The 750,000 sq ft building in Newport was initially specifically built for wafer fabrication production. Its specialist nature meant it was a very difficult property to let or sell which resulted in it remaining empty for many years.
However ten years ago Welsh Government entered into an agreement for lease with Next Generation Data to develop the building into a data centre – an innovative solution which has proven to be immensely successful, with companies such as BT, IBM and Nokia now working at the site.
Economy Secretary Ken Skates said:
“This building is a real success story for both NGD and Welsh Government, having turned an unlettable building into something really quite special and economically successful.
“Working alongside Next Generation Data, this is now the site of a state of the art data centre which offers the capabilities and flexibility to meet the specific needs of its customers with great space, power and cooling capacities. For customers, big and small, this means the site offer optimum scale economies, expansive customer facilities and great capacity for growth.
“To now see it home to some of the finest tech and IT providers in the world, with more in the pipeline, is fantastic and bodes incredibly well as we look to ensure our economy is equipped with the technology and innovation needed to ensure our continued growth and prosperity.”
Next Generation Data provides solutions for clients requiring cloud hosting, private data halls or colocation. It caters for large organisations that require bespoke data halls constructed to the highest standards, through to smaller requirements for pre-built co-location. The NGD site is a highly secure data centre which is future proofed as a result of the modular construction model used.
As Europe’s largest facility, NGD has incredible growth potential and its flexible approach allows it to build to almost any design.
Justin Jenkins, NGD’s Managing Director, said:
“NGD has always benefited from the support of the Welsh Government right from the start of our business 10 years ago when we acquired our current site, a former semiconductor plant. Over the years NGD has invested millions of pounds – with over £40 Million just this year – into transforming the facility into Europe’s largest data centre, successfully attracting some of the world’s largest companies into the region.
“At the same time, we provide employment as well as regular work for hundreds of contractors while also serving the IT needs of a growing number of fast growing local businesses.”
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