The US Navy intends to build a data center in Guam’s Andersen Air Force Base.
In a tender shared on February 1and updated April 29, the Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command, which handles the Navy’s engineering needs, revealed plans to construct a “two-story, reinforced concrete communications center and administrative support space for the 36th Communications Squadron.” A generator building will be built as part of the facility.
The 36th Communications Squadron is the communications wing of the 36th Wing, the host unit at Andersen Air Force Base.
The contract is valued at between $100 and $250 million, and the completion period is estimated to be around three and a half years.
Publicly shared documents indicate that the communications center will be 288,000 sq ft (26,755 sqm). The generator building will be 62,000 sq ft (5,760 sqm).
Information about future capacity was not available.
Normal infrastructure like “utilities, pavements, security, parking, associated site improvements, and all necessary supporting facilities” will need to be constructed, alongside a precision cooling system, UPS, and fire suppression system.
The tender also specified that construction need to be will be performed by American companies using American citizens.
Prospective contractors must demonstrate experience with precision cooling systems, UPS, and clean agent fire suppression systems. Offers must be submitted by May 14th.
Andersen Air Force Base was established in 1944 after American troops recaptured Guam from Japan. Named after James Roy Andersen, a US Air Force officer, the base has played a strategic role in the Korean and Vietnam wars.
The base is located in Yigo, a village near the northeastern tip of Guam.
Guam is an unincorporated territory of the US. Its strategic importance as America’s westernmost point means that it hosts a variety of military and communications infrastructure. It is currently a landing point for 11 subsea cables, with eight more to become operational by 2028.
Last year, a tender was submitted by the Department of Defense to build a data center at Camp Blaz, a Marine installation activated in October 2020.
