Datum MCR2 Data Centre Manchester

Colo-X analysis

Datum MCR2 is a brand new, purpose built 1200 rack data centre for the enterprise colocation market which opened in the summer of 2025. Being adjacent to the long established but much smaller MCR1 data centre (originally Teledata) will allow MCR2 clients to access LINX (London Internet Exchange) and 20 other carriers already on the campus via a standard cross-connect.

Average rack density is designed around a 3.5kW/16Amps per rack standard, but with ability to scale much higher to 30kW. As with their succesful Farnborough site Datum FRN1, Datum will offer a combination of colocation racks but also the ability for larger scale, dedicated caged spaces.

Datum occupy a sweet-spot for many Colo-X users, being large enough to offer high quality, ultra-effieicent and modern data centres (so with attractive commercial terms) but not so large that they are of interest to hyperscale buyers! Datum solutions for smaller users include part-racks at 1/4 or 1/2 and full racks at 3kW, or of course larger spaces as required.

Datum MCR2, Simon House, South Manchester facility description

Datum MCR2 is a brand new, ultra efficient data centre which opened in the summer of 2025. It is immediately adjacent to the long established Datum MCR1 data centre and the two buildings now sit behind the same security perimeter with a single combined access point for both data centres.

MCR2 offers two data halls over the ground and first floors, each of 600 racks. The design is cool air flooded room, with “chimney” racks used to direct hot air into the return air plenum. Rack densities of up to 30kW can be supported by 2N levels of resilience and a low design PUE of 1.25. Overhead busbars provide either single or 3-phase tap-offs to each cabinet.

With MCR1 across the yard having opened for data centre use in 2007 the carrier list is now 19 networks including fibre from Zayo, EuNetworks, BT, Hibernia Atlantic (now GTT), Level3 (now Lumen), SSE, Vodafone(C+W) and VirginMedia as well as a host of smaller ISPs and networks, not forgetting LINX with some 15 ports now active here (out of some 140 across the whole of Manchester). Diverse ducting between the two buildings allows for cross-connects and thus the campus is considered a single facility from a interconnect point of view.

Datum MCR2 offers ISO9001, 27001 and PCI DSS accreditations.

The Datum Manchester campus is located 10km to the south of central Manchester and only 2km from Manchester Airport in the suburb of Wythenshaw, thus offering quite some diversity to central Manchester data centres

Technical stats