Commitments and Contingencies

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2022

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, 2022, we were contractually committed for approximately $1.7 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, 2022, such as commitments to purchase power in select locations through the remainder of 2022 and thereafter, and other open purchase orders for goods or services to be delivered or provided during the remainder of 2022 and thereafter. Such other miscellaneous purchase commitments totaled approximately $1.7 billion as of September 30, 2022. 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 an audit and appealing the tentative assessment in Brazil. The final settlement of the audit 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 the financial position, results of operations, or cash flows.

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, we have a director and officer insurance policy that could limit our exposure and enable us to recover a portion of any future amounts paid. As a result of our insurance policy that could limit our exposure and enable us to recover some or all of amounts paid, our estimated fair value of these indemnification agreements is minimal. We have no liabilities recorded for these agreements as of September 30, 2022.

We enter into standard indemnification agreements in the ordinary course of business. Pursuant to these agreements, we indemnify, hold harmless, and agree to reimburse the indemnified party for losses suffered or incurred by the indemnified party, generally our business partners or customers, in connection with any U.S. patent, or any copyright or other intellectual property infringement claim by any third party with respect to our offerings. The term of these indemnification agreements is generally perpetual any time 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. As a result, our estimated fair value of these agreements is minimal. We have no liabilities recorded for these agreements as of September 30, 2022.

We enter into arrangements with our 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 other acts, such as personal property damage, of our subcontractors. The maximum potential amount of future payments we could be required to make under these indemnification agreements is unlimited; however, we have general and umbrella insurance policies that could enable us to recover a portion of any amounts paid. We have never incurred material costs to defend lawsuits or settle claims related to these indemnification agreements. 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, 2022.

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 service level commitments to these customers. Our liability insurance may not be adequate to cover those expenses. In addition, any loss of services, equipment damage or inability to meet our service level commitment obligations could reduce the confidence of our customers 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, 2022.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 $1.2 billion in total at the exchange rate in effect on September 30, 2022, 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 $267.6 million in total at the exchange rate in effect on September 30, 2022. As of September 30, 2022, the maximum potential amount of our future payments under these guarantees was approximately $58.3 million, at the exchange rates in effect on that date. Our estimated fair value of these guarantees is minimal as the likelihood of making a payout under the guarantees is low.