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News Release |
15th September 2009
ARK Continuity announces November opening date for first phase of Europe’s leading secure, available and sustainable data centre campus
Ark Continuity, a leading developer of high integrity data centres, today announced that the first phase of its data centre campus at Spring Park, Corsham, Wiltshire will open in November 2009. It will be one of the most secure, available and sustainable data centre campuses in Europe.
Built on a legacy of 50 years of investment in national critical infrastructure, the first phase of Spring Park includes SQ17, a new model for data centre infrastructure, based on standard, scalable, predictable building blocks.
Ten years in development, Ark Continuity’s data centre model offers all the benefits of owner-occupation - discrete space and dedicated infrastructure - but on an outsourced, modular basis. Customers have the security of their own technical space and infrastructure, while allowing them to expand as their requirements grow, moving the investment from capital expenditure (CAPEX) to operating expenses (OPEX).
Unlike other operators and developers, at Spring Park Ark Continuity has developed the infrastructure to provide a sustainable data centre solution. With its modular approach, Ark has reduced time to market to 4-16 weeks, a dramatic shift compared to conventional builds of 52-70 weeks.
Ark has signed up to the EU code of conduct, using best practice from the start. Ark’s power usage effectiveness (PUE) coefficient at SQ17 is down to 1.5, while the UK average for conventional data centres is 2.2. The rural setting of Ark’s Corsham campus means the proportion of free cooling is already over 60% (62% in Wiltshire last year) compared with around 50% in London. Additional free cooling is available by tapping into the cool subterranean environment under the Spring Park campus, ensuring that the PUE will continue to drop.
Ark’s secure, available and sustainable infrastructure ideally suits the requirements of Government departments and corporates who need to balance best levels of security and availability, with a growing demand for lower carbon solutions. This is particularly important in light of the introduction of a new tax regime in 2011.
Jeff Thomas, CEO of Ark Continuity says: “Ark’s experts have spent 10 years researching best practice and this year will deliver the UK’s first truly sustainable data centre. Planning permission has been secured for 93,000m² of development and infrastructure is already in place to meet the anticipated demand.
“We are proud to deliver on our promise of a sustainable data centre – a first in the UK. Ark has the energy, infrastructure and management in place to deliver in line with market requirements from November 2009.”
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Further information:
Verity Blake
Ryan Levitt
Rowan Andrews
ark@bottlepr.co.uk
01865 882988
About ARK Continuity
Ark Continuity delivers secure, available, sustainable data centres to support business critical IT and communication processes. Ark provides a managed environment offering the benefits and standards of owner-occupation without the capital investment.
Ark is now building its data centre campus at Spring Park, Corsham, Wiltshire with the first phase – SQ17 - opening in November 2009. Spring Park comprises 38 acres, access to 114MVA diverse power supply and c93,000m² of consented data centre and office development. |
