Kao Data is not slowing down as it has launched a 16 Megawatt (MW), carrier-neutral data centre in Slough.
Following its c. £130 million funding in October, Kao Data – a specialist developer and operator of data centres for enterprise, cloud, HPC and AI – says this marks “a new beginning” for the firm.
“The launch of our new Slough data centre offers data-intensive enterprises within the highly sought-after West London Availability Zone” explains Lee Myall, CEO, Kao Data.
He adds: “With this move we are excited to be strengthening our data centre footprint across the UK and establish ourselves within the world’s second largest data centre hub.”
The build, now underway, will adhere to the design and operational blueprint of Kao Data’s Harlow campus in Essex, providing customers with an SLA-backed PUE of <1.2, even at partial loads.
With sustainability on most companies’ minds, Kao Data notes that the new facility will use a cooling system, and be powered by 100% renewable energy, with its backup power generators powered by hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) from the outset, “removing fossil fuels in their entirety”.
According to the firm, the facility is already set to become NVIDIA DGX-Ready Data Centre certified and OCP-Ready.
Kao Data has customers in various sectors, including financial services, life sciences, defence, AI and the cloud.
Last year’s funding was provided by Infratil Limited, a New Zealand-based listed infrastructure business.
Infratil’s initial investment is designed to fund Kao Data’s growth plans, and Infratil will hold 40% of Kao Data, alongside current shareholders, Legal & General Group, and Goldacre, founder of Kao Data and part of the Noé group.
Founded in 2014, Kao Data has a combined footprint of 55MW, all using 100% renewable energy. Its infrastructure includes NVIDIA’s Cambridge-1, “the UK’s most powerful supercomputer”. The firm also has a Northolt data centre in West London which is fully let.
