Global data center operator Equinix and South Korean artificial intelligence chip startup FuriosaAI are accelerating their push into the European market. The two companies plan to build a business network targeting European firms with strong demand for sovereign AI, then expand their infrastructure footprint to the Americas and Southeast Asia.
Equinix Korea held a media briefing in Seoul's Yeouido district on the 15th, unveiling the status of the partnership and Equinix's next-generation AI network infrastructure strategy. The event was attended by Yoon Ji-hoon, product manager at FuriosaAI; Jang Hye-duk, Equinix Korea country manager; and Anthony Ho, director of product management for Equinix Asia-Pacific.
FuriosaAI began mass production of servers and cards based on its second-generation AI accelerator, RNGD (Renegade), in January this year. The company has installed RNGD servers at a data center in Lisbon, Portugal, and is conducting proof-of-concept (PoC) trials with local customers. It plans to produce a total of 100,000 cards by next year and to expand into the Americas and Southeast Asia.
Behind the decision to make Europe its first overseas base is the region's strict regulatory environment. "Amid the sovereign AI trend, Europe has a strong orientation toward data security, GDPR and AI regulation, so there were loud calls for local physical infrastructure," Yoon said. "Right after the contract was finalized, inquiries about local PoC trials have been coming in one after another."
Ho presented Equinix's network strategy geared to surging AI traffic. According to Omdia, agentic AI will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 175% over the five years through 2029, while generative AI traffic is projected to increase 90% annually through 2027.
He pointed to "shadow AI" — the use of AI tools that have not been approved internally — as a source of security blind spots, uncontrollable costs and monitoring gaps. As a solution, he presented a "distributed AI hub" built on six components and a natural-language-based "Fabric Intelligence." The distributed AI hub has been implemented at HK6, a Hong Kong data center that opened six months ago.
On the government's AI data center (AIDC) mega-project, which targets 18 gigawatts by 2035, Jang said the buildout "will take the form of large-scale facilities where a small number of hyperscalers or frontier AI companies occupy entire buildings, and if the government leads it, major opportunities will open up in Korea." Equinix currently operates three data centers in the Seoul metropolitan area, in Sangam, Goyang and Hangdong, and is building additional capacity in the region. One facility under construction is scheduled for completion in the first quarter of 2028.
