Strategically located on the M8 Motorway just outside Edinburgh, the 93-acre Pyramids Data Centre is easily accessible from both the capital and Glasgow. The facility will be developed in three phases and will provide 250,000 sq ft of flexible, modular and scalable technical space, with the potential for up to 500,000 sq ft.
The size of the facility ensures it will be capable of handling the data storage and processing requirements of the largest of organisations and is likely to prove vital for the continued growth of Scotland’s technology sector.
Steven McGarva, director at Ashfield Land, explains: “Having owned the Pyramids for the past year or so and examined a number of options for its future it is clear that we need to invest and be at the heart of Scotland’s Digital economy.
“With such investment the Pyramids presents a unique opportunity, given its scale, power supply and data infrastructure, to create a campus style Data Centre and digital hub.
“The need for regional data centres will continue to grow as demand for quicker access to data from businesses and consumers increases and technology improves.
“This is a natural progression for the site taking it from a manufacturing centre in the 1990`s through to a call centre and now into the digital age”
“As the Scottish data centre market grows, and becomes more sophisticated, it will become more and more important for Scottish based companies to support these services locally.”
The Pyramids Data Centre meets all the technical requirements demanded from a Tier 3 facility and is served by an 18MVA power supply and has access to multiple high-speed fibre network providers and Tier 1 long-haul operators.
Plans are currently being developed to power the centre with on-site renewable energy to improve PUE and reduce power consumption charges.
Security is a priority for any data centre and the Pyramids will provide dual entrance gates, anti-climb fencing, infrared beams, round the clock site and CCTV security and will be completely separate from the main business park.
Roger Weir, director at TRE Asset Management, commented: "A unique feature of the Pyramids Data Centre’s offering is the variety of technical space solutions providing choice in terms of scale. It can also provide a range of options from powered shell and new build, through to fully fitted and commissioned white space.
“The 93 acre campus allows us to provide over 250,000sq.ft of technical space within the existing built environment, plus similar scale within bespoke designed and built data centres located within the site boundary.
“This scale and flexibility allows the Pyramids to not only target regional, Edge, requirements, but also to compete with more developed markets such as Ireland and Denmark for much larger Hyper data centre deals.
“Scotland’s largest data centre project has been designed by industry experts to provide the highest quality technical accommodation, meeting the most stringent of power and fibre infrastructure and security requirements”.
Michael Hunter, Associate Director in Cushman & Wakefield’s Data Centre Advisory Group, consultant added: “Data is becoming a more important tool for businesses every day – and is as crucial for individuals, enterprise and the public sector. As a result, the market for storage, collaboration, and information management tools is on an upward curve.
“Data centres, the home of this mass of digital information, provide a foundation for all sectors in the economy and have been a key enabler of the UK’s success in moving from a manufacturing to a service-based economy.
“In recent years Ireland has benefited from attracting upwards of ?6bn of investment in the data centre industry from companies such as: Google, Facebook, Apple, AWS and Microsoft. Up until now, Scotland has not provided the size and scale of infrastructure needed.
“The Pyramids is well placed to capture the increasing data storage, analytics, and processing requirements which will come from an increase in adoption of cloud technology as well as the IoT and emerging technology such as connected cars”
