Host Europe Group unveils state-of-the-art data centre in Leeds

Host Europe Group (HEG), the largest privately owned hosting group and virtualisation provider in Europe, has unveiled the first phase of its state-of-the-art data centre refit, after two years of construction. With an expected Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) measurement of 1.27, the new facility will be one of the most energy efficient and resilient data centres in the country.

The multi-million pound project has seen Host Europe Group’s infrastructure completely transformed. Looking at the PUE measurements (a metric used to measure the efficiency of a data centres) it is clear just how effective the refit has been. The PUE for Phase one is expected to be 1.27, which is set to improve further still as the final phases are completed.

“Our Leeds data centre is one of the most innovative and efficient facilities in Europe,” said Matt Mansell, Group Managing Director of Host Europe Group. “The work that our team, alongside Workspace Technology, has put in to the project has given us a facility that we are very proud of. Having a facility of this specification means we can continue to offer the products, service and reliability our customers have become used to, all with a reduced environmental footprint and lower overheads thanks to the dramatically improved energy efficiencies.

"With a large staff working at the Leeds data centre, HEG has reaffirmed its commitment to the area with the refit and it aims to continue to invest in skilled staff from the local region. Alongside access to a highly skilled workforce, keeping the data centre in Leeds has also had other benefits such as lower building costs, high power reliability and great connectivity.

“Right from the start of this project, moving the new facility away from Leeds was never an option. The city has everything we would look for, from a skilled workforce to the right year-round temperature that allows us to run such an environmentally friendly and effective data centre. We will continue to hire additional specialist staff as we create new roles to support our additional capacity; I’m proud that our business has such a positive impact on the local economy of Leeds.” he concluded.
The data centre was officially opened on the 28th of May 2014 by Lord John Birt, non- executive chairman of HEG and former Director-General of the BBC and Matt Mansell, Host Europe Group Managing Director.