NextDC launches Pilbara's first of its kind data centre

ASX-listed NextDC has launched a new edge data centre in Port Hedland, Pilbara, aimed at supporting the mining sector’s digital transformation efforts.

Called PH1, the new Tier III certified facility aims to meet growing demand for direct connectivity to cloud services and critical infrastructure co-located in regional Australia.

It has a total planned capacity of 1.5 megawatts.

NextDC chief commercial officer David Dzienciol said the new centre will support key industries in the region which underpin economic growth.

“The Pilbara region is clearly a strategic market for us as we extend our capabilities alongside the mining and resources sector."

"Multi-faceted partnerships are increasingly driving the need for real-time insights, improved response times and better availability of data as key fundamentals in digital transformation across many industry sectors,” he said.

“The new Port Hedland site will enable NextDC and our ecosystem partners, including BHP, Vocus and Microsoft, to offer continued innovation such as cloud technology together with operational support to the mining and resources sector which is currently undergoing exciting digital change and transformation.”

NextDC said PH1 would enable it to extend its technology ecosystem to the region through its partnership with Vocus."

"The facility will host the telco’s "Project Horizon" fibre, a new 2000km fibre backbone through the Pilbara region.

“ PH1 represents a critical facility in the ongoing network investment undertaken by Vocus in supporting Australia’s North-West, including its subsea Darwin-Jakarta-Singapore Cable (DJSC) offering new and alternative routes between Perth, Port Hedland, Darwin and South-East Asia," Vocus chief executive Ellie Sweeney said.

“Importantly, Vocus is very excited to be partnering with NextDC in connecting critical infrastructure with secure, high-speed access for the mining and resources sector, both in the Pilbara and across North-western Australia.”

PH1 follows NextDC’s recent Sunshine Coast launch, with the Pilbara facility being the second of a series of geographically dispersed, new edge data centres that will service regional businesses and networks across Australia, leveraging the company’s already established network of core data centres.

The data centres are also interconnected to NextDC’s national digital services ecosystem via AXON, the company’s elastic interconnection services platform.

“Having the ability to make important business decisions with real-time data in remote areas like Port Hedland is vital for the resources sector," Microsoft ANZ director for West Australia Malcolm de Silva said.

“Importantly, PH1 Port Hedland combines security, safety and uptime resilience with low-latency connectivity, allowing Microsoft to extend its cloud applications and platforms to a number of mining operators across remote Australia," de Silva added.