Hurricane Electric Gets $13M to Expand Data Center

Hurricane_Electric_Fremont2

Long rows of cabinets line the equipment area inside Hurricane Electric's Fremont 2  data center in Fremont, Calif. (Photo: Rich Miller)

Hurricane Electric, which operates the world's largest IPv6-native Internet backbone, has secured $13 million in financing from Bank of the West to fund a major expansion of its data center in Fremont, Calif. The company will use the funds to build and outfit 24,000 square feet of data center space at its Fremont 2 facility. The expansion will also add 3 megawatts of power capacity at Fremont 2, a 208,000 square foot facility.

Hurricane Electric said the expansion will allow it to accommodate additional tenants seeking to leverage its global network.

“Hurricane Electric is thrilled with the recent growth in demand for quality colocation services, and to have financing from a well-respected financial institution like Bank of The West," said Mike Leber, Hurricane Electric’s president. "With yet another expansion of our Fremont 2 facility, Hurricane Electric will be able to offer prime wholesale colocation to new customers seeking the high level of service current customers have come to expect. Over the years, more and more companies have chosen Hurricane Electric for our competitive pricing and nearly 100 percent uptime.”

Early Player in IPv6 Connectivity

Hurricane Electric has been providing colocation services since Mike Leber founded the company in 1994. After starting with a few servers housed at MAE West (Market Post Tower) in San Jose, Calif., the company has expanded into several substantial data centers of its own. In recent years, Hurricane Electric has focused on the emerging market for IPv6 connectivity, and has built a network that is connected to 54 major exchange points and exchanges traffic directly with more than 2,200 different networks.

“Helping small and medium-size enterprises grow their businesses is a top priority for Bank of the West," said Ray Crabb, Vice President of SBA Lending at Bank of the West. "Hurricane Electric’s data center operations serve high-tech customers whose growth powers the engines of our economy. It’s a win all around.”

Back in 2010, Leber gave Data Center Knowledge a tour of Hurricane Electric's Fremont operations, including the first phase of the Fremont 2 facility. This video runs about 6 minutes.