Home 24-7 Otago University anchor tenant in new carbon-neutral data centre

Otago University anchor tenant in new carbon-neutral data centre

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Source: MakeLemonade.nz

Ōtepoti – A company which helps organisations improve their operational set up and University of Otago are paving the way for New Zealand’s first university to become the country’s first fully carbon-neutral hyperscale data centre.

The Datagrid facility, for storing and processing data, will serve the public and business sectors with capacity of up to 150MW.

It will be built on 43 hectares in Makarewa, near Invercargill. University of Otago chief operating officer, Stephen Willis said that under the agreement, Datagrid would develop a future-proof, customised and easily scalable hosting solution.

The aim is to ensure the university is equipped to manage the exploding volumes of data anticipated as rising numbers of large-scale scientific projects come on stream. 

University head of IT infrastructure Wallace Chase says using the new datacentre would mean no longer needing to invest in replacing the university’s aging datacentre, allowing it instead to scale up or down easily according to research, teaching, learning and operational needs. 

The university hopes to start using the hyperscale datacentre in 2024.

The ability to process, transfer and store enormous digital files has become increasingly vital for researchers worldwide. Some of Otago’s researchers’ most data-intensive work involves MRI scans, genomics, and results from sensors at field research sites.

The datacentre will be powered by 100 per cent renewable energy, which would support the university’s goal of being net zero carbon by 2030.

The Datagrid facility will comprise up to 10 modules, each spanning 6500 square metres.  

MIL OSI