Metronode to invest AU$150m into datacentre expansion
Datacentre operator Metronode has announced plans to invest more than AU$150 million into the expansion of its facilities in Melbourne, Sydney, and Wollongong.
The funds will be used for the construction of three new data halls in Derrimut, Melbourne; Silverwater, Sydney; and Unanderra, Wollongong.
Melbourne's 8MW development is in the final stages, the company said, while the Unanderra expansion is slated for completion by November.
Metronode counts NSW Government GovDC as a major tenant in Unanderra, having consolidated 160 datacentres into two Metronode facilities under the GovDC initiative, which allows government agencies to access infrastructure and procure services from sellers in the GovDC marketplace.
The second data hall in Unanderra will open up colocation services for Illawarra enterprise and commercial customers, as well as GovDC.
"The speed in which we can build our world-class facilities is an important factor for our customers who need confirmed availability," Metronode CEO David Yuile said in a statement.
The NSW government announced in January that it will "considerably" extend its datacentre capacity at its two GovDC facilities this year, signing with Metronode to provide the extra space at both its Silverwater and Unanderra facilities.
Derek Paterson, director of government digital communities and marketplace services, claimed the two datacentres deliver the "highest standards in security, availability, and efficiency to the public sector".
The NSW government said earlier this year that the motivation for transitioning to the GovDC model was that at previous sites, back-up and disaster recovery systems were sometimes non-existent.
"Demand was growing at an unprecedented rate, chief information officers were entering contracts which included unused capacity to ensure continuity of expansion, contractual conditions were problematic, and risk allocation unfair, which resulted in hidden costs and risks to the state," the government said.
"No existing facility could meet projected government demand over the 15 years."
Metronode has 10 facilities across Australia, including in Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, and Perth.