AtNorth has officially announced plans for a third data center campus in Iceland.
The company has acquired a hectare plot of land in Akureyri in northern Iceland, with an option to expand on adjacent plots.
The IC03 site will span a total of 4,000 sqm (43,000 sq ft), with six data halls and 12MW of capacity. The facilities will use 100 percent renewable energy, and atNorth said it is exploring heat recovery options with local companies. Timelines of development were not shared.
AtNorth noted that the new campus “presents a new opportunity for UK businesses to offload and migrate IT operations in a more cost-efficient way amidst soaring energy costs.”
“The choice of Akureyri is strategic, it is already a thriving high-tech hub with many technology companies in the area and the new center will offer many job opportunities to an already excellent and talented workforce,” said Eyjólfur Magnús Kristinsson, atNorth CEO. “In addition, Iceland’s colder climate and geothermal energy source allows businesses to tap into an infrastructure with renewable energy, great connectivity, and cost efficiencies, which will allow us to deliver our services with high precision to customers both in and outside the Nordic region. We are very pleased to be expanding and building out our new site in Akureyri.”
Local press last year reported the company was looking to buy a one-hectare plot in Akureyri by Hlíðarfjallsvegur for the construction of a data center.
“We welcome the development of this site in Akureyri. The project complements recent infrastructure projects in the Northeast of the country, that will ensure safe and secure transfer of electricity to the area. Increasing the access to electricity as well as the security in the transfer to the Northeast makes this type of development possible,” said Ásthildur Sturludóttir, the mayor of Akureyri.
atNorth was formed as Advania in 2012 from three components: Skyrr, a public sector IT specialist in Iceland; Kerfi, a Swedish outfit with roots in a Nokia spinoff called Datapoint, and Hands from Norway. Swiss investment manager Partners Group acquired the company in December 2021.
In Iceland, the company has data centers in Keflavík and just outside Reykjavík in Hafnarfjörðu, and recently opened a new facility outside Stockholm in Sweden.
In a recent interview, CEO Kristinsson said that atNorth is planning a large-scale data center campus in northern Europe that could reach up to 50MW, but has yet to settle on a location.
Source: datacenterdynamics.com
