Datum FRN1 Data Centre, Farnborough

Colo-X analysis

The Datum Farnborough data centre offers a rare combination of the highest quality Tier3 standards from an operator who remain interested in and great at delivering smaller scale, retail focussed colocation solutions.  As such they are a popular Colo-X partner, with packages starting from ¼ and ½ racks up to dedicated data halls of 1MW.

The overall scale of the first building of 4MW, or 1000 racks, means Datum have not been caught up in the shift towards hyperscale that have swept up other data centre operators and pricing remains amongst the most attractive in the UK for smaller users.

The Datum Farnborough data centre benefits from the List X status of Cody Park, the home of defence research organisation Qinetiq and thus works well for both sensitive public sector and cybersecurity sectors. 15 onsite carriers provides a decent list of options with cost-effective connections to Slough, Docklands and other sites.

Datum FRN1 facility description

The Datum FRN1 facility is situated in the high-security Cody Technology Park in Farnborough run by defence contractor Qinetiq. The site is located adjacent to Farnborough Airfield, and within easy reach of the M3 motorway, thus it seems to suit clients looking for alternative locations to expensive (and hyperscale dominated) Slough, or the West London, Reading and also Hampshire south coast areas.

The data centre itself is a two-storey brick building that was formerly a test lab for Qinetiq, and is therefore a solid construction. The first two data halls of 250 racks each are on the ground floor and largely sold now, with a new 250 rack hall recently constructed on the first floor (Q1 2021) and now largely used by a single client with the 1MW/380 rack Hall4 opened in Q3 2023. Cooling is provided by chimney racks and a hot air plenum in the ceiling. The site easily meets Tier 3 criteria. ISO27001, 9001, 50001, PCI DSS, Police Approved, DCA Class 3 and European Code of Conduct.

The carrier list includes BT, Cogent, Colt, Lumen, Next Gen Access, Next Connex, Virgin,  SSE, Zayo, GTT and Vodafone. Network choice in Datum benefits from being adjacent to the huge 50MW+ Ark Cody Park Data Centre Campus literally next door, where Ark’s focus is on large scale, wholesale solutions for multi-MegaWatt customers.

Datum have planning permission for a second 4MW/1000 rack data centre adjacent to the existing, so plenty of long-term potential here, with the fourth 1MW/380 rack data hall in the first building opened in Q3 2023.

Datum were acquired by UBS Asset Management in September 2021 and in turn went on to acquire Manchester based Teledata a year later in September 2022, where a new 1000 rack/4MW facility is being built.

Technical stats