Rack Centre, a data centre, has commenced the construction of a new data centre known as LGS 2 in Ikeja, Lagos, Nigeria.
According to the data company, the new build was expected to expand the capacity of Rack Centre by 10 folds and consolidate its leadership as the digital infrastructure hub in the Sub-Saharan African region.
Speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony for the new build, the Group Chief Executive Officer, Rack Centre, Jasper Lankhorst, stated that the new build would enhance and broaden the capacity of the company to serve more clients in Nigeria with an IT load of 12MW as against the LGS 1 facility, which had an IT load of 1.5MW.
Lankhorst disclosed that Rack Centre would develop one of the most efficient and sustainable data centres in Lagos, Nigeria, and across Sub-Saharan Africa in line with its sustainability strategy to bring applications and data closer to the user and improve the quality and speed of the user experience.
The company, according to him, was switching its power source from diesel to gas to reduce carbon footprint, reduce environmental impact and align with the global sustainability data centre design trend.
He said, “Rack Centre is forecasted to be 35 per cent more energy-efficient than other regional data centres, and 16 per cent more energy-efficient than the global average. It will reduce water consumption by 41 per cent, and there will be a 45 per cent saving in embodied energy in materials used.
“The new data centre becomes the first international finance corporation EDGE-certified data centre in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Officially making this the first green certified data centre in Africa.”
The CEO added that with about 85 million Internet subscribers, more than any country in Africa or Europe, Nigeria was a key entry point for global telecommunications, content, and cloud players seeking access to the region.
Lankhorst explained that the new facility, just like LGS 1 data centre, would offer the unique competitive edge of reliability as a Tier III constructed facility offering 100 per cent uptime with zero downtime, and 10 levels of physical security with biometric, CCTV monitoring, and 24/7 command centre.
Representing the Lagos State Governor at the event, the Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Mr Obafemi Hamzat, commended the board and management of Rack Centre for the huge investment in the new data centre and for launching the project in Lagos state.
Hamzat explained that the importance of the data centre expansion project could not be overemphasized.
He added that it was a critical infrastructure that played a vital role in information technology, especially as it related to the storage and security of data which was important to businesses and organisations.
“We are very excited to have this kind of key Information Technology infrastructure like the LGS 2 data centre by Rack Centre in Lagos as this is in line with the ‘Themes’ agenda of the State Government to make Lagos a 21st Ccentury economy,” he said.
