One of the most powerful data centres of the region being built in Riga

With a capacity of 10 MW and Tier III certification, a modern new data centre being built in Riga is set to become one of the most sustainable and energy efficient such facilities in the Baltic region. More then EUR 30 million have been invested in the construction of the Delska data centre, and it is scheduled to commence operations in mid-2025.

Delska is a brand jointly established in June 2024 by Latvian company Digitālās Ekonomikas attšitības centrs (DEAC) and Lithuanian company Duomenų logistikos centras (DLC). Since 2020, both companies are part of the Swiss Quaero European Infrastructure Fund II, which provides investments for the development of large data centre infrastructure projects. 

New opportunities for companies using artificial intelligence

The new data centre will offer 1,000 racks (server cabinets) with a capacity of up to 100 kW each. Such a capacity is especially important for companies that work with AI solutions, high performance computing and edge computing. The latter is a data processing and storage method where actions are performed closer to the data source or user, rather than on the central cloud, for faster performance and optimised use of resources. The data centre will be customisable to customer needs adapting its services to the technological requirements of both local and international clients. With the adjacent land plot also purchased by the project implementers, the new data centre can eventually be expanded to a capacity of up to 30 MW, making it a strategically important addition to the telecommunications infrastructure on a regional level in the Baltics.

The data centre is being built in accordance with the highest sustainability standards. It will be one of just a few buildings in Latvia with a LEED certificate attesting to its energy efficiency and environmental friendliness. The building will also employ a state-of-the-art cooling technology – Vindur CoolW@ll to reduce energy consumption and operating costs. Furthermore, existing Delska data centres in Riga and Vilnius are already 100% powered by renewable energy using electricity produced by wind farms, and their back-up generators are powered by renewable diesel.

Demand for data centres growing steadily

The new data centre will provide crucial support for business digitalisation and regional economic growth. The project has been designed to fulfil the constantly growing demand for data centre services. The company explains that data centre services allow businesses to focus on their core functions by outsourcing maintenance and management of their IT infrastructure to professionals and specialised data centres. This is a decision that simply makes economic sense for these businesses in the long-term. The demand for data centres is steadily increasing with not only the amount of data growing exponentially, but also demands for electric power capacity for the processing of this data, which is already a deficit in Europe.

Delska is currently one of the largest data centre operators in Northern Europe. The company offers not only hosting of IT equipment and rental of racks (server cabinets) at their data centres, but also a wide array of other IT services including private and public clouds, security and data transmission solutions, as well as IT system management and administration. The company is currently operating five data centres in Latvia and Lithuania, while also providing services at partner data centres in Germany, Sweden, and the Netherlands. 

Construction of the new data centre is part of the Delska strategy which also foresees the development of other infrastructure projects throughout the Baltics, including construction of a new data centre in Lithuania. Delska is aiming to establish a comprehensive data centre and network ecosystem providing top quality IT services to customers in more than 40 countries.