EXPERT OPINION
For some time in fact, a select few
UK regional data centres have been
offering high quality facilities at very
competitive rates, much lower than
suggested in the report. NGD is an
interesting example, providing very high-
quality facilities at prices well below
the London market due to considerably
lower real estate and labour costs. These
factors combined with vast amounts of
floor space ensure unrivalled commercial
scale economies.
Clearly, the decision on which data centre
to use does not solely come down to
price per rack. Location may well have a
bearing on a facility’s power costs and
availability, not to mention connectivity
and inherent security. These too need
careful consideration.
www.intelligentdatacentres.com
Power
Data centre pricing surveys often highlight
how industrial electricity costs vary
extensively from country to country. In the
aforementioned reports, Ireland, Spain and
the UK were cited as having the highest
per kWh rates. However, if you drill down
further it becomes evident that power costs
can and do vary within a single country.
Various factors come into play. For
example, NGD’s 180 MW supply from
a unique and nearby direct connection
to the national grid means we don’t pay
the same distribution costs applicable to
others in the UK.
However, being 100% renewably sourced
slightly increases NGD’s costs but is
FAST-TRACK
HYPERSCALE
CONNECTIVITY
IS OF COURSE
POSSIBLE BUT
OFTEN INVOLVES
CONSIDERABLE
INVESTMENT ON
THE PART OF THE
DATA CENTRE
OPERATOR.
Issue 03
41