Equinix Inc.: 10-K Risk Factor Changes

Various laws and governmental regulations, both in the U.S. and abroad, governing internet-related services, related communications services and information technologies remain largely unsettled, even in areas where there has been some legislative action. For example, the Federal Communications Commission ("FCC") recently overturned network neutrality rules, which may result in material changes in the regulations and contribution regime affecting us and our customers. Furthermore, the U.S. Congress and state legislatures are reviewing and considering changes to the new FCC rules making the future of network neutrality uncertain. Changes to these laws and regulations could have a material adverse effect on us and our customers. We expect there may also be forthcoming regulation in areas of regulating the responsible use of artificial intelligence, such as the proposed EU Artificial Intelligence Act and the introduction of heightened measures to be adopted with respect to cybersecurity, data privacy, sustainability, taxation and data security, any of which could impact us and our customers. We remain focused on whether and how existing and changing laws, such as those governing intellectual property, privacy, libel, telecommunications services, data flows/data localization, carbon emissions impact, competition and antitrust, and taxation apply to our business and those which might have a material effect on our customers’ decisions to purchase our solutions. Substantial resources may be required to comply with regulations or bring any non-compliant business practices into compliance with such regulations. In addition, the continuing development of the market for online commerce and the displacement of traditional telephony service by the internet and related communications services may prompt an increased call for more stringent consumer protection laws or other regulation both in the U.S. and abroad that may impose additional burdens on companies conducting business online and their service providers. Our business was designated "critical infrastructure" or "essential services" which allowed our data centers to remain open in many jurisdictions during the COVID-19 pandemic. Any regulations restricting our ability to operate our business for any reason could have a material adverse effect on our business. Additionally, these "essential services" and "critical infrastructure" designations could lead countries or local regulators to impose additional regulations on the data center industry in order to have better visibility and control over our industry for future events and crises. We strive to comply with all laws and regulations that apply to our business. However, as these laws evolve, they can be subject to varying interpretations and regulatory discretion. To the extent a regulator or court disagrees with our interpretation of these laws and determines that our practices are not in compliance with applicable laws and regulations, we could be subject to civil and criminal penalties that could adversely affect our business operations. The adoption, or modification of laws or regulations relating to the internet and our business, or interpretations of existing laws, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Various laws and governmental regulations, both in the U.S. and abroad, governing internet-related services, related communications services and information technologies remain largely unsettled, even in areas where there has been some legislative action. For example, the Federal Communications Commission ("FCC") recently overturned network neutrality rules, which may result in material changes in the regulations and contribution regime affecting us and our customers. Furthermore, the U.S. Congress and state legislatures are reviewing and considering changes to the new FCC rules making the future of network neutrality uncertain. Changes to these laws and regulations could have a material adverse effect on us and our customers. There may also be forthcoming regulation in the U.S. on a federal or state level in the areas of cybersecurity, data privacy, sustainability, taxation and data security, any of which could impact us and our customers. Similarly, data privacy regulations continue to evolve and must be addressed by Equinix as a global company. Additionally, laws and regulations related to economic sanctions, export controls, anti-bribery and anti-corruption, and other international activities may restrict or limit our ability to engage in transactions or dealings with certain counterparties, in or with certain countries or territories, or in certain activities. We cannot guarantee compliance with all such laws and regulations, and failure to comply with such laws and regulations could expose us to fines, penalties, or costly and expensive investigations. We remain focused on whether and how existing and changing laws, such as those governing intellectual property, privacy, libel, telecommunications services, data flows/data localization, carbon emissions impact, competition and antitrust, and taxation apply to our business and those which might have a material effect on our customers’ decisions to purchase our solutions. Substantial resources may be required to comply with regulations or bring any non-compliant business practices into compliance with such regulations. In addition, the continuing development of the market for online commerce and the displacement of traditional telephony service by the internet and related communications services may prompt an increased call for more stringent consumer protection laws or other regulation both in the U.S. and abroad that may impose additional burdens on companies conducting business online and their service providers. Our business was designated "critical infrastructure" or "essential services" which allowed our data centers to remain open in many jurisdictions during the COVID-19 pandemic. Any regulations restricting our ability to operate our business due to the COVID-19 pandemic or for any other reason could have a material adverse effect on our business. Additionally, these "essential services" and "critical infrastructure" designations could lead countries or local regulators to impose additional regulations on the data center industry in order to have better visibility and control over our industry for future events and crises. We strive to comply with all laws and regulations that apply to our business. However, as these laws evolve, they can be subject to varying interpretations and regulatory discretion. To the extent a regulator or court disagrees with our interpretation of these laws and determines that our practices are not in compliance with applicable laws and regulations, we could be subject to civil and criminal penalties that could adversely affect our business operations. The adoption, or modification of laws or regulations relating to the internet and our business, or 36 36 36 Table of Contents Table of Contents interpretations of existing laws, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

As our customers evolve their IT strategies, we must remain flexible and evolve along with new technologies and industry and market shifts. The process of developing and acquiring new offerings and enhancing existing offerings is complex. If we fail to anticipate customers’ evolving needs and expectations or do not adapt to technological and IT trends, our results of operations could suffer. Ineffective planning and execution in our cloud, artificial intelligence and product development strategies may cause difficulty in sustaining our competitive advantages. Additionally, any delay in the development, acquisition, marketing or launch of a new offering could result in customer dissatisfaction or attrition. If we cannot continue adapting our products, or if our competitors can adapt their products more quickly than us, our business could be harmed. In order to adapt effectively, we sometimes must make long-term investments, develop, acquire or obtain certain intellectual property and commit significant resources before knowing whether our predictions will accurately reflect customer demand for the new offerings. 23 23 23 Table of Contents Table of Contents We are currently making significant investments of resources in expanding our digital services portfolio. In 2020, we acquired Packet Host, Inc. ("Packet"), a bare metal automation company to facilitate a new “as-a-service” product offering for us. “As-a-service” solutions are a relatively new market area for us which can bring challenges and could harm our business if not executed in the time or manner that we expect. These solutions may also require additional capital, may have lower margins and customers can more easily churn as compared to our data center offerings, thus adversely impacting our results. These offerings also introduce us to different competition and faster development cycles as compared to our data center business. If we cannot develop or partner to quickly and efficiently meet market demands, we may also see adverse results. We expect to continue to consider other new product offerings for our customers, including multi-cloud networking and cloud-adjacent storage. While we believe these product offering and others we may implement in the future will be desirable to our customers and will complement our other offerings on Platform Equinix, we cannot guarantee the success of this product or any other new product offering. We have also invested in joint ventures in order to develop capacity to serve the large footprint needs of a targeted set of hyperscale customers by leveraging existing capacity and dedicated hyperscale builds. We believe these hyperscale customers will also play a large role in the growth of the market for artificial intelligence. We have announced our intention to seek additional joint ventures for certain of our hyperscale builds. There can be no assurances that our joint ventures will be successful or that we find appropriate partners, or that we will be able to successfully meet the needs of these customers through our hyperscale offerings. Failure to successfully execute on our product strategy or hyperscale strategy could materially adversely affect our financial condition, cash flows and results of operations.

As our customers evolve their IT strategies, we must remain flexible and evolve along with new technologies and industry and market shifts. Ineffective planning and execution in our cloud and product development strategies may cause difficulty in sustaining our competitive advantages. The process of developing and acquiring new offerings and enhancing existing offerings is complex. If we fail to anticipate customers’ evolving needs and expectations or do not adapt to technological and IT trends, our results of operations could suffer. In order to adapt effectively, we sometimes must make long-term investments, develop, acquire or obtain certain intellectual property and commit significant resources before knowing whether our predictions will accurately reflect customer demand for the new offerings. Additionally, any delay in the development, acquisition, marketing or launch of a new offering could result in customer dissatisfaction or attrition. If we cannot continue adapting our products, or if our competitors can adapt their products more quickly than us, our business could be harmed. We have invested in joint ventures in order to develop capacity to serve the large footprint needs of a targeted set of hyperscale customers by leveraging existing capacity and dedicated hyperscale builds. We have announced our intention to seek additional joint ventures for certain of our hyperscale builds. There can be no assurances that our joint ventures will be successful or that we find appropriate partners, or that we will be able to successfully meet the needs of these customers. In 2020, we acquired Packet Host, Inc. ("Packet"), a bare metal automation company to facilitate a new hardware product offering for us. We expect to continue to consider other new product offerings for our customers. Hardware solutions are a relatively new market area for us which can bring challenges and could harm our business if not executed in the time or manner that we expect. Hardware solutions can also require additional capital and may have lower margins than our data center offerings, thus adversely impacting our results. While we believe this product offering and others we may implement in the future will be desirable to our customers and will complement our other offerings on Platform Equinix, we cannot guarantee the success of this product or any other new product offering. Failure to successfully execute on our product strategy could materially adversely affect our financial condition, cash flows and results of operations.

Any power outages, shortages, capacity constraints or significant increases in the cost of power may have an adverse effect on our business and our results of operations. In each of our markets, we rely on third parties, third party infrastructure, governments, and global suppliers to provide a sufficient amount of power to maintain our IBX data centers and meet the needs of our current and future customers. Any limitation on the delivered energy supply could limit our ability to operate our IBX data centers. These limitations could have a negative impact on a given IBX data center(s) or limit our ability to grow our business which could negatively affect our financial performance and results of operations. Each new facility requires access to significant quantities of electricity. Limitations on generation, transmission and distribution may limit our ability to obtain sufficient power capacity for potential expansion sites in new or existing markets. Utility companies may impose onerous operating conditions to any approval or provision of power or we may experience significant delays and substantial increased costs to provide the level of electrical service required by our current or future IBX data center designs. Our ability to find appropriate sites for expansion may also be limited by access to power, especially as we design our data centers to the specifications of new and evolving technologies such as artificial intelligence which are more power-intensive. Our IBX data centers are affected by problems accessing electricity sources, such as planned or unplanned power outages and limitations on transmission or distribution of power. Unplanned power outages, including, but not limited to those relating to large storms, earthquakes, fires, tsunamis, cyber-attacks, physical attacks on utility 17 17 17 Table of Contents Table of Contents infrastructure, war, and any failures of electrical power grids more generally, and planned power outages by public utilities, such as Pacific Gas and Electric Company's practice of planned outages in California to minimize fire risks, could harm our customers and our business. Employees working from home could be subjected to power outages at home which could be difficult to track and could affect the day-to-day operations of our non-IBX data center employees. Our international operations are sometimes located outside of developed, reliable electricity markets, where we are exposed to some insecurity in supply associated with technical and regulatory problems, as well as transmission constraints. Some of our IBX data centers are located in leased buildings where, depending upon the lease requirements and number of tenants involved, we may or may not control some or all of the infrastructure including generators and fuel tanks. As a result, in the event of a power outage, we could be dependent upon the landlord, as well as the utility company, to restore the power. We attempt to limit our exposure to system downtime by using backup generators, which are in turn supported by onsite fuel storage and through contracts with fuel suppliers, but these measures may not always prevent downtime or solve for long-term or large-scale outages. Any outage or supply disruption could adversely affect our business, customer experience and revenues. We are currently experiencing inflation and volatility pressures in the energy market globally. Various macroeconomic factors are contributing to the instability and global power shortage including the Russia and Ukraine war, severe weather events, governmental regulations, government relations and inflation. While we have aimed to minimize our risk, via hedging, conservation, and other efficiencies, we expect the cost for power to continue to be volatile and unpredictable and subject to inflationary pressures. We believe we have made appropriate estimates for these costs in our forecasting, but the current unpredictable energy market could materially affect our financial forecasting, results of operations and financial condition.

Any power outages, shortages, capacity constraints or significant increases in the cost of power may have an adverse effect on our business and our results of operations. In each of our markets, we rely on third parties, third party infrastructure, governments, and global suppliers to provide a sufficient amount of power to maintain our IBX data centers and meet the needs of our current and future customers. Any limitation on the delivered energy supply could limit our ability to operate our IBX data centers. These limitations could have a negative impact on a given IBX data center(s) or limit our ability to grow our business which could negatively affect our financial performance and results of operations. Our IBX data centers are affected by problems accessing electricity sources, such as planned or unplanned power outages and limitations on transmission or distribution of power. Unplanned power outages, including, but not limited to those relating to large storms, earthquakes, fires, tsunamis, cyberattacks, war, and any failures of electrical power grids more generally, and planned power outages by public utilities, such as those related to Pacific Gas and Electric Company's planned outages in California to minimize fire risks, could harm our customers and our business. Employees working from home could be subjected to planned power outages at home which could be difficult to track and could affect the day to day operations of our non-IBX data center employees. Our international operations are sometimes located outside of developed, reliable electricity markets, where we are exposed to some insecurity in supply associated with technical and regulatory problems, as well as transmission constraints. Some of our IBX data centers are located in leased buildings where, depending upon the lease requirements and number of tenants involved, we may or may not control some or all of the infrastructure including generators and fuel tanks. As a result, in the event of a power outage, we could be dependent upon the landlord, as well as the utility company, to restore the power. We attempt to limit our exposure to system downtime by using backup generators, which are in turn supported by onsite fuel storage and through contracts with fuel suppliers, but these measures may not always prevent downtime or solve for long-term or large-scale outages. Any outage or supply disruption could adversely affect our business, customer experience and revenues. We are currently experiencing inflation and volatility pressures in the energy market globally. In particular, current dislocation in the Singapore power market has resulted in Equinix having to buy power at extremely elevated spot and future rates and this ongoing price volatility impacted elements of our 2022 financial results and long-term models. Various macroeconomic factors are contributing to the instability and global power shortage including the Russia and Ukraine war, the COVID-19 pandemic, severe weather events, governmental regulations, government relations and inflation. The price for power in many of the countries in which we operate has seen significant increases in recent months, and it is unclear when the markets will stabilize. While we have aimed to minimize our risk exposure related to power procurement in Singapore and globally via hedging, conservation, and other efficiencies, we expect the cost for power to continue to be volatile and unpredictable and subject to inflationary pressures. We believe we have made appropriate estimates for these costs in our forecasting but the current unpredictable energy market could materially affect our financial forecasting, results of operations and financial condition. Each new facility requires access to significant quantities of electricity. Limitations on generation, transmission and distribution may limit our ability to obtain sufficient power capacity for potential expansion sites in new or 19 19 19 Table of Contents Table of Contents existing markets. We may experience significant delays and substantial increased costs demanded by the utilities to provide the level of electrical service required by our current IBX data center designs.

We maintain a complex global organizational structure, containing numerous legal entities of varied types and serving various purposes, in each country in which we operate. For example, to maintain our qualification for taxation as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes, we use TRSs and qualified REIT subsidiaries ("QRSs") in order to segregate our income between net income from real estate and net income from other non-real estate activities. This results in significantly more entities than we might otherwise utilize if we were not having to maintain our qualification for taxation as a REIT in the U.S. Additionally, we maintain certain other region-specific organizational structures for various tax, legal and other business purposes. The organization, maintenance and reporting requirements for our entity structure are complex and require coordination amongst many teams within Equinix and the use of outside service providers. While we use automation tools and software where possible to manage this process, a meaningful amount of work continues to be manual. We believe we have adequate controls in place to manage these complex structures, but if our controls fail, there could be significant legal and tax implications to our business and our operations including but not limited to material tax and legal liabilities.

We maintain a complex global organizational structure, containing numerous legal entities of varied types and serving various purposes, in each country in which we operate. For example, in order to maintain our qualification as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes, a large portion of our gross income for each taxable year must be derived from real estate. To facilitate meeting this REIT compliance requirement, we use TRSs and qualified REIT subsidiaries ("QRSs") in order to segregate our income between net income from real estate and net income from TRSs. This results in almost double the number of entities we would typically need if we were not maintaining qualification as a REIT. Additionally, we maintain certain other region-specific organizational structures for various tax, legal and other business purposes. The organization, maintenance and reporting requirements for our entity structure are complex and require coordination amongst many teams within Equinix and the use of outside service providers. While we use automation tools and software where possible to manage this process, some work continues to be manual. We believe we have adequate controls in place to manage these complex structures, but if our controls fail, there could be significant legal and tax implications to our business and our operations including but not limited to material tax and legal liabilities.

Severe weather events, such as droughts, wildfires, flooding, heat waves, hurricanes, typhoons and winter storms, pose a threat to our IBX data centers and our customers' IT infrastructure through physical damage to facilities or equipment, power supply disruption, and long-term effects on the cost of electricity. The frequency and intensity of severe weather events are reportedly increasing as part of broader climate changes. Changes in global weather patterns may also pose long-term risks of physical impacts to our business. We maintain disaster recovery and business continuity plans that would be implemented in the event of severe weather events that interrupt our business or affect our customers' IT infrastructure housed in our IBX data centers. While these plans are designed to allow us to recover from natural disasters or other events that can interrupt our business, we cannot be certain that our plans will work as intended to mitigate the impacts of such disasters or events. Failure to prevent impact to customers from such events could adversely affect our business.

Severe weather events, such as droughts, fires, flooding, heat waves, hurricanes, typhoons and winter storms, pose a threat to our IBX data centers and our customers' IT infrastructure through physical damage to facilities or equipment, power supply disruption, and long-term effects on the cost of electricity. The frequency and intensity of severe weather events are reportedly increasing as part of broader climate changes. Changes in global weather patterns may also pose long-term risks of physical impacts to our business. We maintain disaster recovery and business continuity plans that would be implemented in the event of severe weather events that interrupt our business or affect our customers' IT infrastructure housed in our IBX data centers. While these plans are designed to allow us to recover from natural disasters or other events that can interrupt our 34 34 34 Table of Contents Table of Contents business, we cannot be certain that our plans will work as intended, to mitigate the impacts of such disasters or events. Failure to prevent impact to customers from such events could adversely affect our business.

Inflation is impacting various aspects of our business. We are also experiencing an increase in our costs to procure power and supply chain issues globally. Rising prices for materials related to our IBX data center construction and our data center offerings, energy and gas prices, as well as rising wages and benefits costs negatively impact our business by increasing our operating costs. Further, disagreement in the U.S. Congress on government spending levels could increase the possibility of a government shutdown, further adversely affecting global economic conditions. The adverse economic conditions we are currently experiencing may cause a decrease in sales as some customers may need to take cost cutting measures or scale back their operations. This could result in churn in our customer base, reductions in revenues from our offerings, adverse effects to our days of sales outstanding in accounts receivable ("DSO"), longer sales cycles, slower adoption of new technologies and increased price competition, which could adversely affect our liquidity. Customers and vendors filing for bankruptcy could also lead to costly and time-intensive actions with adverse effects, including greater difficulty or delay in accounts receivable collection. The uncertain economic environment could also have an impact on our foreign exchange forward contracts if our counterparties' credit deteriorates or if they are otherwise unable to perform their obligations. Further, volatility in the financial markets and rising interest rates like we are currently experiencing could affect our ability to access the capital markets at a time when we desire, or need, to do so which could have an impact on our flexibility to pursue additional expansion opportunities and maintain our desired level of revenue growth in the future. Our efforts to mitigate the risks associated with these adverse conditions may not be successful and our business and growth could be adversely affected.

Inflation in the United States, Europe and other geographies has risen to levels not experienced in recent decades and we are seeing its impact on various aspects of our business. We are also experiencing an increase in our costs to procure power and supply chain issues globally. Rising prices for materials related to our IBX data center construction and our data center offerings, energy and gas prices, as well as rising wages and benefits costs negatively impact our business by increasing our operating costs. The levels of inflation we are currently experiencing may cause a decrease in sales as some customers may need to take cost cutting measures or scale back their operations. This could result in churn in our customer base, reductions in revenues from our offerings, adverse effects to our DSO, longer sales cycles, slower adoption of new technologies and increased price competition, which could adversely affect our liquidity. Customers and vendors filing for bankruptcy could also lead to costly and time-intensive actions with adverse effects, including greater difficulty or delay in accounts receivable collection. The uncertain economic environment could also have an impact on our foreign exchange forward contracts if our counterparties' credit deteriorates or if they are otherwise unable to perform their obligations. Finally, volatility in the financial markets like we are currently experiencing could affect our ability to access the capital markets at a time when we desire, or need, to do so which could have an impact on our flexibility to pursue additional expansion opportunities and maintain our desired level of revenue growth in the future. Our efforts to mitigate the risks associated with these adverse conditions may not be successful and our business and growth could be adversely affected.

Despite our efforts to protect against cyber-attacks, we are not fully insulated from such threats. For example, in September 2020, we discovered ransomware on certain of our internal systems. While the incident was resolved and did not cause a material disruption to our systems nor result in any material costs to us, we expect we will continue to face risks associated with unauthorized access to our computer systems, loss or destruction of data, computer viruses, ransomware, malware, distributed denial-of-service attacks or other malicious activities. In the course of our business we utilize vendors and other partners who are also sources of cyber risks to us. In addition, our adaptation to a hybrid working model, that includes both work from home and in an office, could expose us to new security risks. We offer professional solutions to our customers where we consult on data center solutions and assist with implementations. We also offer managed services in certain of our foreign jurisdictions outside of the U.S. where we manage the data center infrastructure for our customers. The access to our clients' networks and data, which is gained from these solutions, creates some risk that our clients' networks or data could be improperly accessed. We may also design our clients' cloud storage systems in such a way that exposes our clients to increased risk of data breach. If we were held responsible for any such breach, it could result in a significant loss to us, including damage to our client relationships, harm to our brand and reputation, and legal liability. As techniques used to breach security change frequently and are generally not recognized until launched against a target, we may not be able to promptly detect that a cyber breach has occurred, or implement security measures in a timely manner or, if and when implemented, we may not be able to determine the extent to which these measures could be circumvented. Recent developments in the cyber threat landscape include use of artificial intelligence and machine learning, as well as an increased number of cyber extortion and ransomware attacks, with the potential for higher financial ransom demand amounts and increasing sophistication and variety of ransomware techniques and methodology. Further, any adoption of artificial intelligence by us or by third parties may pose new security challenges. A party who is able to compromise the security measures on our networks or the security of our infrastructure could misappropriate the proprietary or sensitive information of Equinix, our customers, including government customers, or the personal information of our employees, or cause interruptions or malfunctions in our operations or our customers' operations. As we provide assurances to our customers that we provide a high level of security, such a compromise could be particularly harmful to our brand and reputation. We also may be required to expend significant capital and resources to protect against such threats or to alleviate problems caused by cyber breaches in our physical or virtual security systems. Any breaches that may occur in the future could expose us to increased risk of lawsuits, regulatory penalties, loss of existing or potential customers, damage relating to loss of proprietary information, harm to our reputation and increases in our security costs, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial performance and results of operations. The cybersecurity regulatory landscape continues to evolve and compliance with the proposed reporting requirements could further complicate our ability to resolve cyber-attacks. We maintain insurance coverage for cyber risks, but such coverage may be unavailable or insufficient to cover our losses.

Despite our efforts to protect against cyber-attacks, we are not fully insulated from these types of security breaches, and such an attack could adversely impact our competitiveness and results of operations. For example, in September 2020, we discovered ransomware on certain of our internal systems. While the incident was resolved and did not cause a material disruption to our systems nor result in any material costs to us, we expect we will continue to face risks associated with unauthorized access to our computer systems, loss or destruction of data, computer viruses, ransomware, malware, distributed denial-of-service attacks or other malicious activities. These threats may result from human error, equipment failure, fraud or malice on the part of employees, vendors or third parties. As techniques used to breach security change frequently and are generally not recognized until launched against a target, we may not be able to promptly detect that a cyber breach has occurred, or implement security measures in a timely manner or, if and when implemented, we may not be able to determine the extent to which these measures could be circumvented. Our adaptation to a hybrid working model that includes both work from home and in an office could continue to expose us to new security risks. A party who is able to compromise the security measures on our networks or the security of our infrastructure could misappropriate either our proprietary information or the personal information of our customers or our employees, or cause interruptions or malfunctions in our operations or our customers' operations. As we provide assurances to our customers that we provide a high level of security, such a compromise could be particularly harmful to our brand and reputation. We may be required to expend significant capital and resources to protect against such threats or to alleviate problems caused by breaches in security. Any breaches that may occur in the future could expose us to increased risk of lawsuits, regulatory penalties, loss of existing or potential customers, damage relating to loss of proprietary information, harm to our reputation and increases in our security costs, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial performance and results of operations. We maintain insurance coverage for cyber risks, but such coverage may be unavailable or insufficient to cover our losses. We offer professional solutions to our customers where we consult on data center solutions and assist with implementations. We also offer managed services in certain of our foreign jurisdictions outside of the U.S. where we manage the data center infrastructure for our customers. The access to our clients' networks and data, which is gained from these solutions, creates some risk that our clients' networks or data could be improperly accessed. We may also design our clients' cloud storage systems in such a way that exposes our clients to increased risk of data breach. If we were held responsible for any such breach, it could result in a significant loss to us, including damage to our client relationships, harm to our brand and reputation, and legal liability.

We are a U.S. company with global subsidiaries and are subject to income and other taxes in the U.S. (although currently limited due to our taxation as a REIT) and many foreign jurisdictions. Significant judgment is required in determining our worldwide provision for income and other taxes. Although we believe that we have adequately assessed and accounted for our potential tax liabilities, and that our tax estimates are reasonable, there can be no certainty that additional taxes will not be due upon audit of our tax returns or as a result of changes to the tax laws and interpretations thereof. For example, we are currently undergoing audits in a number of jurisdictions where we operate. The final results of these audits are uncertain and may not be resolved in our favor. The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development ("OECD") is an international association made up of over 30 countries including the U.S. The OECD has proposed and made numerous changes to long-standing tax principles, which, if adopted by the member countries, could have a materially adverse effect on our tax liabilities. For example, it has proposed a framework to implement a global minimum tax of 15% for businesses with 36 36 36 Table of Contents Table of Contents global revenues and profits above certain thresholds (referred to as Pillar Two). The framework includes a mechanism empowering foreign jurisdictions to levy a top-up tax on our profits in the U.S. Certain aspects of Pillar Two became effective January 1, 2024, and the rest of the new tax regime will become effective January 1, 2025. While it is uncertain whether the U.S. will enact legislation to adopt Pillar Two, certain countries in which we operate have partially adopted Pillar Two, and other countries are in the process of introducing legislation to adopt the new tax regime. We are continuing to evaluate the impacts of the development in the jurisdictions in which we operate. The COVID-19 pandemic led to increased spending by many governments in the past years. Because of this, there could be pressure to increase taxes in the future to pay back debts and generate revenues. The nature and timing of any future changes to each jurisdiction's tax laws and the impact on our future tax liabilities cannot be predicted with any accuracy, but could materially and adversely impact our results of operations and financial position or cash flows.

We are a U.S. company with global subsidiaries and are subject to income and other taxes in the U.S. (although currently limited due to our taxation as a REIT) and many foreign jurisdictions. Significant judgment is required in determining our worldwide provision for income and other taxes. Although we believe that we have adequately assessed and accounted for our potential tax liabilities, and that our tax estimates are reasonable, there can be no certainty that additional taxes will not be due upon audit of our tax returns or as a result of changes to the tax laws 35 35 35 Table of Contents Table of Contents and interpretations thereof. For example, we are currently undergoing audits in a number of jurisdictions where we operate. The final results of these audits are uncertain and may not be resolved in our favor. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development ("OECD") is an international association made up of over 30 countries including the U.S. The OECD has proposed and made numerous changes to long-standing tax principles, which, if adopted by the member countries, could have a materially adverse effect on our tax liabilities. For example, various foreign jurisdictions are starting to explore the taxation of digital services and the mechanism of levying a top-up tax through the adoption of OECD tax principles which could have a negative effect on our tax liability. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has led to increased spending by many governments. Because of this, there could be pressure to increase taxes in the future to pay back debts and generate revenues. The nature and timing of any future changes to each jurisdiction's tax laws and the impact on our future tax liabilities because of the COVID-19 pandemic or for any other reason cannot be predicted with any accuracy but could materially and adversely impact our results of operations and financial position or cash flows.

The war in Ukraine has led to market disruptions, including significant volatility in commodity prices, credit and capital markets, an increase in cybersecurity incidents as well as supply chain disruptions. Additionally, various of Russia’s actions have led to sanctions and other penalties being levied by the U.S., the European Union, the United Kingdom, and other countries, as well as other public and private actors and companies, against Russia and certain other geographic areas, including agreement to remove certain Russian financial institutions from the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication payment system and restrictions on imports of Russian oil, liquified natural gas and coal. We do not have operations in Russia or Ukraine and historically we have had a limited number of Russian and Ukrainian customers, which we continue to screen against applicable sanctions lists per our standard processes. Although we continue to devote resources to this screening effort, including the use of software solutions, the sanctions screening process remains partially manual, and the sanctions lists continue to evolve and vary by country. We continue to address necessary changes in global sanctions laws and modify our processes as necessary in light of these evolving laws. A material failure to comply with global sanctions laws could have a negative effect on our reputation, business and financial condition. In addition to compliance with applicable sanctions laws, we are currently limiting the ability of Russian customers to place orders for our offerings unless, after reviewing these orders, we believe they are aligned with our stated objectives in support of Ukraine. We do not allow purchases from Russian partners or suppliers and have committed to not make any direct or indirect investment in Russia absent an end to this conflict. In addition, for our customers located in Ukraine, we are currently providing offerings free of charge and may continue to do so in the future. The associated disruptions in the oil and gas markets have caused, and could continue to cause, significant increases in energy prices, which could have a material effect on our business. Additional potential sanctions and penalties have also been proposed and/or threatened. If Russia further reduces or turns off energy supplies to Europe, our EMEA operations could be adversely affected. Russian military actions and the resulting sanctions could further affect the global economy and financial markets and lead to instability and lack of liquidity in capital markets, potentially making it more difficult for us to obtain additional debt or equity financing on attractive terms in the future. In the case of the Middle East conflict, the current situation is extremely volatile. It is possible that such events will continue to adversely impact the level of economic activity globally and that we will face increased regulatory and legal complexities in the regions affected thus impacting our business and employees, our financial condition 18 18 18 Table of Contents Table of Contents and results of operations. Additionally, any sustained military action in the area of the Red Sea could contribute to supply chain challenges. Prolonged unfavorable economic conditions or uncertainty, including as a result of the military conflict between Russia and Ukraine or in the Middle East, may adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations. Any of the foregoing may also magnify the impact of other risks described in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

The war in Ukraine has led to market disruptions, including significant volatility in commodity prices, credit and capital markets, an increase in cyber security incidents as well as supply chain disruptions. Additionally, various of Russia’s actions have led to sanctions and other penalties being levied by the U.S., the European Union, the United Kingdom, and other countries, as well as other public and private actors and companies, against Russia and certain other geographic areas, including agreement to remove certain Russian financial institutions from the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication payment system and restrictions on imports of Russian oil, liquified natural gas and coal. We do not have operations in Russia or Ukraine and historically we have had a limited number of Russian and Ukrainian customers, which we continue to screen against applicable sanctions lists per our standard processes. Although we continue to devote resources to this screening effort, including the use of software solutions, the sanctions screening process remains partially manual, and the sanctions lists continue to evolve and vary by country. We continue to address necessary changes in global sanctions laws and modify our processes as necessary in light of these evolving laws. A material failure to comply with global sanctions laws could have a negative effect on our reputation, business and financial condition. In addition to compliance with applicable sanctions laws, we are currently limiting the ability of Russian customers to place orders for our offerings unless, after reviewing these orders, we believe they are aligned with our stated objectives in support of Ukraine. We have suspended all activities and purchasing with and through Russian partners and suppliers and have committed to not make any direct or indirect investment in Russia absent an end to this conflict. In addition, for our customers located in Ukraine, we are currently providing offerings free of charge and may continue to do so in the future. 18 18 18 Table of Contents Table of Contents The associated disruptions in the oil and gas markets have caused, and could continue to cause, significant increases in energy prices, which could have a material effect on our business. Additional potential sanctions and penalties have also been proposed and/or threatened. Some of our IBX data centers in EMEA partially rely on energy produced in-part from fossil fuels originating from Russia, which Russia has reduced. If Russia further reduces or turns off energy supplies to Europe, our EMEA operations could be adversely affected. Russian military actions and the resulting sanctions could further affect the global economy and financial markets and lead to instability and lack of liquidity in capital markets, potentially making it more difficult for us to obtain additional debt or equity financing on attractive terms in the future. Prolonged unfavorable economic conditions or uncertainty as a result of the military conflict between Russia and Ukraine may adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations. Any of the foregoing may also magnify the impact of other risks described in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

We continuously monitored our global operations in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. We implemented procedures focusing on the health and safety of our employees, customers, partners and communities, the continuity of our business offerings and compliance with governmental regulations and local public health guidance and ordinances. While our business operations continued without interruption and our IBX data centers remained fully operational to date, we cannot guarantee our business operations or our IBX data centers will not be negatively impacted in the future because of another pandemic, including one related to COVID-19.

We have continuously monitored our global operations in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. We have implemented procedures focusing on the health and safety of our employees, customers, partners and 39 39 39 Table of Contents Table of Contents communities, the continuity of our business offerings and compliance with governmental regulations and local public health guidance and ordinances. While our business operations have continued without interruption and our IBX data centers have remained fully operational to date, we cannot guarantee our business operations or our IBX data centers will not be negatively impacted in the future because of the COVID-19 or any other pandemic.

For the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, we recognized approximately 63%, 61% and 61%, respectively, of our revenues outside the U.S. We currently operate outside of the U.S. in Canada, Mexico, South America, the Asia-Pacific region and, the EMEA region. In addition, we are currently undergoing expansions or evaluating expansion opportunities outside of the U.S. Undertaking and managing expansions in foreign jurisdictions may present unanticipated challenges to us. Our international operations are generally subject to a number of additional risks, including: •the costs of customizing IBX data centers for foreign countries; •protectionist laws and business practices favoring local competition; •greater difficulty or delay in accounts receivable collection; •difficulties in staffing and managing foreign operations, including negotiating with foreign labor unions or workers' councils; •difficulties in managing across cultures and in foreign languages; •political and economic instability; •fluctuations in currency exchange rates; •difficulties in repatriating funds from certain countries; •our ability to obtain, transfer or maintain licenses required by governmental entities with respect to our business; •unexpected changes in regulatory, tax and political environments; •difficulties in procuring power; •trade wars; •changes in the government and public administration in emerging markets that may impact the stability of foreign investment policies; •our ability to secure and maintain the necessary physical and telecommunications infrastructure; •compliance with anti-bribery and corruption laws; 30 30 30 Table of Contents Table of Contents •compliance with economic and trade sanctions enforced by the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Department of Treasury, the Bureau of Industry and Security of the US Department of Commerce and other enforcement agencies in other jurisdictions around the world including those related to the Russian and Ukrainian war; •compliance with changing laws, policies and requirements related to sustainability; •increasing scrutiny on the operational resilience of data centers, especially in countries where data centers are designated as critical national infrastructure and/or essential ICT service providers; •increasing resistance to data center presence and expansion by local communities; •compliance with evolving cybersecurity laws including reporting requirements; and •compliance with evolving governmental regulation. Further, if we cannot effectively manage the challenges associated with our international operations and expansion plans, we could experience a delay in our expansion projects or a failure to grow. Expansion challenges and international operations failures could also materially damage our reputation, our brand, our business and results of operations. Our success depends, in part, on our ability to anticipate and address these risks and manage these difficulties.

For the years ended December 31, 2022, 2021 and 2020, we recognized approximately 61%, 61% and 59%, respectively, of our revenues outside the U.S. We currently operate outside of the U.S. in Canada, Mexico, South America, the Asia-Pacific region and, the EMEA region. 30 30 30 Table of Contents Table of Contents In addition, we are currently undergoing expansions or evaluating expansion opportunities outside of the U.S. Undertaking and managing expansions in foreign jurisdictions may present unanticipated challenges to us. Our international operations are generally subject to a number of additional risks, including: •the costs of customizing IBX data centers for foreign countries; •protectionist laws and business practices favoring local competition; •greater difficulty or delay in accounts receivable collection; •difficulties in staffing and managing foreign operations, including negotiating with foreign labor unions or workers' councils; •difficulties in managing across cultures and in foreign languages; •political and economic instability; •fluctuations in currency exchange rates; •difficulties in repatriating funds from certain countries; •our ability to obtain, transfer or maintain licenses required by governmental entities with respect to our business; •unexpected changes in regulatory, tax and political environments such as the United Kingdom's withdrawal from the European Union ("Brexit"), the Hong Kong national security law, and the current trade war between the U.S. and China; •our ability to secure and maintain the necessary physical and telecommunications infrastructure; •compliance with anti-bribery and corruption laws; •compliance with economic and trade sanctions enforced by the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Department of Treasury and other enforcement agencies in other jurisdictions around the world including those related to the Russian and Ukrainian war; •compliance with changing laws, policies and requirements related to sustainability; •compliance with evolving governmental regulation with which we have little experience; and •compliance with evolving and varied regulations related to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Geo-political events, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, Brexit, the Hong Kong national security law, the trade war between the U.S. and China and the war between Russia and Ukraine, may increase the likelihood of the listed risks to occur and could have a negative effect on our business domestically or internationally. With respect to Brexit, it is possible that the level of economic activity in the United Kingdom and the rest of Europe will be adversely impacted and that we will face increased regulatory and legal complexities in these regions which could have an adverse impact on our business and employees in EMEA and could adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations. In addition, compliance with international and U.S. laws and regulations that apply to our international operations increases our cost of doing business in foreign jurisdictions. These laws and regulations include the General Data Protection Regulation ("GDPR") and other data privacy laws and requirements, labor relations laws, tax laws, anti-competition regulations, import and trade restrictions, export requirements, economic and trade sanctions, U.S. laws such as the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and local laws which also prohibit corrupt payments to governmental officials. With respect to the current trade war between the U.S. and China, we have several customers in China named in restrictive executive orders by the previous U.S. administration that are currently covered by a freeze issued by the current U.S. administration or currently enjoined from enforcement subject to pending litigation. If Equinix is required to cease business with these companies, or additional companies in the future, our revenues could be adversely affected. Violations of any of these domestic or international laws and regulations could result in fines, criminal sanctions against us, our officers or our employees, and prohibitions on the conduct of our business. Any such violations could include prohibitions on our ability to provide our offerings in one or more countries, could delay or prevent potential acquisitions, and could also materially damage our reputation, our brand, our international expansion efforts, our ability to attract and retain employees, our business and results of operations. Our success depends, in part, on our ability to anticipate and address these risks and manage these difficulties. 31 31 31 Table of Contents Table of Contents