Commitments and Contingencies

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2023

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]

Commitments and Contingencies

Commitments and Contingencies

Purchase and Other Commitments

As a result of our various IBX data center expansion projects, as of September 30, 2023, we were contractually committed for approximately $2.1 billion of unaccrued capital expenditures, primarily for IBX infrastructure equipment not yet delivered and labor not yet provided, in connection with the work necessary to open these IBX data centers and make them available to our customers for installation. We also had numerous other, non-capital purchase commitments in place as of September 30, 2023, such as commitments to purchase power in select locations through the remainder of 2023 and thereafter, and other open purchase orders for goods or services to be delivered or provided during the remainder of 2023 and thereafter. Such other miscellaneous purchase commitments totaled approximately $1.8 billion as of September 30, 2023. For further information on equity contribution commitments and lease commitments, see Note 6 and Note 9, respectively, above.

Contingent Liabilities

We estimate our exposure on certain liabilities, such as indirect and property taxes, based on the best information available at the time of determination. With respect to real and personal property taxes, we record what we can reasonably estimate based on prior payment history, assessed value by the assessor's office, current landlord estimates, or estimates based on current or changing fixed asset values in each specific municipality, as applicable. However, there are circumstances beyond our control whereby the underlying value of the property or basis for which the tax is calculated on the property may change, such as a landlord selling the underlying property of one of our IBX data center leases or a municipality changing the assessment value in a jurisdiction and, as a result, our property tax obligations may vary from period to period. Based upon the most current facts and circumstances, we make the necessary property tax accruals for each of our reporting periods. However, revisions in our estimates of the potential or actual liability could materially impact our financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

Our indirect and property tax filings in various jurisdictions are subject to examination by local tax authorities. 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 further changes to the tax laws and interpretations thereof. For example, we are currently undergoing several indirect tax audits and appealing a tentative assessment in Brazil. The final settlement of the audits and the outcomes of the appeal are uncertain and may not be resolved in our favor. We regularly assess the likelihood of adverse outcomes resulting from these examinations and appeals that would affect the adequacy of our tax accruals for each of the reporting periods. If any issues arising from the tax examinations and appeals are resolved in a manner inconsistent with our expectations, the revision of the estimates of the potential or actual liabilities could materially impact our financial position, results of operations, or cash flows.

Employment Agreements

We have entered into a severance agreement with certain of our executive officers that provides for a severance payment equal to 100% of the executive officer's annual base salary and maximum bonus in the event his or her employment is terminated for any reason other than cause or he or she voluntarily resigns under certain circumstances as described in the agreement, or 200% of the executive officer's annual base salary and maximum bonus in the event this occurs after a change-in-control of our company. For certain other executive officers, these benefits are only triggered after a change-in-control of our company, in which case the officer is entitled to 200% of the executive officer's annual base salary and maximum bonus. In addition, under these agreements, the executive officer is entitled to the payment of his or her monthly health care premiums under the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act for up to 24 months.

Indemnification and Guarantor Arrangements

As permitted under Delaware law, we have agreements whereby we indemnify our officers and directors for certain events or occurrences while the officer or director is, or was serving, at our request in such capacity. The term of the indemnification period is for the officer's or director's lifetime. The maximum potential amount of future payments we could be required to make under these indemnification agreements is unlimited; however, in the event of a legal action, we have purchased insurance that could limit our exposure, depending upon the details of the claim and the coverage provided. As a result, our estimated fair value of these indemnification agreements is minimal. We have no liabilities recorded for these agreements as of September 30, 2023.

We enter into standard indemnification agreements in the ordinary course of business. Pursuant to these agreements, we may agree to indemnify, hold harmless, and reimburse the indemnified party for losses suffered or incurred by the indemnified party, generally a business partner or a customer, in connection with matters such as any U.S. patent, or any copyright or other intellectual property infringement claim by any third party with respect to our offerings; a breach of confidentiality obligations and certain other contractual warranties; our gross negligence, willful misconduct, fraud, misrepresentation, or violation of law; and/or if we cause tangible property damage, personal injury or death. The term of any such indemnification agreement is generally perpetual after execution of the agreement. The maximum potential amount of future payments we could be required to make under these indemnification agreements is unlimited; however, we have never incurred material costs to defend lawsuits or settle claims related to these indemnification agreements. In addition, in the event of a legal action, we have purchased insurance that could limit our exposure, depending upon the details of the claim and the coverage provided. As a result, our estimated fair value of these agreements is minimal. We do not have significant liabilities recorded for these agreements as of September 30, 2023.

We enter into arrangements with certain business partners, whereby the business partner agrees to provide services as a subcontractor for our installations. Accordingly, we enter into standard indemnification agreements with our customers, whereby we indemnify them for certain acts, such as personal property damage, by our subcontractors. The maximum potential amount of future payments we could be required to make under these indemnification agreements is unlimited; however, we have never incurred material costs to defend lawsuits or settle claims related to these indemnification agreements. In addition, in the event of a legal action, we have purchased insurance that could limit our exposure, depending upon the details of the claim and the coverage provided. As a result, our estimated fair value of these agreements is minimal. We do not have significant liabilities recorded for these agreements as of September 30, 2023.

We have service level commitment obligations to certain of our customers. As a result, service interruptions or significant equipment damage in our IBX data centers, whether or not within our control, could result in obligations to these customers. While we have purchased insurance that could limit our exposure, our liability insurance may not be adequate to cover those expenses. In addition, any loss of service, equipment damage or inability to meet our service level commitment obligations could reduce the confidence our customers have in us, and could consequently impair our ability to obtain and retain customers, which would adversely affect both our ability to generate revenues and our operating results. We generally have the ability to determine such service level credits prior to the associated revenue being recognized. We do not have significant liabilities in connection with service level credits as of September 30, 2023.

Concurrent with the closing of the EMEA 2 Joint Venture, the EMEA 2 Joint Venture entered into credit facility agreements with a group of lenders under which it could borrow up to approximately $1.3 billion in total at the exchange rate in effect on September 30, 2023, with such facilities maturing in 2025 and 2026. In connection with our 20% equity investment in the EMEA 2 Joint Venture, we provided the lenders with guarantees covering 20% of all payments of principal and interest due and payable by the EMEA 2 Joint Venture under these credit facilities, up to a limit of $288.5 million in total at the exchange rate in effect on September 30, 2023. As of September 30, 2023, the maximum potential amount of our future payments under these guarantees was approximately $144.5 million, at the exchange rates in effect on that date. We and our co-investor entered into an ancillary agreement to allocate funding under the credit facility agreement for use of our AMER 1 Joint Venture. As of September 30, 2023, $8.6 million of the guarantees related to AMER 1. Our estimated fair value of these guarantees is minimal as the likelihood of making a payout under the guarantees is low.