Data Center Investment News — 21/07/2023
Norwegian Gov’t OKs 150MW TikTok data centre
The Norwegian Government has this week given the thumbs up for the development of a hyperscale data centre campus to be used by Chinese social media app TikTok.
At a time when Western nations continue to cut back on Chinese-backed technology, Oslo said it has carried out the necessary safety assessments on the project and no issues were found.
However, the project will still need to go under the microscope and be given final clearance under the Norwegian Safety Act.
“The government has made thorough safety assessments in connection with Green Mountain entering into an agreement with Tiktok as the only customer,” according to Minister of Local Government and Regional Development Sigbjørn Gjelsvik.
“We have not found grounds to intervene in the agreement itself, but I will subject Green Mountain to the Norwegian Safety Act,” he added.
Kyndryl joins development of 495MW mega data centre in Portugal
IT infrastructure services provider Kyndryl (NYSE: KD) and Portuguese data centre developer Start Campus have signed an agreement for Kyndryl to provide design, implementation, and management of IT security and data network services for Start Campus’s 495MW SINES Project operations.
Under the partnership, Kyndryl has been tasked with monitoring IT and real-time Operational Technology (OT) environments present on Start Campus’ data centre campus which has a focus on businesses in Europe, the Americas and Africa.
Afonso Salema, CEO of Start Campus, said: “Constant and comprehensive monitoring of the entire data ecosystem plays a key role in maintaining the integrity, availability and security of critical digital infrastructure, contributing to the efficiency and success of SINES Project operations, one of the largest hyperscale data centre developments in Europe.
“This partnership with Kyndryl, which we are very proud of, puts our project at the forefront in terms of security at a time when cybersecurity is of critical and central importance.”
NEOM opens first data centre under TONOMUS flag
Saudi Arabia-based TONOMUS, NEOM’s cognitive technology company, has opened its first digital communications facility.
The TONOMUS.NEOM Telecommunications Center contains a data centre and associated infrastructure to enhance the availability and growth of 5G, satellite and fibre cable network connectivity, and enable the provision of private cloud services in the NEOM region.
The facility site spans an area of 18,000 square metres, with a two-floor office building hosting 150 personnel.
On-site offices and facilities within the Center will support day-to-day operations and collaboration with telecommunications industry partners.
GI Partners-backed Flexential announces plans for US data centre expansions
US data centre operator Flexential said it will build a new 36MW phased development at its Atlanta-Douglasville, Georgia campus.
The development will add a new facility on the campus bolstering the 22.5MW project announced in the fourth quarter of 2022.
The first phases of the 22.5MW facility will be available for customers this year under the group’s timeline.
Flexential has also announced that it aims to complete the first phase of its new Hillsboro 4 facility in Portland by fall of 2023 and outlined plans to break ground on its fifth facility in the market.
The expansion will add two new data centres to the Hillsboro market and supports Flexential’s goal to grow capacity on the FlexAnywhere Platform by an additional 54 MW in Oregon.
Cologix announces new data hall at 511 carrier hotel in Minneapolis, Minnesota
The company this week announced expanded capacity to its existing footprint in Minneapolis, Minnesota, with the new MIN5 data center, now available for pre-leasing.
Located in the 511 Building carrier hotel – aka the Minnesota Technology Center – MIN5 will offer 10,000 square feet (929 sqm) and 1.5MW. It is set to open in Q3.
“MIN5 gives us additional capacity to meet strong demand for direct connectivity options and colocation in this market,” said Cologix CRO Chris Heinrich.
“Latency matters to our customers. As the only colocation provider in the Minneapolis region that offers direct access to 300+ network and cloud service providers, including cloud onramps to Amazon Web Services Direct Connect, Microsoft Azure ExpressRoute, and Google Cloud Interconnect, many of our customers are surprised when they realize they can deploy in almost any cloud environment right at our downtown facility without having to go further away and to more expensive metropolitan areas.”
India’s PowerGrid to place data center outside Delhi in Manesar
In a SEBI announcement this week, PowerGrid’s board approved a revised investment proposal for the ‘establishment of a pilot data center at PowerGrid Manesar Substation.’
The company said it would invest around Rs 713.83 crore ($86.9 million) in the project through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Powergrid Teleservices Limited.
Manesar is a town outside Gurugram City in the state of Haryana, to the southwest of Delhi.
Founded in the late 1980s and under the ownership of the Indian government’s Ministry of Power, PowerGrid deals mainly in the transmission of bulk power across different states of India. The company operates the majority of the country’s interstate and inter-regional electric power transmission system.
Edged Energy plans data center in Mesa, Arizona
BizJournal reports Edged Energy has filed applications with Mesa’s design review board and planning and zoning board to build a 126,000-square-foot (11,705 sqm) data center on a 14-acre site near the Loop 202 freeway and Warner Road.
The site would include a substation from the local utility, Salt River Project. The company is reportedly working with HKS Architects and civil engineering firm HilgartWilson LLC on the project.
Edged Energy is part of Endeavour, which was set up by Aligned founder Jakob Carnemark.
The company is still relatively new, with it first coming to light in 2021 after teaming up with Merlin Properties on data centers across Spain and Portugal, including Madrid, Bilbao, a 24MW data center in Barcelona, and Lisbon.
Microsoft acquires 14-acre site in Sterling, Virginia, for data centers
Citing Loudoun County property records, BizJurnal reports Microsoft acquired a 14-acre parcel at 23540 Pebble Run Place for a little over $15 million last month.
The property, on the west side of Dulles International Airport in Loudoun County, already has zoning that allows data centers by right.
A Microsoft spokesperson told the publication the company doesn’t have “anything definitive to share at this time,” but added it’s “committed to supporting Virginia’s digital transformation with the Microsoft cloud.”
One source told BJ that Microsoft is generally interested in larger spaces, but for now is focusing on the Pebble Run Place lot in its own right.
NorthC acquires Swiss data center outside Zurich from Kyndryl
In a press release, the Dutch colocation company this week announced a new data center in the Winterthur area of Zurich.
On LinkedIn, however, the company said it had acquired Kyndryl’s data center in the Swiss city. Terms were not disclosed.
The data center currently has an IT capacity of 1.8MW, with further expansion possibilities in the future.
Based in the Netherlands, NorthC has plans to become a regional player across the German-speaking DACH (Germany, Austria Switzerland) markets, with CEO Alexandra Schless telling DCD earlier this year: “We would like to further expand in the countries because ultimately, we want to have a nationwide platform of regional data centers, meaning we’re looking at other regions in Germany and Switzerland.”
Philippine’s Bataan Nuclear Power Plant to Undergo Conversion into Data Center
Mohammed Hussein Pangandaman, the Administrator of the Authority of the Freeport Area of Bataan (AFAB), attended a meeting to explore the potential conversion of the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP) in the Philippines into a cutting-edge data center.
According to the AFAB report, Abet Garcia, the Representative of the 2nd District of Bataan, discussed the status of the land, progress reports, and shared insights regarding the proposed transformation of the inactive facility.
The project not only holds the promise of boosting economic growth but also positioning the region as a prominent player in the digital infrastructure arena.
Singapore Empowers Four Data Centers with 80 MW Capacity Boost through DC-CFA Program
Singapore’s Economic Development Board (EDB) and Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) are set to grant approximately 80 MW of additional capacity to four data center operators through the initial Data Centre – Call for Application (DC-CFA) program.
The four data center operators awarded include Airtrunk-Bytedance, Equinix, GDS, and Microsoft as they were best able to meet the desired outcomes holistically, and had significantly competitive propositions to strengthens Singapore’s position as a regional hub.
This initiative is part of Singapore’s endeavor to foster the expansion of data centers, thereby bolstering the nation’s digital economy in an environmentally sustainable manner that aligns with their climate change commitments.
IMDA has revealed its commitment to collaborating with the industry to provide more capacity in the near future, catering to the growing demand for Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning (AI/ML) computing. Additionally, they aim to promote the adoption of greener data centers in Singapore.