Data centers on the move – top ten reasons for Stockholm

The need for data storage is growing tremendously around the world and Sweden and Stockholm is taking advantage, with several giant new projects recently announced.

London-based DigiPlex said this month it is expanding its Scandinavian presence, purchasing a 10-acre site outside the Swedish capital, which will create Stockholm’s first wholesale data center (a large third-party IT facility where the infrastructure is shared by several enterprise customers).

The site comes with power supply delivered by renewable hydro and wind sources. 
It already houses a 12,785 sq m factory, which will be redeveloped as part of the project. The data center is situated in Upplands Väsby, which is located between Stockholm City and the Arlanda international airport.

Torbjörn Bengtsson, the ICT business development manager at Stockholm Business Region, explained that Sweden is the European leader in sustainable technologies and that the country's cold climate actually helps provide free cooling for data centers most of the year.
"For foreign investors low cost is a crucial, and Stockholm has proven competitive with cheap green power, free cooling, expanded electricity infrastructure and know-how," Bengtsson said.

In addition, European data center operator Interxion Holdings recently announced it had begun construction of its second data center in Stockholm. Interxion is constructing the center, called STO 2, in two phases, each providing 1,640 square feet of equipped space.

“Interxion has seen strong growth in the Stockholm market, primarily driven by our communities of interest," said Interxion CEO David Ruber. "We have expanded our Stockholm data center twice in the past 18 months and continue to see strong demand in Stockholm. STO 2 will provide critical equipped space to meet our customers' needs."

The combined investments of the Stockholm center and a center in Copenhagen will total approximately 17 million euros.

As well as those investments, telecom giant Ericsson has announced plans for a massive new data centers the size of 14 football pitches. They aim to support R&D and services in order to bring innovations to market more quickly, according to the company.

Top 10 reasons to choose Stockholm data centers: 

1. Low and consistent electricity rates 
2. Favourable climate; free cooling at least 8-10 months of the year 
3. Excellent communications infrastructure 
4. World-leading heating and cooling systems 
5. Green electricity; 60% from renewable sources 
6. Green thinking – GDP growth with reduced environmental impact 
7. Attractive corporate, real estate and investment tax schemes 
8. Inexpensive greenfield and brownfield sites 
9. Outstanding ICT skills 
10. Security and stability – political, economic and physical