Equinix Trials Landmark Hydrogen Power Solution at Dublin Data Centre

Equinix, Inc. (Nasdaq: EQIX), the world's digital infrastructure company®, has launched its first-ever trial of hydrogen-powered backup generation at a data centre in Ireland, marking an important milestone in the company's efforts to explore low-carbon alternatives for critical power systems.

Conducted in collaboration with ESB and clean energy company GeoPura, the pilot project evaluates the use of hydrogen as a reliable backup power source for large energy users. The initiative could pave the way for hydrogen-powered systems to replace conventional diesel and natural gas generators in future data centre operations.

The trial comes as Ireland continues to face electricity grid capacity constraints, particularly in the Dublin metropolitan area, where growing demand for digital infrastructure has outpaced available power resources. Against this backdrop, the project represents both Equinix's first hydrogen deployment in Ireland and the first installation of its kind across the company's global portfolio of more than 280 data centres.

As part of the 12-week demonstration, two Hydrogen Power Units™ developed by GeoPura—one of which is owned by ESB—have been installed at Equinix's DB3 data centre in Blanchardstown, Dublin. Each generator is housed within a container-sized enclosure and is currently providing power to the facility's cooling infrastructure. The deployment has also helped reduce the site's Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) to below 1.3. GeoPura is supplying renewable, green hydrogen for the pilot. Operating in parallel, the two fuel cell units provide a zero direct onsite emissions alternative to traditional diesel or gas-powered backup generators, helping lower operational emissions while maintaining critical power reliability.

Powered by green hydrogen and advanced proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell technology, the Hydrogen Power Units™ generate quiet, clean electricity, producing only water and heat at the point of use. Integrated with the facility's uninterruptible power supply (UPS) system, the units can respond instantly to changes in grid conditions, delivering up to 0.5 MW of continuous backup power whenever required.

Beyond validating the technology, the pilot will provide Equinix and ESB with operational data covering carbon reduction, system performance, safety, commercial feasibility, and the potential for peak demand management. The findings are expected to support policymakers, researchers, and academic institutions in evaluating how hydrogen can be integrated into Ireland's future energy infrastructure.

While the demonstration focuses on data centre resilience, the technology has applications well beyond digital infrastructure. Hydrogen-powered generators could provide a lower-carbon alternative for construction sites, temporary power installations, and other applications that currently depend on diesel generation.

Using green hydrogen produced from renewable electricity, the GeoPura system stores and transports clean energy for deployment wherever reliable backup power is needed. This makes it particularly well suited for grid-constrained facilities such as data centres, enabling them to maintain resilient operations while eliminating direct onsite emissions from electricity generation.

The Hydrogen Power Units™ are also designed for scalability, with systems capable of supporting installations of up to 50 MW for both backup and primary power applications.

In addition to clean electricity, the fuel cell system generates useful byproducts that could further improve sustainability. Waste heat may be recovered for future district heating networks, while the water produced during electricity generation could potentially be recycled into onsite cooling systems, reducing freshwater consumption and improving overall operational efficiency.