Vantage Data Centers has announced that it will expand its EMEA portfolio with the opening of a second Zurich data center campus this summer in a bid to meet growing regional demand.
Dubbed ZRH2, the highly secure and carrier-neutral campus will feature a total of 226,000 square ft at its location in Glattfelden, 30km north of Zurich’s city center. It is expected to deliver an additional 24MW of critical IT capacity.
Combined with the firm’s existing flagship ZRH1 campus, located just over 20km away in Winterthur, the pair will deliver a total capacity of 64MW to meet the computing requirements of hyperscalers, cloud providers, and large enterprises.
Vantage said it will employ more than 400 workers during peak construction, while the campus itself will provide a total of 25 jobs once operational.
Sustainable by design
The new campus follows Vantage’s “Sustainable by Design” blueprint, as it works to achieve its target of net zero carbon emissions across its global portfolio by 2030. The company said ZRH2 will deliver industry-leading power usage effectiveness (PUE) and water usage effectiveness (WUE).
To this end, the campus will include several green data center features. These include air source (ASHP) and water source (WSHP) heat pumps to condition administrative spaces using repurposed waste heat and reduce reliance on external energy, while also providing heat to a nearby hotel and seminar center.
To help minimize its impact on the environment, the site will also feature rainwater infiltration and a ‘green roof’ containing plants. Vantage said the roof will be finished with a facade capable of withstanding harsh seasonal weather, while also blending with the aesthetic of the surrounding community.
Meeting AI demands
In an announcement, Vantage said the new Zurich campus will help it to meet the increased performance and energy demands being fuelled by the adoption of AI and high-performance computing (HPC) workloads.
“Zurich is a rapidly growing data center market due to its strategic central location and its global financial leadership and we expect to continue developing in this market based on customer demand,” said David Howson, EMEA president at Vantage Data Centers. “Across Europe and the globe, the demand for highly efficient, hyperscale data centers is booming to meet the needs of next-generation applications, from powerful AI models to high-performance computing and cloud transformation.
“Vantage is prepared to meet that demand for current and new customers, and we look forward to opening the doors of our latest data center this summer.”
