How to find the perfect spot for your data center

The demand for data centers is expected to grow about 22 per cent annually. It is critical for companies to find the right spots to build these new data centers.

“It is like that old cliché in real estate: the three most important things for data centers are location, location and location,” says Henri Rämö, Project Lead at Granlund. “The right location can help the client meet their performance, financial and sustainability goals.”

Granlund’s experts have long experience with building data centers, including from the earliest stages of site selection. The process normally begins with a needs assessment. There are many different types of data centers – such as cloud, colocation, enterprise, hyperscale or AI – and each might have different prerequisites for latency, operational reliability and energy efficiency, for example. The delivery schedule is always important.

The right location can help the client meet their performance, financial and sustainability goals

Henri Rämö, Project Lead, Granlund

“Sometimes a client will have a precise list of requirements which they developed internally, and sometimes they want help defining their needs,” Rämö continues. “We work with them in whatever way is best for them.”

Knowing the risks and opportunities

After a needs assessment comes a risk assessment. This includes items such as political, environmental and service risks, including the availability and quality of electricity, water and connectivity. Risks of changing legislation, taxes or energy markets are also evaluated.

“We don’t just give opinions; we give hard data to the client,” states Joni Solakuja, Design Lead at Granlund. “For instance, what is the temperature range of an area? How often does it have serious earthquakes? How many times has the area lost electricity in the past 20 years?”

We don’t just give opinions; we give hard data to the client.

Joni Solakuja, Design Lead, Granlund