Carrier-neutral Hawaiian data center operator DRFortress is to expand its Honolulu campus again.

The company this week that it has commenced construction for further expansion to its flagship development that will add 200 cabinets by Q1 2023 for a total of 800 cabinets available to lease and a space of nearly 65,000 square feet.

The expansion will also provide new features including a customer training and conference room that can accommodate up to 40 people, two multi-purpose customer kiosks, and a coffee bar and snack area with available workstations. The spaces were built specifically for customers to host events or group training as well as serve as a secure business continuity office space in the case of an unexpected disaster.

“Our customers and the Hawaiian business community are always at the center of every decision we make, and this fourth facility expansion is no different,” said Rosa White, co-president and founder of DRFortress. “These new additions to our campus enable our customers to continue operating at the highest levels while we simultaneously provide our comprehensive, state-of-the-art colocation and cloud solutions. For the last 16 years, we have invested in our flagship data center and seen exponential growth – we’re excited to see what the future holds.”

The company was founded in 2006 by four ex-Equinix employees, Jeff Brown, Fred Rodi, Rosa White, and Vinh Do. With the backing of several investors, DRFortress gathered around $11m to invest in buying its current data center at 3375 Koapaka Street from Equinix, along with tenants and the Hawaiian Internet exchange.

Shortly after it was bought, the Honolulu data center underwent an expansion in 2007 increasing capacity by around 15 percent. Another expansion was announced in June 2020 and completed in March in 2021; adding 125 cabinets, for a total of 600 across 55,000 square feet (5,110 sq m).

GI Partners acquired a majority stake in DRFortress in January 2020 for an undisclosed sum.