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NEXTDC opens edge datacentre on the Sunshine Coast
NEXTDC’s SC1 facility is the first in a series of edge datacentre sites that will provide low-latency services to regional businesses and global linkages
Australian datacentre provider NEXTDC has opened a new edge datacentre, with the acquisition of its first regional datacentre site in Maroochydore on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast.
Dubbed SC1, the facility, which has a planned capacity of 1MW, is the first in a series of geographically dispersed edge datacentres that will deliver low-latency services to regional businesses and networks across Australia.
Leveraging NEXTDC’s core datacentre platform, these new edge sites form regional digital hubs, enabling businesses to seamlessly integrate their technology to cloud-based platforms.
The company said the edge datacentres will also benefit from the implementation of 5G regional networks and the growing needs of businesses that require low-latency and high resilience in their digital infrastructure.
And by hosting the Sunshine Coast International Broadband Network (SCIBN) cable landing station, SC1 can also provide international connectivity via the 7,000km Japan-Guam-Australia South submarine cable, a fibre optic cable consortium that includes Australia’s Academic and Research Network, Google and RTI, global subsea cable operator.
Craig Scroggie, CEO of NEXTDC, said SC1 and the SCIBN cable landing station leverages several years of research into the growth of edge computing and the current and future requirements of digitally enabled regional communities.
“SC1 marks an important first step in our edge datacentre network expansion plans, which is supported by our national digital infrastructure platform,” he added.
Read more about datacentres in Australia
- Macquarie Data Centres is building its largest facility at its Sydney datacentre campus to meet the needs of corporate, government and multinational customers and enhance New South Wales’ cyber security infrastructure and capabilities.
- A datacentre and connectivity project that links Perth and Darwin to the rest of the Asia-Pacific region is set to bolster digital investments in Western Australia and Northern Territory.
- Digital Realty has opened a new datacentre in Sydney and acquired a 1.4-hectare land parcel for another upcoming facility, bringing its total investment in Australia to over A$1bn.
- Equinix will open its third facility in Perth to meet the growing demand for digital infrastructure between Australia and Asia.
Cameron Dick, Queensland’s treasurer and minister for trade and investment, noted that SC1 is the first landing site on Australia’s east coast for a broadband network cable outside of Sydney. “We’re ensuring it will help Queensland businesses thrive and grow in the new economy,” he said.
Sunshine Coast Council mayor Mark Jamieson said NEXTDC’s global linkages will deliver unprecedented expertise and significant quality assurance for customers.
“Leveraging off NEXTDC’s expertise in this field will give the Sunshine Coast the ability to attract new businesses which would not ordinarily be found in a regional city,” he said. “More jobs and a wider range of enduing, high-value employment opportunities, particularly in IT, will be created.”
The launch of SC1 follows NEXTDC’s earlier move this year to offer Australia’s first carbon-neutral colocation service to help organisations reduce their carbon footprint.
NEXTneutral, as the service is called, involves the purchase of carbon offsets under NEXTDC’s partnership with Qantas Future Planet, a sustainability initiative spearheaded by Qantas and Tasman Environmental Markets.
The carbon offsets will be used to fund ecological projects, such as restoring wetlands and rainforests impacted by commercial development, protecting pristine habitats such as the Great Barrier Reef, and supporting indigenous culture and traditional sustainable land management practices such as cool fire burning.
