Europe clamours for data centre capacity

Data centre outsourcing in Europe is booming, with market revenues forecast to more than double from 2010's €3.3bn to €7.2bn in 2015.

The London telecoms pricing research firm Tariff Consultancy looked at prices for a standard 19-inch rack, small cage space and a 50 KVA suite of space in 19 European countries and found a situation to gladden the hearts of property developers, data centre housers, hosters and co-location providers.

According to Tariff Consultancy, rates for large customers remain competitive, but a general rise in price levels reflects increased demand and the "strength of the Data Centre outsourcing model".

The firm expects raised-floor data centre capacity to grow an average of 14 per cent a year between 2010 - 2015, a 92.5 per cent total increase. And it looks as if server virtualisation and chiller-less data centres will have precious little effect on data centre equipment revenues, which are set to increase 25 per cent a year over that period, slightly more than tripling.

Confirming this, Tariff Consultancy anticipates revenue per square metre of raised-floor space will increase by 5-8 per cent per year. This forecast must assume that data centre electricity supply shortages are solved somehow.

Europe's main data centre markets in 2010 are the UK, which accounts for 16 per cent of the raised floor space, followed by Germany (14 per cent), France (10 per cent), Spain (8 per cent) and Italy and the Netherlands (both with 6 per cent).

The most expensive data centre floor space is in Denmark, Switzerland and Ireland, with monthly rates per rack from €1,050 to €1,300. ®