TELUS has begun construction of a new $65 million Tier III Intelligent Internet Data Centre in Rimouski. This new green facility, the first TELUS Internet Data Centre built to LEED Gold Standards, will significantly enhance TELUS’ IT management services to businesses in Quebec, Canada and internationally.
The new facility will be a cornerstone in TELUS’ strategic shift in support of next-generation cloud computing and unified communications solutions. With this investment, TELUS expects to further provide Quebec clients with world class IT facilities and managed services – allowing them to focus on their core business and boosting their competitiveness.
“The new TELUS Intelligent Internet Data Centre will be a flagship facility; one of the most energy efficient and environmentally friendly purpose-built data centres of its kind in North America. It demonstrates our commitment to providing our business clients with the most powerful, innovative IT services. In fact, the data centre will meet their growing need for cloud computing solutions which are becoming a software and infrastructure management priority,” notes François Côté, president of TELUS Québec and TELUS Health Solutions. “Our latest investment coincides with the eve of our 85th anniversary in Quebec and is another example of TELUS’ major capital and operating investments in the province which now total $8.5 billion since 2000.”
Rimouski is an ideal location for TELUS’ Intelligent Internet Data Centre because of the city’s highly skilled and dynamic workforce. By choosing to build the facility in Rimouski, TELUS can also benefit from one of Quebec’s unique advantages, its hydroelectric power – an abundant source of green energy. Rimouski’s moderate climate also contributes to lower energy requirements for the building’s cooling and heating systems. Furthermore, locating the facility more than 250 kilometres from large city centres offers TELUS’ business clients the benefits of greater geographic diversity and improved business continuity.
“TELUS’ announcement today highlights one of Rimouski’s key missions: leveraging the information technology and communication sectors to advance its economy and knowledge base,” says Éric Forest, Mayor of Rimouski. “As Rimouski’s largest private employer with more than 1,400 employees, TELUS has once again clearly proclaimed its role as a major catalyst of our city’s economic growth. Thanks to TELUS, Rimouski will become greener, more dynamic, and a world leader in technology.”
For the construction of this new facility, TELUS has selected Skanska, a global leader in the construction of data centres. The data centre, with a Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) of 1.15, should place TELUS at the forefront of the industry. In addition, the new data centre will have a modular design, enabling TELUS to rapidly expand capacity while using the most advanced and efficient technologies available.
The new Intelligent Internet Data Centre is scheduled to open in 2012.