DataBank Holdings announced plans in June to open a modern, multi-tenant Minnesota colocation data center in Eagan. The project, which involves converting a former Taystee Bakery building, will cost $48 million and is expected to be complete by early 2015.
The new Minnesota data center will take up half of the building's 88,000 square feet for available data center space, creating a carrier hotel. The building will be converted using a modular design and will be constructed in several phases. The initial construction will include two meet me rooms and the first 10,000 square foot hall of a multi-pod configuration. The facility will allow built-to-suit caged enclosures and private suite space, offering customers highly customizable services.
"The facility infrastructure and service-level we can offer will be unparalleled in this market," said DataBank Holdings CEO Tim Moore. "This will provide a great advantage for the growth of both our current client base as well as meet demand from a wide diversity of businesses here in the Twin Cities."
When the Minnesota data center is fully complete, it will feature 20 megawatts of utility power using diverse feeds that are configured in a true 2N power infrastructure. To ensure complete redundancy, the system will have a matching on-site power generation plant. The facility's location in Eagan means it benefits from the diverse power grid of both Dakota Electric and Great River Energy. The city's advanced fiber optic network is also an asset and it is already utilized by numerous other Tier I carriers.
DataBank Holdings currently owns and operates three other facilities totaling 210,000 square feet from data centers in Dallas, Kansas City and Minneapolis, bringing the companies complete data center holdings to almost 300,000 square feet.
