Equinix to cut 3% of staff amidst the greatest demand for data center infrastructure ever [Video]

Some in the industry are scratching their heads about why such staff cuts are necessary as data center spending continues to accelerate to meet the needs of AI-intensive workloads.

Credit: Lee Charlie / Shutterstock

Even as demand for data infrastructure surges to an all-time high, Equinix is planning to lay off 3% of its workforce, suggesting a growing skills mismatch in the industry.

The data center provider, whose major competitors according to IDC are Digital Reality, NTT Communications, and QTS, operates more than 260 data centers in 33 global markets, and expects revenues of roughly $8.7 billion this year, up around 7% over 2023. It intends to invest up to $15 billion in new infrastructure to support AI.

However, it confirmed last weekthat it will lay off roughly 400 of its 13,000 employees worldwide. The news comes amidst reports that the company also plans to close its infrastructure as a service (IaaS) division Metal in 2026, and in the …