The Bitera data center in Jakarta, Indonesia, has commenced operations following successful testing.

The facility has 20MW of IT capacity across 8,600 sqm (92,570 sq ft) of colocation space, enough to house around 4,000 racks.

The Bitera data center spans nine stories and has been certified as Tier III by the Uptime Institute. It also holds certifications from ISO 27001, and expects to have TCCF certification by the end of this month.

The data center is located just 500 meters away from Internet exchange points in Jakarta, and is operating with 100 percent renewable energy as provided by Renewable Energy Certificates from Indonesia's state electricity company PLN.

Bitera's CEO, Tedy Harjanto, said: "Indonesia, particularly Jakarta, has played a crucial role in the digital economy of the Asia Pacific. Our presence aligns with our vision to support Indonesia's digital economy and sustainable growth by enabling the digitalization of local businesses and financial institutions."

Level 5 commissioning tests were conducted throughout January 2024 under the supervision of US data center firm Commissioning Agents Inc.

Bitera is an affiliate of MMS Group Indonesia (MMSGI), a sustainable asset management company. The data center has been developed under the client 'PT. Mitra Informatika Gemilang' which lists its address as TCC Batavia Tower 126 Jl. K H Mas Mansyur Kota Administrasi Jakarta Pusat, DKI Jakarta, 10240 Indonesia. Provided the data center is housed in this facility, it encompasses a portion of the tower.

According to a MMSGI document, the asset management company first established a data center through the PT Mitra Informatika Gemilang brand in 2019, though it wasn't expected to be operational until mid-2023.

Jakarta has a significant data center market, with several companies launching facilities in the last year alone. May 2023 saw Pure DC launch its 20MW data center in the capital city, while September saw Princeton Digital Group launch a 22MW facility. In June 2023, both DCI Indonesia and STT GDC launched data centers in the Jakarta region.

Other operators developing in Indonesia or operating data centers include Metta DC, BDx Indonesia, Equinix, Digital Edge, K2, Keppel, NTT, and EdgeConneX among others.

Indonesia is currently building a 'new' capital city, dubbed Nusantara on the island of Borneo, around 800 miles from Jakarta due to overcrowding and the impacts of climate change. The new city is planned to be entirely "green," though notably requires the clearing of virgin rainforest, and is decreed to become the new capital as of August 17, 2024. Currently, the location is a vast building site. Telecoms companies have until then to deploy operational infrastructure.