The presence of Nordic countries at Datacentres 2012 has increased substantially reflecting the increased regional opportunity occurring across the region. Seven large Norwegian data centre projects have recently teamed up in a joint marketing initiative and will be exhibiting at the DataCentres 2012 conference in Nice under the name ”Destination Norway”. 

The seven initiatives represent diversity, but with common underlying themes of cost-efficient sustainability and access to unlimited renewable power. Industrial sites and large mountain halls are being converted into data centres in order to reduce the environmental impact. The data centres are all located close to a source of renewable power, minimizing the amount of
energy lost in transmission. The cool climate, and an almost endless supply of cold water, makes Norway ideally suited for natural free cooling. The region offers both an attractive cool climate, ideal for free cooling technologies and also has extensive resources of renewable power and water.

Norway is known for its fjords and mountains. But Norway is also Europe’s largest producer of hydroelectric power and the world’s most politically stable country. The tiny kingdom is also a technologically advanced country – the population is highly digitally competent, and even the most rural areas are well connected due to investments in fibre infrastructure.

 “Norway can provide outstanding and internationally competitive conditions for data centre operations. Norway is a geologically, economically and politically stable country with excellent communications infrastructure and a population with outstanding ICT skills. We are one of the world leaders in heating and cooling systems and work continuously for a green approach concerning the ICT industry and environmental impact at large,” commented Trond Giske, Minister of Trade and Industry.

“We are delighted to welcome Destination Norway at Datacentres 2012,” commented Warwick Dunkley, vice president at BroadGroup, the event researcher and producer. “Data centre location is increasingly a critical concern and their participation in the event will add great value.”

Sponsors of the event include Schneider Electric, Hewlett Packard, Infinity SDC, Anixter, Emerson Network Power, Fujitsu, Migration Solutions, TelecityGroup, Telehouse, CommScope, e-Shelter GmbH, Interxion, Hitachi, Caterpillar, Joyent, Siemens and Scottish Development International and is supported by Microsoft and the European Data Centre Association. The event includes an industry exhibition with more than 70 companies.