New data centre opens in Dagenham
Sophie Cox and Rachael Burford
The new London 1 data centre in Dagenham - Credit: NTT
A new data centre has opened in Dagenham.
The site, known as London 1, is set to generate around 100 jobs when fully operational. It will boast around 25,600 sq m of IT space.
Developed by Japanese technology services provider NTT, the data centre - located near Dagenham East station - is set to provide a boost to the capital's computer infrastructure.
Barking and Dagenham Council leader Cllr Darren Rodwell said: “This latest addition will help support east London’s emerging technological industries and provide local jobs focused on digital skills.
“The announcement will mean Barking and Dagenham will be able to power London’s digital led economy well into the 21st century, building into our vision of a digital Dagenham."
The new centre includes high-capacity fibre optic lines running from Dagenham to the Docklands where information can travel through undersea cables and over the internet.
It also includes a technology experience lab, which will be used to test new technologies and validate hybrid cloud services and innovations faster and at a lower cost.
The data centre, which was officially unveiled on Monday, December 14, is part of the company’s £500 million investment plan and follows the UK-Japan Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement agreed in September.
It is designed to be as environmentally-friendly as possible, with smaller generators meaning fewer greenhouse gases are created and renewable power used throughout the site.
Minister for investment Gerry Grimstone said: “World-class digital infrastructure projects are fundamental to our wider digital and investment strategies. Businesses are increasingly demanding infrastructure like this to operate innovatively, securely and efficiently.”
Jason Goodall, the chief exeuctive of NTT Ltd, added: “This milestone data centre and large investment shows our commitment to the UK market as well as the demand from our customers for sustainable, secure and scalable data centres. We are headquartered in the UK and it is fundamental to our future growth plans.”
