Colt Group continues aggressive data centre expansion in Asia to meet demand for cloud services

Colt Data Centre Services (DCS), the data unit of global technology company Colt Group, has announced a further expansion of its services footprint with the completion of a fifth data centre in Japan, designed to meet growing demand in Asia for colocation and cloud services

The new facility – in Inzai, on the outskirts of Tokyo – sits alongside Colt DCS' first data centre, which was completed in January 2011, as an 8.4MW facility with 4,000 square metres of net white space.

While the facility was formally opened only on Wednesday (25 October), a spokesperson told IBTimes UK that a "substantial portion" of its available capacity has already been contracted in advance of the formal launch, highlighting the demand for capacity in the region and making it the "most successful pre-launch" in the company's history.

Market research indicates that the colocation market in the Asia Pacific region will outpace the global average, growing by 16.2% to $14.5bn (£10.93bn) in 2018; and Colt – once a legacy UK telecommunications outfit listed on the London Stock Exchange – definitely sees big data among the lucrative business streams it can bank on.

Detlef Spang, chief executive officer of Colt DCS, said the second Inzai facility was the company's response to burgeoning industry demand for facilities that will support the delivery of major cloud services in Asia.

"These service providers need to leverage reliable, well-placed and highly-connected colocation facilities from which to deliver their services. As a carrier-neutral site, Inzai 2 will enhance our Core to Edge strategy, where we intend to connect our data centres together to provide our customers with flexible expansion solutions across our portfolio in the region, access to peering sites, and greater carrier options under a single secure environment," he added.

Based across six floors, the facility boasts ten 500 square metre data halls with storage and office space for customers to host their staff and use as disaster recovery and business continuity planning space.

Given the hub is in a country prone to earthquakes, the facility employs the latest in construction techniques to nullify the effects of any seismic activity in the region.

The "super structure" of the building sits on a bed of springs capable of handling 125 tonnes per square metre, isolating the whole building from any seismic activity and suppressing any excess swaying.

The result is a substantial reduction in the impact of any movement, protecting the building, customer hardware and staff on-site. The site utilises direct expansion (DX) cooling throughout to ensure reliable and efficient operation in the face of Japan's variable climate and humidity.

"With Inzai 2, we've invested in resilience, reliability and in scalability for our clients. The Inzai campus makes for a strong business continuity option for any cloud service provider and their customers," Spang concluded.