(WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) — Following in the footsteps of the United States and UK goverments, the Australian government revealed plans to invest up to $1 billion to consolidate all its data center services in a massive project that will be carried out over the next 25 years.
Minister for Finance and Deregulation Lindsay Tanner revealed the plans at the CeBIT “Future Proofing Your Data Centre conference”.
The announcement comes just a couple months after Digital Realty Trust revealed it would partner with Macquarie to bid on a large data center consolidation project by the government of Australian state New South Wales.
The consolidation is being planned in three phases, with phase one involving the aggregation of demand for data center space and establishing the standards to be applied in acquiring equipment and floor space.
The second phase will include government departments sharing solutions and technology, while the third phase will see benefit from new opportunities in technology, processes or policy.
“It’s spread across Australia, located in not just large enterprise data centres but also in cupboards, converted offices, computer and server rooms, and in commercial and insourced data centers,” said Tanner. “These are primarily older data centres that are reaching the limits of their electricity supply and floor space. With government demand for data center ICT equipment rising by more than 30 per cent each year, it was clear that we needed to reassess how the government handled its data center activities.”
The Australian government will assemble a panel of data center providers later this year, where each operator must offer at least 5,380 square feet of floor space and a 10-year lease with the option of extending the lease for another five years.
The government currently spends an average of $850 million a year on data center needs and occupies 322,800 square feet of floor space.
The consolidation of data centers is part of a growing move by governments, as they strive to reduce data center footprint as well as use more cost-effective cooling methods to cut down on energy costs and consumption.
Earlier this month, the US government announced it would begin its largest data center consolidation in history in a move to cut more than 1,100 data centers, and in January, the UK government announced the UK public sector will consolidate hundreds of separate data centers into 10 to 12 facilities.
