A photo of IBM's new cloud data center in New Zealand taken from the company's Flickr
(WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) — IBM (www.ibm.com/nz) announced on Friday that it has opened a new $65 million data center in New Zealand to serve the growing demand for cloud computing services in the Asia Pacific region.
On Thursday, a new study by Frost & Sullivan revealed that Australia leads the adoption of cloud computing in Asia Pacific with 43 percent of enterprises using cloud infrastructures in some capacity. A seperate study released by IBM finds 60 percent of CIOs in Australia and New Zealand plan to implement cloud computing over the next five years.
IBM says it designed its 56,000-square-foot data center with a modular structure to provide the flexibility to meet demand over the next 15 years.
The new data center will deliver a range of cloud services including hosted private cloud and hybrid cloud infrastructure services. The facility has approximately 16,000 square feet of raised floor space to accommodate about 720 server racks.
Located at Highbrook Business Park in Auckland, New Zealand, the data center was designed with energy efficiency in mind, according to the press release.
“The launch of the IBM data center in New Zealand marks a major step forward in the development of the country’s technology infrastructure,” Jennifer Moxon, managing director, IBM New Zealand stated. “As New Zealand’s economy continues to grow, IBM’s data center will provide a platform for businesses to drive increased efficiencies, improved productivity and greater innovation.”
Some of the efficient measures IBM implemented in its new facility include a centralized humidification and dehumidification system, a rain water harvesting system and advanced systems for monitoring in real-time.
“Ready access to renewable energy from a variety of natural resources presents significant opportunities to New Zealand data center and data storage market,” New Zealand Information and Communication Technologies Group CEO Brett O’Riley said in a statement. “The IBM data center reinforces the importance of green ICT for New Zealand in seeking to host data nationally, and for major international players. Coupled with planned new international connectivity, New Zealand will now have an extremely compelling proposition.”
IBM says the data center’s “box within a box” architectural design creates an envelope that reduces energy loss.
The building has a Targeted Building Green Star rating of four stars as issued by the New Zealand Green Building Council. The data center has a Green Grid Level 2 rating as well.
In March, IBM announced that it has invested $38 million in a new IBM Asia Pacific Cloud Computing Data Center in Singapore, further expanding its footprint in Asia Pacific.
About Nicole Henderson
Nicole Henderson writes full-time for the Web Host Industry Review where she covers daily news and features online, as well as in print. She has a bachelor of journalism from Ryerson University in Toronto, and has been writing for the WHIR since September 2010. You can find her on Twitter @NicoleHenderson.
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