The University of Otago will become the anchor tenant of a proposed data center in Southland, New Zealand.
Operator Datagrid plans to launch the hyperscale facility in 2024, with a capacity of up to 150MW.
The proposed data center will consist of up to 10 modules, each of which is 6,500 square meters (70,000 sq ft), located on 43 hectares in North Makarewa, near Invercargill.
The 2024 launch will consist of a single module, costing more than NZ$100 million (US$65m).
“Having a world-leading data center ‘next door’ would help Otago’s researchers stay at the forefront of their fields," the university's deputy vice-chancellor, of research and enterprise, Professor Richard Blaikie said.
The university now no longer plans to replace its aging data center, and instead will rent space at the Datagrid site.
Datagrid acquired the land on New Zealand’s South Island back in January for an undisclosed sum.
That month, Singaporean shipping giant BW Group acquired a 37.5 percent stake in Datagrid's holding company. BW also acquired the Hawaiki Cable, a separate business, but led by Datagrid's cofounder Rémi Galasso.
That company plans to build the Hawaiki Nui cable, a 12 fiber pair, 240Tbps cable that will connect Singapore, Sydney, Los Angeles, and New Zealand via Invercargill. There, it plans to connect to the Datagrid data center.
