Rack Centre Sets to Expand Capacity, Construction of New Data Centre Has Commenced

…As Governor Sanwo-Olu performs Groundbreaking Ceremony

Rack Centre, an Actis majority-owned and West Africa’s best-connected Tier III Carrier and Cloud-neutral data centre, has commenced the construction of a new best-in-class data centre known as LGS2 in Lagos, Nigeria. The new build is expected to expand the capacity of Rack Centre by tenfold and consolidate its leadership as the digital infrastructure hub in the sub-Saharan African region.

Located in Oregun, the heart of Ikeja, with easy access to the main commercial areas of Lagos, the data centre is situated on one of the highest points in Lagos State, sitting over 30 meters above sea level.

Speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony for the new build, representing the Executive Governor of Lagos State, the Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Mr Obafemi Hamzat, commended the board and management of Rack Centre for the huge investment in the new data centre and for locating the project in Lagos state.

Hamzat explained that the importance of the data centre expansion project cannot be overemphasized as a critical infrastructure that plays a vital role in Information technology, especially as it relates to the storage and security of data which is important to businesses and organizations. “We are very excited to have this kind of key Information Technology infrastructure like the LGS 2 data centre by Rack Centre in Lagos as this is in line with the ‘Themes’ agenda of the state government to make Lagos a 21st Century economy,” he said.

According to the Group Chief Executive Officer, Rack Centre, Jasper Lankhorst, the new build will enhance and broaden the capacity of the company to serve more clients in Nigeria with an IT load of 12MW as against the LGS 1 facility, which has an IT load of 1.5MW. “With about 85 million Internet subscribers, more than any country in Africa or Europe, and the largest population and GDP in Africa, Nigeria is a key entry point for global telecommunications, content, and cloud players seeking access to the region. We are embarking on this new build to bring applications and data closer to the user and improve the quality and speed of the user experience’’ Lankhorst said.

Lankhorst explained that the new facility, just like the LGS 1 data centre, will offer the unique competitive edge of reliability as a Tier III Constructed Facility offering 100% uptime with Zero downtime and 10 levels of physical security with biometric, CCTV monitoring, and 24/7 Command Centre.

“At Rack Centre, we are 100% Carrier and Cloud Neutral which means we are not owned or affiliated with any telecommunications carrier, ISP or managed service provider and do not compete, therefore offering great opportunities for all our digital ecosystem partners to grow their businesses at Rack Centre. We offer unrestricted interconnects between customers, as it allows them to manage traffic to get better value, lower latency, and higher resilience, said Lankhorst.

He revealed that Rack Centre, with over 60 carriers, ISPs, and Cloud and Content delivery networks, offers a wide and unrestricted choice of services for its customers. Fibre access to the facility is through three diverse routes and includes all active undersea cables on the Atlantic coast of Africa

Lankhorst also disclosed that Rack Centre is developing one of the most efficient and sustainable data centres in Lagos, Nigeria, and across Sub-Saharan Africa in line with its sustainability strategy. The company, according to him, is switching its power source from diesel to gas not only to reduce carbon footprint but also to reduce environmental impact and align with the global sustainability data centre design trend. “Rack Centre is forecasted to be 35% more energy-efficient than other regional data centres, and 16% more energy-efficient than the global average. It will reduce water consumption by 41%, and there will be a 45% saving in embodied energy in materials used,” he said.

Rack Centre is the first and best-connected Tier III Carrier and Cloud neutral Constructed Facility Certified data centre in Africa that focuses solely on providing best-in-class data centre colocation services and the best interconnection between carriers and customers. Rack Centre, infrastructure, and operational efficiency are the key drivers for maintaining 100% uptime since its launch in October 2013.

The new data centre becomes the first International Finance Corporation (IFC) EDGE-certified data centre in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Officially making this the first Green Certified Data Centre in Africa.