STACK Expands with Digital Hub in Schaffhausen

Pursuant to announcement on June 30, 2022, this article has been updated from the previously branded “Safe Host” to “STACK Infrastructure,” “STACK,” or “STACK EMEA – Switzerland” to reflect the current branding

STACK Infrastructure (“STACK”), the digital infrastructure partner to the world’s most innovative companies and leading global developer and operator of data centers, announces a second data center in Zurich to be built in the Beringen industrial quarter, on the site of a former tennis club.

April 9, 2021

The Beringen data center will be the fifth owned by STACK in Switzerland. STACK currently have three facilities located within the Geneva cluster with the fourth, currently under construction in Rafz, 15km from Zurich.

In recent years, Switzerland has seen an increase in the demand for data centers and it’s becoming ever more important for companies that their data is stored locally rather than abroad. Being at the heart of Europe, Switzerland is an attractive location due to its modern infrastructure and stable framework conditions. The country has abundant hydroelectric power and a strong legal framework that supports data protection. This positions STACK as a reliable and trusted Swiss partner for deploying new data center capacity sustainably, quickly, and effectively.

Shortly after construction commenced at ZUR01, the search for the Beringen site began. STACK contacted the Economic Development Department of the Canton of Schaffhausen, who have actively supported STACK in its search for a suitable plot of land while also providing significant contacts.

“As a Swiss company, we are very pleased with our partnership with Schmidli and the municipality of Beringen. This project continues our mission to build digital infrastructure in Switzerland.” said Steve Webb, CEO, STACK EMEA – Switzerland.

The proposed data center to be built in Beringen will be an extremely energy-efficient and high-quality sustainable data center. Wherever possible, rainwater will be stored and processed for cooling. A photovoltaic system will be installed on all free roof surfaces and on the south façade to generate additional electricity. The office complex will be heated with the waste heat generated, and the remaining waste heat bundled to be made available in the form of district heating. In order to keep the operational resource requirements of such a data center as low as possible, the municipal council attaches great importance to renewable energies for the power supply, for example photovoltaics, the use of rainwater for cooling, and the further use of waste heat in other buildings in the industrial quarter.

With sustainability as a key focus for the municipality of Beringen and the STACK partnership, this project is a milestone in the development of the industrial quarter. The construction of such a high-tech building will have a positive effect in Beringen, promoting new job creation. “The data center must be designed as efficiently as possible. This includes the use of solar energy, rainwater, and the re-use of the waste heat generated, ” said Roger Paillard, Mayor of Beringen.

In order to secure and protect data at the highest level, the data center will also depend on a powerful and uninterruptible power supply. The location in Beringen offers excellent conditions. EKS, a major electrical supplier for the area, is currently working with Axpo to optimise the lines between Neuhausen and Wilchingen with underground cabling that ensures sustainability in the long term. The construction of a new substation to the highest standards in Beringen is a core competence of EKS.

Two projects are being submitted simultaneously for approval on the site: one project is for the data center with ancillary buildings, and the other is a substation for the Schaffhausen Cantonal Electricity Works (EKS), involving the transformation from 110kV (high voltage) to 16kV (medium voltage).

“By building a substation, we are supporting the dynamic development of the municipality, and at the same time enabling larger amounts of renewable energy to be fed into the industrial area and at the same time increasing the security of supply, ” said Markus Niedrist, Head of Grid, Member of the Executive Board.

ABOUT STACK INFRASTRUCTURE

STACK provides digital infrastructure to scale the world’s most innovative companies. With a client-first approach, STACK delivers a comprehensive suite of campus, build-to-suit, colocation, and powered shell solutions in the Americas, EMEA and APAC regions. With robust existing and flexible expansion capacity in the leading availability zones, STACK offers the scale and geographic reach that rapidly growing hyperscale and enterprise companies need. The world runs on data. And data runs on STACK.

For more information about STACK, please visit: https://www.stackinfra.com.