Jisc, a British non-profit that provides digital infrastructure and services to a number of educational organizations, has extended its network to include Here East – a major upcoming data center and technology campus in East London.

Here East data center is owned by Infinity, and will now offer access to Janet – a high-capacity fiber network for academic and research organizations, managed by Jisc.

Originally expected to open in 2016, the Here East data center was delayed for reasons that have not been made public – however a spokesperson for the company assured DatacenterDynamics that the project is still on track, and more announcements will be made soon.

Where the cool kids are

Here East
– Here East

Jisc (formerly the Joint Information Systems Committee) was established in 1993 to promote the use of ICT by the UK’s educational organizations.

Here East in Stratford was previously a part of the Press and Broadcast Center during the 2012 London Olympics, now being redeveloped into a mix of retail opportunities and offices.

A part of the complex was acquired by Infinity to be turned into a massive data center, which would take advantage of multiple power grids and connectivity installed for the sporting event.

The upcoming facility will offer 10,400 square meters of white space and 21MW of IT capacity, which could be extended all the way to 40MW.

Here East
– Here East

“London is leading the UK’s thriving digital sector, with inner London alone accounting for more than a quarter of the nation’s digital companies. Colleges and universities rightly want to harness the opportunities that working closely with these organizations brings, supporting the development of talent, research and digital enterprise,” said Jeremy Sharp, director of strategic technologies at Jisc.

“Here East and Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park looks set to be the beating heart of London’s digital future. Education organizations who establish operations here can be assured that they are at the forefront of digital innovation, all underpinned by the Janet network, which gives them reliable, secure internet connectivity.”

In 2015, Infinity sold its flagship property in Slough to Virtus, and earlier this year it offloaded the Stockley Park data center to Zenium, leaving Here East as its main focus. The company also owns two facilities in Romford, totaling 15,600 square meters of white space.