UK primed for data centre explosion

Around half of UK data centre owners intend to build new facilities during 2007, according to research conducted at the DatacenterDynamics event in London last month.

Two sample groups were researched, including 128 organisations that own and/or operate data centre facilities and 122 organisations that supply products and services to the sector.

Both groups indicated strong projected growth into 2007, the researchers found.

The owner/operator sample spent an estimated US$5.9bn in 2006 on improving and increasing their data centres, with just under one in four building new facilities in 2006.

Half refitted or extended their capacity within existing facilities, and one in three had relocated or consolidated their operations.

The research indicated that levels of refit and consolidation will remain constant through 2007 but that the proportion intending to build new facilities will double.

A similar profile is indicated by the sample of vendors. Turnover from the data centre sector is estimated at $3.14bn and this is projected to rise by over 25 per cent into 2007 to just over $4.13bn.

George Rockett, co-founder of the global DatacenterDynamics Conference and Expo, said: "The feedback and data we have received from London indicates a rate of new construction and renovation activity equivalent to those we have found in developing markets we have covered, such as India.

"But the idiosyncrasies of the UK market, such as the availability of space and projected limitations of energy availability, add a further level of risk to that level of projected growth."

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