IO has just signed the lease on a new 10,000 square meter facility in Slough, England. The planned new IO data center is set to be one of the largest on the Slough Trading Estate with IO becoming the latest multinational to join the international customer-base. The signing was reported by Property Week today.

aerial view of slough trading estate
Aerial view of Slough Trading Estate – Sloughmani via Wikimedia Commons

European expansion plans

The news was trailed when IO announced the appointment of Nigel Stevens as its UK managing director in February this year. Stevens has been tasked with leading IO’s European expansion plans. At the time of his appointment IO said that a new UK data center would be coming on stream this summer.

IO said at the time of Steven’s appointment: “IO is entering the European market with a brand new facility in Slough, just outside of London. With more than 10,000 square metres of total space, the data centre features highly reliable power, a dedicated substation and will house IO’s market-leading data centre modules.

IO New Jersey Exterior
Slough facility will be similar size to New Jersey site – IO

Gareth Osborn, business unit director for Thames Valley at Segro, the property management firm that owns the Slough Trading Estate, said: “Bringing IO into our portfolio reinforces the Slough Trading Estate’s position as a prime location for data center operators, given its close proximity to London, dual power supply and excellent network connections.

“It also reinforces the estate as an internationally recognized location for continued inward investment to the region and its attractiveness to international, high value and ‘clean’ industries.”

Segro was founded in 1921 as the Slough Trading Company by Sir Percival Perry (later chairman of the Ford Motor Company) and Noel Mobbs. It started off with the site now occupied by the Slough Trading Estate, and has expanded to several other locations.