Intelligent Data Centres Issue 03 | Page 41

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