Gen-i to build new Auckland data centre

Telecom New Zealand's systems integrator arm Gen-i has begun construction of what it claims will be one of the country's largest data centres, with 1200 racks.

Gen-i chief executive Tim MIles.

Budgeted at NZ$60 million (A$53 million), the data centre will be Tier-3 level, meeting the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) 942-A standard that specifies cabling in such facilities.

Three modular pods, each with room for 400 rack data halls, will be fitted in the data centre, Gen-i said. 

Gen-i chief executive Tim Miles said the new data centre was built to boost existing capability and will be used by both Gen-i and IaaS provider Revera, which Telecom bought earlier this year.

Revera will host its all-of-government operations in the new data centre, and Gen-i its enterprise clients.

“The Takanini data centre will be an important addition to Gen-i and Revera’s combined fleet of 20 data centres nationwide," Miles said.

Miles said Gen-i had also spent around A$10 million on a new data centre in the southern city of Christchurch and expanding capacity in Wellington and Dunedin.

The site is located in Auckland's south-eastern suburb of Takanini, Otahuhu, in an industrial zone with multiple roads and low tsunami risk. 

Construction is expected to be completed in the second half the next calendar year, with AECOM and Hawkins Construction tasked with the design and build.

While Gen-i said the new data centre would focus on sustainability, it did not reveal any power usage efficiency figures, or if the facility would use renewable energy.