Data center developer and operator Sentinel said it would commence construction of the second phase of its New Jersey data center. The company completed Phase I in March and has already signed leases for about 50,000 sq ft of data center floor with multiple enterprise tenants.

In Phase II of the data center located in the Town of Somerset, Sentinel plans to add about 100,000 sq ft total, about half of which will be data center floor. The 25MW site has capacity for three phases, totaling 330,000 sq ft, which includes 160,000 sq ft of technical space.

Sentinel co-president Josh Rabina said in a statement that the company was continuing to attract "the most discerning data center users" from multiple industries.

"We have worked really hard to optimize our model for the quality-sensitive large enterprise and are gratified that end-users are validating the engineering and operations focused nature of our approach," he said.

Sentinel has recently received a large shot in the arm in the form of fresh capital. The company announced in February that it had taken on New York-based firm Kelso as an investment partner and received a new US$90m loan.

Although there is demand for data center space in the New Jersey market, Sentinel is faced with tough competition in the region. Heavyweights like DuPont Fabros, Digital Realty Trust and QTS all have substantial presence in the market.