Ireland’s placement around the middle of the Data Centre Risk Index 2012 rather than closer the top was hard to understand, but it’s quite possible that the latest data may not have been used for some calculations. One of the key features Ireland boasts now is an excellent mix of renewables in the grid, up to 40% by 2020 and completely carbon net neutral by 2035.
The Electricity Supply Board (ESB) is spending €22 billion in Ireland on efficiency and renewables, a significant commitment from a small country.
And it’s hard to argue with a data centre track record as strong as Ireland: Google, Microsoft and Amazon are already operating multiple sites from Dublin, having decided Ireland has the ideal mix of criteria they’re seeking in a home for their international data centres.
All are enjoying competitive, low latency and high speed links to the East Coast of the US and London, Amsterdam, Paris and Frankfurt. Social networks, cloud, online gaming, banking and content have all been distributed from Ireland out to the major markets for a number of years now.
All the main criteria needed for a successful deployment are here: energy, fibre and security. Placing Ireland low in international bandwidth stakes is simply nonsense, in light of the abundance of Tier 1 Carriers in Ireland and dark fibre to all major markets available on demand. Ireland’s security is naturally very high, being an island, and we have a relatively low crime rate internationally. I would concede that Ireland could benefit from high speed fibre access to the greater APAC theatre of operations– but that will come in time with demand from that geography to locate cloud infrastructure in Ireland.
Also, the folks over at the The Helpful Engineer have reported that Ireland has the least need of cooling or air conditioning in the whole world, with only 19 degree days required, compared with 40 in Iceland and 43 in Norway.
Source: Irish Times (6th March 2014)