Business News
CSC ESTABLISHING A DATA CENTRE IN NORTHERN PART OF FINLAND
Wednesday 22. September 2010 - CSC IT Center for Science Ltd. is to establish one of the worlds most eco-efficient data centres in Kajaani, on the site of UPM's former paper mill in northern part of Finland. The data centre will be built jointly by CSC and UPM, and it will provide a state-of-the-art environment for supercomputers, data storage, and other demanding IT systems.
The construction work of the data centre will start during this autumn, and the centre will be completed in early 2012. During the construction phase the project will employ approximately tens of people. Besides CSC, other companies are also expected to utilise data centre’s facilities.
“CSCs decision to establish a computer machine room in Renforsin Ranta business park in Kajaani is an important development step for the industrial complex. The project will bring more jobs and new companies to the site”, says Kaj-Erik Lindberg, Vice President, Real Estate, from UPM.
Renforsin Ranta business park was founded by UPM in 2008 on the site of its former Kajaani paper mill. The existing diversified infrastructure makes Renforsin Ranta an attractive option for new companies seeking growth. Currently the business park houses 25 companies that employ more than 500 employees. One of the strategic growth areas of Renforsin Ranta is measurement and information technology.
“Our aim is to create one of the worlds most eco-efficient machine rooms, which will operate using locally produced energy and with a minimal carbon footprint. All the alternatives we have considered contain a binding offer on energy from the business parks own network. This will bring significant cost benefits in electricity transfer costs”, says Kimmo Koski, Managing Director of CSC.
The computer machine room requires a lot of electricity, which is generated by hydroelectric power plants in Kajaani. The cooling water required by the machine room comes from the nearby river.
“The data centre project is extremely important for Finland. It will strengthen international competitiveness of Finnish research by providing an eco-efficient location for the new supercomputer and the services it will make available in Finland. With this project CSC, administered by the Ministry of Education and Culture, is also helping Finnish business and the generation of new jobs”, says Henna Virkkunen, Minister of Education and Culture.
CSC – IT Center for Science Ltd. provides higher education and research institutions with Finlands best IT resources, powerful supercomputers, and extensive storage capacity. CSC also receives data from CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, maintains academic library systems, and offers data storage services for the National Audiovisual Archive, KAVA for the digital archiving of all radio and television programs in Finland.