Tata Communications exchange data centre opens in Singapore

Globally advanced facility part of US$430mln that company vowed to invest in Asia Pacific.

Tata Communications, a leading provider of the new world of communications, announces the opening of its state-of-the-art Tata Communications Exchange (TCX) data centre in Singapore, built to meet the growing IT outsourcing needs of enterprises in Asia Pacific, according to a Tata Communications report.

The six-storey data centre in Tai Seng, near Paya Lebar, is situated in the new I-Park media hub complex. It has 66,000 sq ft of data centre space and will provide increased capacity for both domestic and international firms, bringing them cost and resource efficiencies as well as greater IT service availability and performance.

TCX is part of the US$430 million that Tata Communications pledged to invest in Asia Pacific between 2009 and 2011. US$180 million of this figure has been allocated to providing data centre infrastructure and managed services in this geography. TCX’s completion underscores the importance that Tata Communications attaches to Singapore and investment in the region.

“Asia is one of the most attractive investment destinations for businesses today,” says Vinod Kumar, President and Chief Operating Officer, Tata Communications. "Our substantial investment in TCX, coupled with our submarine cable build-out, ensures scalability and global reach while delivering on our commitment to meet customer requirements. We will continue to lead the industry in offering superior data centre and connectivity services into emerging markets. This is where we see high growth potential."

TCX is integrated into Tata Communications' Tier-1 IP backbone that connects Asia, Europe, North America and Africa. Through TCX, Asia Pacific enterprises can access Tata Communications’ market leading suite of data centre services including managed security services, data centre collocation and network collocation, as well as reliably connect with their operations around the globe.

TCX will also support Tata Communications’ cloud computing and managed hosting & storage services to be launched in the near future.

TCX has a number of eco-friendly features incorporated into the design to follow both Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold and Singapore Building and Construction Authority (BCA) Green Mark Gold recommendations and accreditations. These features include:

• Diesel Rotary UPS (DRUPS) which reduces power conversion losses with the advantage of no toxic batteries that require disposal or future replacement
• A cooling system that uses efficient variable speed Computer Room Air Conditioning (CRAC) units and air flow management
• Contiguous data centre floors that offer greater efficiencies for cabling and power supply
• Air-cooled chillers that eliminate the need for water storage facilities and consumption
• A designed Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) that is very low for data centres located in tropical regions, meeting Tata Communications’ environmental commitment to reduce power consumption globally
• Use of recyclable materials where possible
• Non-toxic paints and finishes
• High thermal efficiency of wall and roof structures
• Efficient use of available building plot area.

Tata Communications’ data centre operations and services are monitored and managed on-site, as well as remotely, from its centralised Managed Services Operations Centre (MSOC). TCX has highly experienced facilities, communications, security and data centre technical support staff on-site 24x7. Further service offering within TCX will comply with SAS 70 auditing. Tata Communications is ISO/IEC 14001, 20000 and 27001 certified for its Global Managed Services Operations in the areas of Managed Hosting, Managed Storage Services and Hosted Messaging Services.

TCX was developed as a ‘Built-to-Suit’ project for Tata Communications by Mapletree Industrial Fund, a pan-Asian industrial fund managed by Mapletree Industrial Fund Management Pte Ltd (MIFM). MIFM is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Mapletree Investments Pte Ltd, a leading Asian real estate and capital management company based in Singapore.