Digital Realty will acquire a majority interest in the primary interconnection hub in the Pacific Northwest, the company said today. Digital Realty has reached an agreement with Clise Properties to acquire a 49 percent ownership in the Westin Building Exchange in downtown Seattle, a carrier hotel that links data traffic around the Pacific Rim.
The Westin Building is the sixth-most densely interconnected facility in North America, according to Digital Realty, housing more than 150 carriers and content providers and more than 10,000 cross-connects. The 34-story tower is adjacent to Amazon’s 4.1 million square foot urban campus and overlooks Elliott Bay as well as the downtown Seattle skyline.
Digital Realty bought 49 percent of the building back in 2006, so the transaction announced today will provide it with a 98 percent ownership of the building, with the balance being retained by Clise.
The transaction is expected to close in the first half of 2020. Upon closing, Digital Realty will assume management and operational oversight for the facility.
The deal will give Digital Realty greater control over the property, including the ability to deploy space and services for its own colocation and interconnection businesses, a key goal of the company’s PlatformDIGITAL initiative launched in November. PlatformDIGITAL uses repeatable “fit-for-purpose” data center footprints designed to solve common challenges faced by enterprise colocation customers.
“This linchpin asset gives us the opportunity to fully leverage our robust business infrastructure and open up a full suite of enterprise IT solutions to our global customer base,” said said Digital Realty Chief Executive Officer William Stein. “This transaction further strengthens our interconnection platform and demonstrates our commitment to accelerating digital business on PlatformDIGITAL.”
