Scotland Launches Its Largest-Ever Data Centre To Support The Nation’s Cloud Ambitions

Scotland has launched its “largest-ever” data centre to support the transition of public and private sector organisations in moving to the cloud and undertaking digital transformation doctrines. 

The Pyramids Data Centre is located in Bathgate in the West Lothian region of Scotland, just outside of Edinburgh, and occupies a 93-acre side.

The data centre will be developed in three phases and aims to provide 200,000sq ft of modular and flexible server space to handle Scotland’s growing data storage and processing demands; with the potential to grow to 500,000sq ft, the new data centre should be fairly future proofed against any surges in cloud and server space.

 Growing infrastructure 

As a Tier 3 facility, the Pyramids Data Centre sports a 18MVA power supply and has access to multiple high-speed fibre networks. Physical security is  also high on the data centre’s agenda, with it featuring dual entrance gates, anti-climb fencing, infrared beams, and 24-7 CCTV and on-site security.

There are also plans to power the data centre with renewable energy as opposed to taking electricity off the grid. 

The Pyramids Data Centre was setup by three organisations, Ashfield Land, TRE Asset Management and Cushman & Wakefield Data Centre Advisory Group, and has been created with the goal of boosting Scotland’s infrastructure needed to support the growing development and adoption of cloud computing technology.

“In recent years Ireland has benefited from attracting upwards of £6bn of investment in the data centre industry from companies such as: Google, Facebook, Apple, AWS and Microsoft. Up until now, Scotland has not provided the size and scale of infrastructure needed,” said Michael Hunter, associate director at Cushman & Wakefield’s Data Centre Advisory Group.

“The Pyramids is well placed to capture the increasing data storage, analytics, and processing requirements which will come from an increase in adoption of cloud technology as well as the IoT [Internet of Things] and emerging technology such as connected cars.” 

And the development of such infrastructure arguably comes at the right time. While Google has said Brexit will not affect its UK cloud ambitions, there is a potential risk that the UK’s exit from the European Union could make some technology companies more reluctant to invest in Scotland, Norther Ireland, Wales and England. 

As such, building infrastructure to support the cloud could help attract investment from the major tech and cloud companies even in the face of Brexit. 

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