In partnership with Eccus, a developer of underground storage and production solutions, APL Data Center, a company specializing in the consulting, engineering and operation of responsible data centers, announces the deployment of an alternative solution in France and Switzerland for an underground design of its data centers: the Eco-caverne™.
The Eco-caverne: a process that breaks with existing solutions
APL Data Center and Eccus are pooling their expertise to offer the most economical and environmentally-friendly solution possible: the Eco-caverne™. Thanks to specialized engineering in underground structures for industrial use, the perfectly watertight Eco-caverne™ will be able to installed 30 meters deep under existing buildings.
This new solution offers the possibility for a company to create or complete its computer hosting space on an already built site or in a saturated area. This is a novel innovation, as the possibilities for burying data centers on the market have so far depended solely on the existence of natural or existing cavities that are not very adaptable and are poorly located and difficult to access.
A technique that addresses current economic, energy and environmental challenges
Thanks to the process derived from subway stations, the Eco-caverne™ can be constructed in urban or semi-urban environments, which favors the recovery and reclamation of heat from equipment present in data centers. A circular economy allows the energy released to be reused to heat all kinds of infrastructure located directly above the facility. For example, a 2,000m2 data center is capable of supplying 22 GWh/year, i.e. the heating needs of 2,000 apartments. This is a significant advantage at a time when initiatives of this kind require costly routing.
Moreover, it is a competitive offer, according to Eccus SA, which could cost up to 10% to 20% less than the construction of a traditional data center – including the land. This cost reduction is particularly welcome for companies facing rising land and construction costs.
Finally, by using underground land, the burial of data centers preserves the landscape and public space. The Eco-caverne™ therefore fits perfectly into its environment and meets the challenges of soil sealing.
“This partnership is based on the complementary nature of our expertise and the development of synergies between our two industries. With the Eco-caverne™, we wanted to provide our partners with a solution that combines economic constraints, environmental imperatives and energy performance,” adds Christophe Weiss, CEO of APL Data Center.
“In APL we have found a reliable and competent expert partner with whom we have been able to adapt our offer to the specificities of hosting a data center,” says Andrew Bourget, CEO and founder of Eccus.
