Equinix’s new IBX data center in Frankfurt

FR8 is Equinix’s latest IBX data center in the west of Frankfurt and is designed as a high‑performance, carrier‑neutral facility. The first phase includes thousands of square meters of colocation space, with an investment of about 103 million US dollars in the site. Customers can host their own servers and infrastructure in FR8 and connect to a wide ecosystem of networks, clouds, and digital services.

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Key characteristics of FR8 include:

• Carrier‑neutral colocation with multiple network providers.​

• Direct access to Equinix Fabric, enabling on‑demand private connections to leading clouds and partners.​

• Integration with services like Network Edge and Equinix Metal for virtual network functions and bare‑metal as a service.​

• Design features focused on sustainability, including a green façade and roof planting, along with 100% renewable energy supply in the local market.​

For enterprises, FR8 can serve as a hub for hybrid and multi‑cloud architectures where core applications, databases, and security services live close to major public cloud platforms.​

FR9x: xScale hyperscale facility for cloud giants

While FR8 targets a broad mix of enterprise and service providers, FR9x belongs to Equinix’s xScale program, which focuses on large, single‑tenant deployments for hyperscalers. xScale facilities provide the power density, floor space, and contractual structures needed by major cloud and platform companies that operate at massive scale.

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FR9x in Frankfurt is part of a joint venture with GIC, Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund, with plans for multiple xScale sites in the city. An earlier Equinix update projected that a Frankfurt xScale site would start with about 10 MW of capacity and could grow to around 18 MW at full buildout, while the overall xScale portfolio across FLAP metros would reach over 150 MW. These hyperscale new data centers in Frankfurt give global cloud providers the room and power they need to keep launching new availability zones and services in Europe.​

Why Frankfurt needs more data center capacity

Demand for data center capacity in Frankfurt has been growing faster than almost any other European metro, especially from cloud and IT service providers. At one point, Frankfurt accounted for around half of total take‑up in the FLAP markets, and vacancy rates dropped to low double‑digit levels as supply struggled to keep pace.​

Several trends are driving this pressure:

• Rapid cloud adoption by banks, fintechs, and financial institutions that must stay close to trading venues.​

• Digital transformation in manufacturing, logistics, and automotive, which require low‑latency connections for IoT, analytics, and AI workloads.​

• Growth in content delivery, gaming, and streaming services that depend on edge locations for performance.​

As a result, new data centers in Frankfurt like FR8 and FR9x are essential to support both enterprise colocation and large hyperscale deployments.​

Sustainability and green design in Equinix Frankfurt sites

Sustainability has become a core design principle for modern data centers in Europe, and Equinix has committed to climate targets such as achieving global climate neutrality by 2030. In Frankfurt, new facilities like FR8 have green façades and roof planting that help the buildings blend into the cityscape and improve the local microclimate.

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Equinix also sources renewable energy for its German data centers and invests in efficiency upgrades, advanced cooling, and energy‑efficient equipment. These steps help customers reduce the carbon footprint of their IT workloads when they colocate in the new data centers in Frankfurt instead of running less efficient on‑premises rooms.​

Real‑world example: enterprise hybrid cloud in FR8

Consider a regional bank based in Frankfurt that wants to keep critical systems secure and compliant while using public cloud for analytics and digital services. By placing its core applications and databases in FR8, the bank can maintain strict physical and logical controls in a certified colocation environment.

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Using Equinix Fabric, the bank then creates private, low‑latency connections to chosen cloud providers in the same metro, avoiding the unpredictability of the public internet. Network Edge can host virtual firewalls, routers, and SD‑WAN functions, allowing the bank to secure and control traffic between branches, data centers, and clouds without deploying hardware everywhere. This setup shows how new data centers in Frankfurt enable practical hybrid architectures that improve security, performance, and regulatory compliance.​

Real‑world example: hyperscaler expansion in FR9x

A global cloud provider planning to launch new availability zones in Central Europe needs large blocks of power, space, and connectivity in a strategic location. By deploying in FR9x, the provider can access purpose‑built hyperscale space while remaining close to the rich ecosystem inside Equinix’s Frankfurt IBX campuses.

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This proximity lets the cloud platform connect directly to hundreds of networks, enterprises, and IT service providers, which helps attract more customers to its services. The presence of xScale new data centers in Frankfurt also encourages SaaS vendors, content platforms, and enterprises to expand in the same metro, creating a positive feedback loop of digital growth.​

How companies can use the new data centers in Frankfurt

Businesses from many sectors can benefit from the new data centers in Frankfurt in several ways.​

Some common use cases include:

• Colocation for core IT: Move core applications, databases, and security stacks into FR8 to improve reliability and gain easier access to cloud platforms.​

• Cloud on‑ramp: Use private interconnection to major cloud providers to build hybrid and multi‑cloud architectures with predictable performance.​

• Edge deployments: Host content delivery, gaming, or IoT edge nodes in Frankfurt to reduce latency for users across Germany and neighboring countries.​

• Disaster recovery: Use Frankfurt data centers as a failover site paired with other European metros to meet business continuity requirements.​

These patterns make Frankfurt a strategic base for both regional operations and EU‑wide digital services.​

Step‑by‑step: planning a move into Equinix Frankfurt

For an organization considering FR8 or nearby Equinix facilities, the process usually follows a few clear steps.

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1. Assess workloads and latency needs

   • Identify which applications must be close to trading venues, customers, or partners.

   • Map current latency and performance issues between on‑premises sites and cloud platforms.​

2. Define connectivity and cloud strategy

   • Decide which public clouds, SaaS platforms, and partners you need direct connections to in Frankfurt.​

   • Choose between simple cross‑connects, Equinix Fabric, or more advanced virtual networking via Network Edge.​

3. Plan capacity and redundancy

   • Estimate rack space, power density, and growth over three to five years.

   • Design for redundancy across power feeds, network paths, and, if needed, multiple data centers.​

4. Address compliance and sustainability

   • Align deployment with industry regulations and internal security policies.​

   • Use the energy‑efficient design and renewable sourcing of new data centers in Frankfurt to support ESG and carbon‑reduction goals.​

5. Migrate and optimize

   • Move workloads in phases, starting with non‑critical systems, then core applications.​

   • Continuously monitor performance, connectivity, and costs, and adjust capacity or topology as needed.​

Frankfurt in the wider FLAP and European context

Within the FLAP cluster, each metro serves different strengths, but Frankfurt stands out for financial services and strong demand from hyperscalers. CBRE research and industry reports have highlighted that FLAP markets together have seen hundreds of megawatts of annual data center take‑up, with Frankfurt often leading in new demand.

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At the same time, Frankfurt’s vacancy has been tight, which makes timely delivery of new data centers in Frankfurt critical to avoid capacity shortages. As more hyperscale and colocation capacity arrives, including Equinix xScale sites, enterprises gain more choice in how and where they deploy their digital infrastructure.​

FAQ: New data centers in Frankfurt

What are the new data centers in Frankfurt from Equinix?

The new data centers in Frankfurt from Equinix include FR8, a carrier‑neutral IBX colocation facility, and FR9x, an xScale hyperscale site built for large cloud and IT providers. Together they add significant new capacity in the Frankfurt metro.​

Why is Frankfurt such an important data center market?

Frankfurt combines a leading financial center, one of the world’s largest internet exchanges, and strong connectivity to the rest of Europe. This makes it ideal for low‑latency trading, cloud, and content delivery workloads.​

How do the new data centers in Frankfurt support cloud and hyperscale demand?

FR8 provides colocation and interconnection for enterprises and service providers, while FR9x offers large‑scale, customized capacity for hyperscalers. This mix supports both traditional and cloud‑native deployments in the same metro.​

Are the new Equinix Frankfurt data centers focused on sustainability

Yes, Equinix’s Frankfurt facilities use energy‑efficient designs, renewable energy sourcing, and features like green façades and planted roofs at FR8. These initiatives support Equinix’s broader climate neutrality goals.​

What types of businesses benefit most from the new data centers in Frankfurt?

Banks, fintechs, manufacturers, logistics firms, cloud providers, and content platforms all benefit from low‑latency access to partners and clouds in Frankfurt. Any organization running latency‑sensitive or regulated workloads in Europe can gain from colocating there.​

How do companies connect from these sites to major cloud providers

Organizations can use private interconnection via Equinix Fabric, cross‑connects, and virtual network services like Network Edge to reach major cloud and SaaS platforms. This improves performance and security compared to public internet connections.​

What is the difference between FR8 and FR9x?

FR8 is an IBX colocation data center serving a broad range of enterprises and providers, while FR9x is an xScale facility purpose‑built for single‑tenant hyperscale deployments. Both are part of Equinix’s new data centers in Frankfurt strategy.​

Conclusion

Equinix’s new data centers in Frankfurt—FR8 and FR9x—are key building blocks for the next wave of cloud, interconnection, and digital services in Europe. They combine high‑performance colocation, hyperscale capacity, dense connectivity, and sustainability to support modern hybrid and multi‑cloud architectures.​

If your organization is planning to expand in Europe, review your latency, compliance, and cloud needs and evaluate how these new data centers in Frankfurt can fit into your long‑term infrastructure roadmap. Reach out to Equinix or your preferred colocation partner to explore site visits, capacity planning, and migration options tailored to your workloads.​

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