Equinix launches platform to boost distributed AI worldwide

Equinix has introduced its Distributed AI Infrastructure aimed at supporting enterprises in accelerating the deployment of artificial intelligence across global markets.

This new service includes an AI-ready backbone, the forthcoming Fabric Intelligence software layer, and a global AI Solutions Lab to facilitate enterprise adoption. The platform is intended to address the increasing complexity associated with operating distributed and agentic AI workloads, which require reliable and scalable infrastructure across different geographies and environments.

Distributed backbone

Equinix's Distributed AI platform links more than 270 data centres in 77 markets, creating a network designed to support low-latency, secure, and scalable AI workloads. The company states that this infrastructure will be instrumental as organisations move from centralised AI model training to distributed inference, where processing and decision-making occur closer to where data is generated and needed.

Jon Lin, Chief Business Officer at Equinix, said, "This is the infrastructure AI has been waiting for. As AI becomes more distributed and dynamic, the real challenge is connecting it all - securely, efficiently and at scale. That's where Equinix comes in. Our global platform provides the boundless connectivity enterprises need to move data and inference closer to users, unlock new capabilities and accelerate innovation wherever opportunity exists."

Fabric Intelligence and automation

One of the centrepieces of the announcement is Fabric Intelligence, a software upgrade scheduled for early 2026. Fabric Intelligence will build upon Equinix's existing Fabric by providing real-time connectivity automation, observability, and workload-aware routing specifically for AI and multicloud environments. It will integrate with AI orchestration tools to automate network decisions, access live telemetry for visibility, and dynamically adjust networking routes to optimise performance.

According to Equinix, this will help reduce the manual effort required to operate distributed AI systems, whilst improving performance by responding to changing workload demands and making network infrastructure more adaptable to complex AI deployments.

AI Solutions Lab

The Distributed AI Infrastructure also features the AI Solutions Lab, now operational in 20 locations across 10 countries. This environment allows enterprises to work with AI partners to test and validate AI-powered solutions. The AI Solutions Lab is intended to help organisations de-risk AI adoption, foster collaboration, and accelerate progression from innovation to operational deployment by providing direct access to Equinix's partner ecosystem.

Expanding the AI ecosystem

Equinix's AI ecosystem now includes more than 2,000 vendor-neutral partners. Through Fabric Intelligence, enterprises will be able to discover and access a range of AI inferencing services. Additionally, the introduction of GroqCloud integration, planned for early 2026, will enable direct and private access to Groq's inference platforms, removing the need for customised builds and allowing businesses to scale AI services securely and quickly.

Ian Andrews, Chief Revenue Officer at Groq, commented, "As AI shifts from centralised training to distributed inference, organisations need infrastructure that can support fast, dependable access to compute across regions. GroqCloud, together with Equinix's platform, enables businesses to run AI workloads closer to where data is generated, improving responsiveness and simplifying operations at scale."

Use cases and industry implications

According to the company, these developments are intended to support various enterprise use cases such as real-time decision-making for manufacturing, retail optimisation, and fraud detection in financial services. The infrastructure is designed to allow organisations to deploy scalable and compliant AI workloads with low latency, regardless of the geographic distribution of users or data sources.

Dave McCarthy, Research Vice President, Cloud and Edge Services, Worldwide Infrastructure Research at IDC, said,

"Enterprises that fail to adopt a distributed AI strategy will find themselves at a competitive disadvantage in an increasingly intelligent and automated world. Equinix's platform accelerates this shift by offering instant access to AI infrastructure, low-latency cloud connectivity, enhanced data privacy, and proximity to users, all within a rich, neutral partner ecosystem."

As enterprises increasingly adopt agentic and next-generation AI models requiring distributed and interoperable infrastructure, Equinix's Distributed AI Infrastructure aims to provide the necessary support for reliable and scalable AI operations across global markets. The company anticipates full availability of Fabric Intelligence and other integrated offerings in Q1 2026.