DATA centers serve as the backbone of the modern digital age, powering the essential technology businesses, governments and individuals use.
In Biñan, Laguna, a 10-megawatt (MW) facility opens its doors to hyperscalers, providing edge computing and storage services at an enterprise scale.
NARRA1, the joint venture project between Singaporean player Digital Edge Holdings Pte. Ltd. and local technology and real estate company Threadborne Group, is the largest carrier-neutral and regional data center in the Philippines.
“We see significant growth potential in the Philippines, and we are the first regional data center player to open for business in the market,” said Digital Edge country manager for the Philippines Victor Barrios.
He noted that NARRA1 is designed to plug the huge unmet demand for data center capacity in the country, where the domestic colocation market is expected to grow at a compound annual rate of 25 percent between 2022 and 2027.
The center aims to compete with similar facilities in Singapore, Hong Kong, and the US, with 2,200 cabinets and 5,200 square meters of colocation space.
It has a power and cooling density of 5 kilovolt-amps (kVa) per cabinet and a network of power generators, each with a capacity of 35MW that can run the facility during extended power outages of up to three days.
The center is equipped with resilient and redundant systems, such as fireproofing, waterproofing and wind-deflective architecture that can withstand 300-kph hurricanes. Additionally, the walls were resin-coated to stabilize temperatures.
After being constructed from a repurposed warehouse, the facility’s interiors were built using all-steel girders. When the roof and framing underwent replacement, the used roofing materials were donated to select local communities.
Along with smart engineering design, NARRA1 utilizes Nortek’s patented StatePoint technology, which uses a liquid desiccant to remove moisture from the air, to achieve an expected annualized Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) of 1.193 and Water Usage Effectiveness (WUE) of 1.355, at optimal operating temperature.
“Our companies share a common commitment to robust environmental, social and corporate governance goals, and we are excited by the innovative design of this facility which will enable us to support the growth of the digital economy without compromising on our environmental responsibilities,” said Raymond Rufino, Principal for Investments and Real Estate of the Threadborne Group.
Regarding expansion plans, Digital Edge chief product officer Jonathan Chou said they are currently looking to build a bigger data center in the next five years.
“We are still internally debating that because, with location, you have a lot of options. We are evaluating multiple sites,” he said, adding, “We have a firm conviction on the size and the potential of the market in the Philippines. So, we will continue to invest as long as the growth is there.”