Global Switch signs major pre-commitment and has commenced construction of HK$4 Billion data centre in Hong Kong

Global Switch, the leading owner and operator of large scale carrier and cloud neutral data centres in Europe and Asia Pacific, has announced that construction on the first stage of its Hong Kong data centre is underway.

The new 45,000 square metre (475,000 square foot) data centre, the eleventh in Global Switch’s expanding portfolio, will have a 100 mega volt amps (MVA) of utility power capacity.

Global Switch Hong Kong is located on the Tseung Kwan O (TKO) Industrial Estate, adjacent to the TKO cable landing station and close to other major submarine cable landing stations, the Hong Kong Stock Exchange hosting facility, and the city’s central business districts.

The first stage, representing around 40% of the total development, is on target for completion in mid-2017 with further stages coming onto the market progressively. Once all stages are complete the data centre will become the largest carrier neutral data centre in Hong Kong.

Global Switch Hong Kong will incorporate world class design and will be a leading example of an environmentally sustainable data centre development, by targeting a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) gold rating, as well as a Hong Kong Green Building Council’s BEAM Plus gold rating.

Customers will have access to a range of cloud and advanced managed services, including on-site smart remote hands, infrastructure management, data storage and monitoring, security and a customer portal. This combination will facilitate the creation of a highly secure, scalable and connected business ecosystem, which will act as a catalyst for customer growth.

Global Switch is also pleased to announce that it has signed a substantial pre-commitment agreement with Daily-Tech, a strategic partner of China Telecom Global (CTG), the international arm of China Telecom. The agreement is for the provision of managed and cloud enabling services within Global Switch Hong Kong and will see Daily-Tech take such services in the technical space in two of the five buildings that form the data centre.

The new world class data centre will provide a significant boost to Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation’s ambitions to transform the city into the regional powerhouse in technology development and innovation.

Underscoring China’s Belt and Road initiative, the data centre will also provide a resilient and mission critical platform for the international expansion of Chinese companies, while also offering a springboard for Western companies focusing on opportunities in North Asia.

Donald Tan, Executive Vice President Network Operations at China Telecom Global, said: “As a leading international telecoms provider, China Telecom Global requires the highest standard of data centre solutions globally. Global Switch’s new state of the art data centre in Hong Kong’s Tseung Kwan O will provide the secure, resilient, centrally located facility that we require to provide services to our customers, which include international carriers and multinational corporates. We look forward to working with Global Switch and to the significant long-term benefits this partnership will deliver for our business and customers.”

Mr Li Qiang, Chairman of Daily-Tech, added: “Daily-Tech is pleased to have this profound cooperation with Global Switch in Hong Kong. This collaborated TKO data centre will enable Daily-Tech to provide our strategic customers with a world class data centre and a platform for long term cooperation and development. Daily-Tech will continuously expand our market overseas, share mutual benefits and win-win results with our partners and serve more Chinese and international customers together.”

John Corcoran, Executive Chairman and CEO of Global Switch, said: “We are delighted to announce this ground-breaking strategic partnership with Daily-Tech and CTG. It will offer a launch pad for CTG and other Chinese companies to expand internationally, and for Western firms looking at growth opportunities in North Asia.

“We are making a substantial investment in Hong Kong with this unique, essential and world class infrastructure development, which we believe will be at the core of future growth for the cloud and mobile computing sectors.”

Kelvin Fong, Managing Director, Global Switch Hong Kong, added: “Through the construction of Global Switch Hong Kong, one of the largest carrier neutral data centres in the world, we will be supporting Hong Kong as it plays a key role in underpinning China’s Belt and Road initiative. This vital infrastructure forms the backbone of economic growth going forward and ensures Hong Kong retains its rightful place as a top tier, global business location.”

The Hong Kong data centre will be run by Kevin Wee, who is replacing Kelvin Fong as Managing Director. Mr Fong has successfully led the company’s activities in Hong Kong to date and will now transition to become Global Switch’s Managing Director in Singapore.

While maintaining world class standards of design, engineering and operational excellence similar to other Global Switch data centres in Europe and Asia Pacific, Global Switch Hong Kong will feature a unique raised floor height of 900mm to allow for higher power densities. The data centre will target a PUE of 1.5 and will deploy diesel rotary UPS with sophisticated IP bus technology to enhance higher efficiency and availability.

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