Durham University is moving ahead with a data center development at Aykley Heads in Durham, UK.
As reported by Insider Media, the data center is planned for "Plot D" at the Aykley Heads City Centre development site.
The facility will be used to house a supercomputer and will comprise a data hall, a public education space, office space, generators, and a delivery bay.
In a post shared by the university, it states that the building will be designed to be "sympathetic to its surroundings," and the university is currently seeking funding for the project, and estimates that the project will cost around £250 million ($324.9m).
The university added: "The location of a supercomputer at Aykley Heads, together with skills and expertise from the University to help businesses benefit from the power of high-performance computing, would both attract new businesses to Durham and enhance the productivity of existing businesses in the region."
In a document shared with Durham County Council, the university notes that its existing data center is "too small to house the next generation of supercomputers."
The enclosed building area of the data center is expected to be 3,845 sqm (41,385 sq ft) with an additional site area of 3,450 sqm (37,145 sq ft) for the associated external generator yard and gantry area.
It is estimated to bring 15 jobs to Durham once operational, and generate "temporary construction jobs."
The document adds that the data center will seek to use "low-carbon technologies, such as heat storage and connection to a heat network."
The Aykley Heads site is owned by Durham County Council and is being developed by the council and the university for data-intensive businesses.
Plot D currently contains brownfield land with trees running around the perimeter and is bordered by an office building to the north. The site was given planning permission for a Business Park in 2021.
Durham University launched a supercomputer in October 2023 dubbed COSMA 8. The supercomputer is made up of 67,584 processors, has half a petabyte of memory, and is the result of £10 million ($12.17m) in funding.
