CheckFree Plans Austin Data Center

CheckFree Corporation has purchased 14 acres of land at the MetCenter business park in Austin, and plans to use the land to build a 210,000 square foot data center. CheckFree, which was acquired this week by FiServ (FISV) for $4.4 billion, provides electronic billing and payment services that are used by more than 3,000 financial services web sites.

The CheckFree project was announced by Zydeco Development, which is seeking to develop much of the remaining space at its huge MetCenter business park as a data center campus. Zydeco said Tuesday that it was launching the second phase of development at MetCenter, and has broken ground on a 150,000 square foot industrial building to kick off the expansion.

In early 2006 Zydeco announced plans for a large data center park within MetCenter. The 550 acre MetCenter campus includes 2 million square feet of developed commercial space. Companies with existing data centers at MetCenter include Digital Realty Trust (DLR), DataFoundry, Waste Management and Progressive Insurance.

"By beginning construction on Building Five on a speculative basis and eliminating the uncertainty associated with the build-to-suit option, we deliver the speed-to-market like no other in Austin," said Howard Yancey, a principal at Zydeco. "The high quality level of the park and its buildings, as well as the many amenities offered, makes MetCenter the premium option for companies looking to locate or relate in Austin."

MetCenter has sturdy electrical infrastructure, featuring two 400 megawatt power substations. The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), which oversees the power grid for the state of Texas, has its corporate headquarters and data center at MetCenter. Zydeco has obtained site plan approvals for more than 1.6 million square feet of additional space in the new phase. The expansion property was purchased last year.