New Data Center Developments: November 2023

The demand for new data centers isn't showing any sign of slowing. With new projects being announced each week, keeping track of the latest data center developments is not always easy.

To keep you informed about the latest data center news involving design, construction, and related developments, we bring you the highlights from the past month.

This curated selection will help you stay on top of the latest data center development news with ease.

North American Data Center Deals

T5 Data Centers has acquired its third location in Chicago. The 36 MW facility is aimed at meeting the "surging demand" for data center space in the region.

"By strategically locating our new data center in an area facing power constraints, we're providing our clients with state-of-the-art data infrastructure while contributing to the region's sustainable growth," said David Horowitz, executive vice president of leasing for T5.

Elsewhere, QTS Realty Trust is reportedly planning a huge new data center project in Irving, Texas.

According to The Dallas Morning News, the $180 million project will see the development of a 264,000-square-foot data center, which is earmarked in late 2025.

Vantage Data Centers has announced the completion of its Quincy, Washington campus.

Related:California's Climate Disclosure Laws Could Have Adverse Effects on Data Centers

The final size of the three-building campus, which was begun in 2011, is 89 MW of IT capacity across the 68-acre site. More than $1 billion was invested in the development.

In the Midwest, plans for a new data center in Rosemount, Minnesota, took a step forward after authorities approved three electric service agreements, while a former police station in Ansonia, Connecticut, may be turned into a colocation facility.

Infrastructure management company Standard Power has unveiled plans to develop two small modular reactor-powered facilities in the US that will together produce nearly 2GW of "clean, carbon-free energy." 

The facilities will be located in Ohio and Pennsylvania and developed in partnership with NuScale Power Corporation, a certified developer of small modular reactor (SMR) technology. Standard Power said it would use the carbon-free energy to power nearby data centers.

"We see a lot of legacy baseload grid capacity going offline with a lack of new sustainable baseload generation options on the market especially as power demand for artificial intelligence-computing and data centers is growing," said Maxim Serezhin, chief executive of Standard Power. 

More data center developments in North America:

Related:UN-Backed Data Center Competition Highlights Need for Open Source Sustainability Solutions

European Data Center Developments

Across the Atlantic, French data center operator Data4 has hired Hill International to manage a new campus in San Agustín de Guadalix, Spain.

According to Hill, MAD2 will encompass four data centers on a 6.5-hectare site with a total capacity of 80 MW. "The new facilities will utilize Data4's efficient and scalable model to support customer growth," the operator said.

Passus Group, a Polish IT services firm, has secured a PLN4.5 million ($1 million) data center contract with an as-yet-unnamed public institution. 

According to a press release, the contract will see Passus implement a monitoring system in the customer's data processing center, among other services.

CGG has opened a new, 500-petaflop High-Performance Computing (HPC) Hub at an undisclosed location in the UK, while Digital Realty is reportedly planning to build a fourth data center at its campus near Zurich Airport in Switzerland.

ntt

Asia-Pacific

NTT Global Data Centers Corporation announced the launch of its sixth data center on the company's sprawling Cyberjaya campus in Malaysia.

The $50 million 'CBJ6' facility has a critical IT load of 7 MW, two 33kV substations and advanced cooling wall technology to maintain a stable environment for high-density racks up to 15kW.

CBJ6 complements the Cyberjaya 5 Data Center, built in 2021.

"NTT's continuous expansion in Malaysia is a strong testament to the company's confidence in Malaysia's capability as a data center hub in the region," said Datuk Wira Arham Abdul Rahman, chief executive of the Malaysian Investment Development Authority.

In India, meanwhile, CtrlS Datacenters has laid out an ambitious $2 billion investment plan that will result in a huge footprint expansion and a doubling of its workforce.

"The company has identified three key areas of focus as it looks to scale its operations, reaffirm its commitment to the region, and further establish its leadership position," the company said in a statement.

In addition to hiring more than 1,000 new employees in the next six years, the data center service provider plans to add 350MW of capacity to service an anticipated surge in demand and hit its 'net zero' goal by 2030.

Oceania Data Center Announcements

There was big news in the design and construction sector this past month, as Microsoft announced it would establish nine new data centers in Australia over the next two years.

The move forms part of a $3.2 billion cloud computing and AI infrastructure plan that the company described as its latest investment in the country in 40 years.

Announced as part of Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's recent visit to the US, the investment will help Microsoft grow its data centers across Canberra, Sydney, and Melbourne by 45% – from 20 sites to 29.

The announcement was capped off by a positive first-quarter earnings report from Microsoft. Redmond's shares were on track for their biggest gain in three months after the company reported strong sales, bolstered by recovering cloud-computing growth amid demand for new artificial intelligence products.

Staying in Australia, Edge Centres has opened its fifth data center in just six months. The Grafton-based company took to LinkedIn to announce the opening of EC105, a 2 MW facility in St Louis, Missouri.

African Data Center Investments

In Africa, Medallion Data Centers will cut the ribbon on its second data center in Lagos, Nigeria, on October 24.

LOS2, located on Medallion's Victoria Island campus, will reportedly provide access to the 2Africa subsea cable system. The company will also rebrand to Digital Realty following the tech giant's acquisition of the company back in 2021.

Africa Data Centres (ADC) said it intends to mobilize funds from its existing DFC financing commitment of $300 million to develop a new facility in Ghana that will provide up to 30 MW of IT load.

"Over the past decade, Ghana has embarked on a transformative journey, and one area that is seeing significant focus is its burgeoning technology sector," said Hardy Pemhiwa, president and CEO of ADC parent company Cassava Technologies.

"With a youthful and dynamic population, a government that provides support, and a thriving startup ecosystem, Ghana is well-positioned to emerge as a prominent technology hub within the next five years."