Edged Energy, the fast-growing sustainable infrastructure provider, marked a significant milestone yesterday with the grand opening of its first North American data center. The state-of-the-art facility is strategically located at 1800 Thomas Street NW in Atlanta, the site of the formerly vacant and unused Tilford Yard. The ribbon cutting ceremony celebrated the transformation of the site into a thriving digital hub and the opening of the first of three data centers located on the 168 MW high-tech campus.
Known as Edged Atlanta, the campus is designed for high-density Artificial Intelligence (AI) workloads and equipped with advanced waterless cooling and ultra-efficient energy systems. The event was attended by City of Atlanta and Fulton County officials, local utility provider Georgia Power and key project partners.
“Develop Fulton acknowledges the direct benefits of this Economic Development Opportunity, which will generate nearly $70 million in tax revenue over ten years. In addition to the financial benefits, the project guarantees minimal environmental impact through zero water usage for cooling and advanced electrical systems. We value collaborating with innovative developers who prioritize the well-being of the communities where they build and operate,” said Brandon Beach, Develop Fulton Chairman.
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At a time of growing water scarcity, the Edged Atlanta campus is uniquely optimized for water and energy efficiency. Each data center is outfitted with the ThermalWorks waterless cooling system which uses no water for cooling and is expected to save nearly 664 million gallons of water each year compared to conventional data centers. The modular system supports densities of up to 70 kW per rack with air cooling and 200 kW per rack with plug-and-play liquid cooling integration while delivering industry-leading energy efficiency (average Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) of 1.15 portfolio-wide).
“We are deeply grateful to Develop Fulton for partnering with us to transform this vacant, brownfield site into a state-of-the-art IT campus and true asset to the community. Atlanta is the ideal location for our first North American data center. The project sets a new standard for sustainable development and represents a $1.69B economic investment in the region, bringing hundreds of jobs and millions in funding for Atlanta public schools, the local government and important city services. Together, we are creating projects for positive impact and supporting the region’s thriving digital economy,” said Bryant Farland, Chief Executive Officer for Edged.
Atlanta has quickly become an established data center market, boasting a deep talent pool, reliable power and exceptional fiber connectivity, with high-speed connections from coast to coast.
“Due to Develop Fulton’s involvement in this project, we are looking forward to the implementation of an outreach program in Atlanta through the developer’s Women in Tech Group. The program will focus on educating students about opportunities in sustainable infrastructure, creating a diverse pool of candidates for employment at Endeavour companies, empowering women and minorities, and generating interest among middle and high school students in sustainable technology. Our staff and board members are committed to ensuring that every project we undertake provides tangible and measurable benefits to the community, including increases in tax revenues,” said Kwanza Hall, Develop Fulton Vice-Chairman.
The first building on the Atlanta campus is now online, delivering 27 MW of capacity to the region. The facility joins a growing network of Edged data centers currently under construction across the U.S., including in Chicago, Kansas City, Dallas, Columbus and Phoenix. Edged is a subsidiary of Endeavour with nearly a dozen new data centers operating or under construction across Europe and North America and a gigawatt-scale project pipeline.
SOURCE: PRNewsWire