DAMAC Data Centres’ KSA facilities to go live before end of 2023
The Dubai-based developer said a further 35MW of IT capacity will be built in the Kingdom, in addition to 20MW already under construction
DAMAC Data Centres said that its facilities in Riyadh and Dammam will go live before the end of 2023.
Speaking at LEAP 2023, the company said that a further 35MW of IT capacity will be built, in addition to the 20MW already under construction in the Kingdom. It stated that each facility will launch with 5MW of IT capacity in Q4 2023, followed by a further 5MW in Q1 2024.
Both facilities will deliver a full 55MW of IT capacity by 2025, it asserted, adding that the investment in KSA of circa US $600mn is part of its $1bn data centre development strategy.
“KSA holds a unique position in the MENA region. Its borders touch more countries than almost any other and it is an ideal jumping off point for connecting across Africa and the GCC. Our facilities in Dammam and Riyadh offer local diversity as well as rapid access to subsea cable systems that serve regional and global needs,” said Hussain Sajwani, Chairman of DAMAC Group.
In late April 2022, DAMAC Group said it would make a $100mn investment into a metaverse push.
“KSA has a young, digitally savvy population and a lot to offer in terms of digital innovation and smart cities. We look forward to supporting the growth of its digital economy.”
He added that DAMAC has accelerated its data centre rollouts due to local and international customer demand. Customers are finalising agreements to secure all available capacity within these facilities with deals closing before the end of 2023.
The Dammam and Riyadh facilities are Uptime Institute certified Tier 3 classification and provide highly connected hubs in one of the regions fastest developing digital economies, Sajwani highlighted.
Saudi Arabia is one of the most locally and globally connected regions in the GCC with 14 in-service subsea cables, 11 of which land in Jeddah. The KSA national fibre network offers terrestrial connectivity to all major Gulf markets and acts as a gateway to key regional submarine cable landing stations.
In late June 2022, Ali Sajwani, General Manager – Operations at DAMAC and CEO of D-Labs shares his thoughts on how the UAE is future-proofing by being a metaverse champion.
DAMAC’s facilities support Saudi Vision 2030 and its strategy for accelerating development and growth locally, the company said.
“We are selecting locations for data centre facilities based on local demographics, the state of digital adoption, and opportunities to support long-term economic growth. Every site location we choose must meet strict criteria based on future demand rather than who needs rack space today. Our Dammam and Riyadh sites more than meet these criteria and these will be two of several facilities that we are planning in the KSA. We’re excited to ramp up our builds and deliver data centre facilities that serve local market needs,” said Sajwani.
He added that the DAMAC Data Centre team has grown rapidly over the last 12 months to support customer demand and new facilities going live. Its globally experienced management team is working with third party suppliers and delivering operational capabilities to serve world-leading businesses.
In late September 2022, DAMAC Properties’ GM said that Web3 is transforming the UAE real estate landscape.
