IBM Announces Data Centers in Pacific Rim

IBM today announced plans to build a new data center in Auckland, New Zealand, investing $58 million (NZD $80 million) in a partnership with local developer Highbrook Development Ltd. The 56,000 square foot facility, which will feature a first phase of 16,000 square feet of data center space, will be located in the Highbrook Business Park in East Tamaki and be fully operational by late 2010. Additional data center pods will be developed as demand rises.

The New Zealand project is one of three new IBM computing facilities in Asia that were announced today. IBM is also building a new data center in Seoul, South Korea and a cloud computing lab in Hong Kong.

The Auckland data center will include a free cooling system which will leverage outside air during colder months, reducing the need for chillers.

“This is a highly significant investment in New Zealand’s future technological infrastructure,” said Jennifer Moxon, Managing Director of IBM New Zealand. “It is the result of long term strategic planning and signals IBM’s commitment to enable New Zealand to become a world class technology center and advances the growth of the digital economy.”

"IBM’s new facility is core infrastructure for the 21st century digital economy that the Government and ICT industry are mutually striving to develop,” said Brett O'Riley, Chief Executive Officer, NZICT Group. “It heralds the explosion of software as a service and cloud enabled computing which will drive a step change in productivity and innovation, while its design establishes the benchmark for green ICT in this country."