A new on-site, energy efficient data centre facility is now operational on the campus of the University of Birmingham Dubai.

The data centre has been designed to maximise energy efficiency, offering energy savings of up to 15% while operating at peak performance, according to Schneider Electric.

The project has been developed as a ‘Smart Campus’, and will offer students and staff the benefits of state-of-the art technology – including WiFi6 – to support multidisciplinary learning across the campus and between the UAE and the UK.

The data centre is built around Schneider Electric’s technology, implemented by system integrator CDW, and will offer features such as remote management and performance benchmarking.

Schneider Electric’s EcoStruxure IT software will enable on-site and remote monitoring of energy use across servers, cooling and electrical equipment as well as power management for connected loads, and will provide in-built cybersecurity to run vulnerability assessments on all devices within the data centre.

Easy Metered Rack Power Distribution Units (Rack PDU) will also offer real-time remote monitoring of power usage, as well as power management for connected loads.

Professor David Sadler, Provost at the University of Birmingham Dubai, said “Our new building has been designed as a ‘Smart Campus’ – embedded with flexible, cutting-edge technology allowing innovative, multidisciplinary teaching and learning. We aim to deliver a flexible and powerful teaching environment in Dubai that students and staff will enjoy.

“In delivering an educational experience like no other in Dubai, we wanted to create a data centre that would be future-proof – supporting our goal of a tech-smart, energy-efficient campus. This data centre’s performance, efficiency and sustainability will create the platform upon which we will build out our IT systems. By working with CDW and Schneider Electric, our staff, students and academics can enjoy an excellent technology platform that will enhance their campus experience.”