Google is expected to hire 25 full time staff to work in and manage a new $300M data center that is being built in Hong Kong. This new site will consist of hundreds of additional server racks and server cabinets used to hold the various servers, routers, switches needed to maintain the infrastructure of the new facility. The $300M that will be spent on the project will encompass land, construction and technical equipment. The actual location will be in Tseung Kwan O Industrial Estate in Kowloon, one of the most densely populated cities in the world.
This news comes on top of the announcement made in September that Google was planning to expand its infrastructure in Singapore, Taiwan and Hong Kong with a $100M investment. The new data centers in Southeast Asia are a strategic move and an “important next stage” for Google’s investment in the region. According to an article published on datacenterknowledge.com, Google is already seeing significant growth, and the development has helped to infuse the local economy with jobs and a revenue stream for local business as construction continues.
The current target for completion of the $300M facility in Hong Kong is early 2013. Simon Chang, head of Google’s hardware operations in Asia, reportedly said, “We’re working as quickly as we can to get this facility operational so we can keep up with rapid growth capacity demand across the region”. The new data center will be Google’s first company built data center in Asia-Pacific and potentially means that a need for custom server racks and server cabinets might be on the horizon.
