European web hosting firm IONOS and its UK subsidiary Fasthosts have opened a new data center situated at Worcester Six Business Park, and will be migrating all its data from the current Gloucester colocation it previously used.
Costing approximately £21 million, the migration is set to take 18 months to complete and willl provide 1.5 million sq ft of accommodation once the Worcester Business Park is fully developed.
IONOS and Fasthosts also have a further £5 million expansion project for the new data center in the pipeline and told TechRadar Pro at the groundbreaking ceremony in Worcester that the facility was the first it had ever built remotely.
Industrial data centers
After the UK banned the use of red diesel in April 2022, IONOS and Fasthosts opted for the use of vegetable oil as HVO fuel (an advanced renewable diesel alternative) in the new facility.
"Not only will the data center host one of the largest cloud platforms in Europe, but we’re incredibly proud of the features which have created the most modern, environmentally friendly IONOS data center to date,” said Henning Kettler, Chief Technology Officer at IONOS.
“We are looking forward to continuing to deliver above and beyond for our UK customers through the power infrastructure provided by Worcester Six Business Park, enabling us to operate our safe, secure and sustainable data center.”
Kettler adds that one of IONOS’ largest platforms is its shared hosting service, which is growing annually by 10%, but despite the growth, the web host plans to decrease power over time because computers are becoming more efficient. He says this will help IONOS provide a better service at the same cost.
Talking about the benefits of the new data center for its customers, Simon Yeoman, Fasthosts Chief Executive Officer, said: “It’s fantastic to be able to bring our customers along with us as we take a big step into the future with the launch of this state-of-the-art data center. Thanks to the building’s clever modular design, it is now home to a separate, dedicated data center ‘module’ that has been created specifically for Fasthosts customers.
“A lot of expertise and attention has gone into the migration planning process and businesses will certainly enjoy the benefits in the long run when they unlock the raft of benefits such as increased connectivity, improved uptime, and top-tier products, underpinned by more sustainable hosting.”
The data center also has solar photovoltaic panels covering up to 10% of the energy use at the site, and although the facility isn’t currently recycling its heat, IONOS and Fasthosts says it’s taking the necessary steps to ensure it will soon be.
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