The Michigan data center market has been rising lately as more operators choose the state for facility projects. Among those that have recently opened or begun Michigan data center construction are Quicken Loans Inc., US Signal and Online Tech.
Quicken Loans’ Detroit Data Center
In late May, Quicken Loans announced the launch of construction at the site of its new Michigan data center. The organization obtained and is rehabbing a 66,000 square foot former office complex. Once completed, the new data center will includes two 10,000 square foot data halls, as well as additional spaces for employee training and offices.
During construction, the organizations will work to make the glass and cement building suitable for computing purposes, leveraging an energy efficient design including an innovative air cooling system. The modern structure will also have the capacity to support 1.4 megawatts of redundant power loads.
Currently, the company plans to occupy 33,000 square feet of the Michigan data center, and will make the other 33,000 square feet – including the second 10,000 square foot server room – available for lease. The project is scheduled to be completed in January 2015.
Online Tech’s Ann Arbor Data Center
Another group boosting their service footprint in Michigan is Online Tech, which recently opened its Ann Arbor data center. The 19,500 square foot facility features 10,000 square feet of raised floor space, as well as robust fiber connectivity resources and a next generation heating and cooling system.
Online Tech chose Ann Arbor for its second Michigan data center due to its 53-mile geographic separation from its other facilities. This strategic site falls in line with the company’s disaster recovery best practices, ensuring that data is safeguarded from inclement weather and other damaging events.
The power configuration at Online Tech’s Ann Arbor data center includes redundant 750-ton backup generators, each boasting a 72-hour capacity. The company also ensured a high level of energy availability through their design planning, which features multiple diverse paths to each server. The Michigan data center network also has redundant 10 Gbps dark fiber links connecting it to Online Tech’s other in-state facility. The cooling system features more than 116 tons of chilling capacity.
US Signal’s West Michigan data center
Also in late may, US Signal announced considerable progress on its new purpose-built West Michigan data center. The organization utilized a reliable design that follows industry standards for Tier 3 certification.
Currently, the facility is almost ready for clients, as the uninterruptible power supply system has been installed. The electricity configuration features dedicated, redundant power modules that allow the system to automatically scale power to match current demands without being shut down.
Growth in the Michigan Data Center Market
Quicken Loans’ CIO Linglong He noted that the state has recently seen rising activity in its data center market, prompting the company to select a site there. Additionally, as the state boasts considerable connectivity and workforce resources, a data center project benefits from being located there.
