Swisscom to build state-of-the-art data centre in Berne-Wankdorf
In August, Swisscom will begin work on the construction of one of Europe’s most modern and efficient data centres at the business park in Berne-Wankdorf.
- (1888PressRelease) July 13, 2012 - The building will be cooled with recirculated air and rain water, waste heat will be fed into the city of Berne’s heating network, and an innovative emergency power supply system means batteries are no longer needed. The new data centre will begin operations in 2014. Swisscom is investing around CHF 100 million in the new building.
The planned Swisscom data centre in Berne-Wankdorf will set new standards in terms of sustainability and environmental protection. The building will be cooled using recirculated air, supplemented in the height of summer by evaporation. For the first time, this evaporation will be achieved using rain water. This will hugely reduce the amount of fresh water consumed or even remove the need for it completely. The data centre will also be integrated into the city of Berne’s waste heating network. This will ensure that waste heat is used to provide heating for neighbouring homes and offices.
Innovative emergency power system
Swisscom’s new data centre will employ an innovative emergency power supply system with no-break units. Acid batteries to maintain the power supply in the event of network failure will no longer be used. In the event of network failure, a permanently operating flywheel mass will drive the generator until the diesel units take over this task. This method helps protect the environment.
The data centre will initially be equipped with three modules with an effective output of 600 kilowatts each. There is scope for subsequent expansion to up to seven modules in line with requirements. The PUE (power usage efficiency) value will reach the top rating of 1.2 thanks to extremely efficient power usage. This represents an efficiency factor of 84%, meaning that 84% of the energy used will actually go towards computing power and only 16% to other electrical equipment and waste heat. By way of comparison, the average value for European data centres is 1.95 (51% efficiency).
The new building will replace the Zentweg data centre in Berne Ostermundigen and will provide sufficient space for IT outsourcing and managed housing services. After the initial stage of construction the data centre will have a server area of 2,300 m˛, expandable to a maximum of 4,000 m˛ depending on requirements. Swisscom will invest around CHF 100 million in the development of the new data centre by 2014.
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