A think-tank event in the Clarion Hotel Cork showcasing Cork’s potential as a prime location for data storage and datacentre development was hosted by Cork City Council today, with the support of CorkBIC, IDA and Cork Chamber of Commerce. 
 
Ireland already has the highest number of datacentres per capita of any European country and is set to expand this number rapidly in the near future.
 
At the conference, it was noted that the recent landing in Cork of the first trans-Atlantic optical-fibre cable in 12 years in has heralded a new dawn for the Cork region as a location for Eco datacentres.

The new connection provides direct, very high speed access to New York and London, the largest financial capitals in the world, making Cork an ideal location for an Eco datacentre serving both markets. 
 
Chairman of it@cork, Ronan Murphy commented, "Datacentres play a vital role in the delivery of every day services that we take for granted. When we purchase a train ticket, send an email or a text message or access any website online, all of these data services are hosted in a data centre.

"The number of datacentres is growing globally at an increasing rate, as more and more daily services are accessed online, with the market set to double in size to $50 billion from 2014 to 2020."
 
Business Development Manager at IDA Ireland, Clem McLoughlin added, "An increasing realisation amongst datacentre operators is the cost savings achievable via “free air cooling”, i.e. locating datacentres in locations that have cooler climates, such as Ireland.

"Already, Microsoft has proven that an Irish-based datacentre can become one of the most efficient in the world. Their 550,000 sq. ft. datacentre in Sandyford, Dublin, ranks as the 6th largest in the world and also ranks in the top 5 most efficient in terms of overall electrical consumption per square foot."

Source: www.businessworld.ie