A major increase in supply of data center space is expected in the Chicago market in the near future.

The city has green-lighted one developer's large project plans and a smaller hosting provider said it would also expand its capacity in the area.

Company planning to build a massive new data center in Chicago, which will add more than 100,000 square feet of new data center space in the market, announced that the project had received approval from the city and will move forward.

JRMTechnology is planning to convert the building at 111 E. Cermak Rd. into a 315,000-square-foot data center in one of the most dynamics data center markets in the US.

Once the six-story facility is complete, it will supply 143,000 square feet of data center space to downtown Chicago, a key location for many financial service firms.

Most major colocation providers have facilities there to capitalize on the rapidly growing demand.

"This will be the first data center in the downtown area designed and built specifically as a data center from the ground up,"James McHugh, principal of JRMTechnology, said in a statement. "Every aspect of the building will be tailored to clients'needs, from robust redundant power sourcing to cooling systems and security."

Proximity to the large carrier hotel at 350 E. Cermak Rd. is sure to be a major selling point for JRMTechnology's future data center.

Image courtesy of Digital Realty Trust
The building will be located about two blocks away from 350 E. Cermak Rd., a major data center hub and carrier hotel which ensures robust network connectivity in the surrounding area.

Proximity to the hotel will be a major selling point for the future facility.

According to JRMTechnology, the new data center will receive 40 MW of power, delivered through two substations the company plans to build on site.

SingleHop's expansion is a much smaller project that JRMTechnology's, but the project will bring more data center capacity to a market different from the one the big developer is going for.

SingleHop is a provider of dedicated servers and hosting services.

The company announced it will invest $7 million into expanding its existing facility in the Chicago area over the next five years.

The company said it expects the program to double its network capacity and the footprint of the data center in Elk Grove - about 22 miles southwest of Chicago - which was first opened brought online in May of 2009.