• About Us
  • Partnership Opportunities
  • Privacy Policy

Data Center Frontier

Charting the future of data centers and cloud computing.

  • Cloud
    • Hyperscale
  • Colo
    • Site Selection
    • Interconnection
  • Energy
    • Sustainability
  • Cooling
  • Technology
    • Internet of Things
    • AI & Machine Learning
    • Edge Computing
    • Virtual Reality
    • Autonomous Cars
    • 5G Wireless
    • Satellites
  • Design
    • Servers
    • Storage
    • Network
  • Voices
  • Podcast
  • White Papers
  • Resources
    • COVID-19
    • Events
    • Newsletter
    • Companies
    • Data Center 101
  • Jobs
You are here: Home / Cloud / Huge COLO-D Expansion Highlights Montreal’s Hyperscale Mojo

Huge COLO-D Expansion Highlights Montreal’s Hyperscale Mojo

By Rich Miller - October 26, 2018

Huge COLO-D Expansion Highlights Montreal’s Hyperscale Mojo

Hydroelectric power generation, like this Hydro-Quebec Central LaTuque dam, have made the Montreal area a hub for hyperscale data centers (Photo: Hydro-Quebec)

LinkedinTwitterFacebookSubscribe
Mail

In the latest sign of momentum for Quebec as a destination for hyperscale data centers, COLO-D has announced plans to build a 150-megawatt data center campus near Montreal. The region has seen robust growth in recent years, building on its abundant supply of affordable hydroelectric power.

Large cloud computing providers love cheap green power, and several have made Montreal the focal point for their infrastructure expansion in Canada. Both Google and Amazon Web Services have opened cloud regions in Montreal in recent years.

COLO-D has an unnamed anchor customer lined up for its massive new campus, which is among a handful of new cloud campuses to support growing hyperscale needs for new capacity.

“With our new D3 campus, we will become one of North America’s leaders in providing wholesale data center solutions,” said Patrick David, COLO-D president and CEO. “We are excited to offer a rich and unique ecosystem of data centers for customers looking to implement large-scale solutions in a region that is becoming a global data center hub.”

Boosting its Capacity

The new COLO-D campus will be located in Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville, about 10 miles from downtown Montreal. The company will also add 15 megawatts (MWs) of new capacity at its D2 facility in Longueuil, which already supported 35 MWs. These facilities, along with the 20 MW D1 campus, will provide COLO-D with a total capacity of 220 MWs of data center capacity.

The 500,000 square foot D3campus will feature three 50 megawatt data centers, and be powered by two redundant 315 kV electrical feeds, each serviced by two separate substations. This strategic location is considered to have one of the most reliable and secure supplies of electrical power in North America.

COLO-D connects its facilities with redundant and diverse fiber paths, including links to international telecom hubs.

COLO-D is part of a growing data center industry in Montreal. Colocation and interconnection specialist Cologix has long been the leading multi-tenant operator, operating seven data centers in Greater Montreal. In recent years it has been joined by a group of wholesale data center specialists, including COLO-D and ROOT Data Center, which have won deals with larger hyperscale customers. A recent addition is eStruxture, which has acquired several established providers in the Montreal market.

Leading With Hydro Power

As cloud computing providers continue to build out their global platforms, they have been adding capacity in Canada. One motivation is complying with data residency regulations, as having a physical facility in Canada is critical to winning government IT business. The Canadian government has released a cloud adoption plan which restricts storage of sensitive data to facilities located within Canada. It’s one of a number of countries focused on retaining data within national borders, driven by concern about revelations of NSA surveillance programs. This has prompted cloud providers to deploy in-country infrastructure in more locations.

Within Canada, Montreal has benefited from its abundant supply of hydro power, which is is available at cheaper prices than electricity options in Toronto. Hydro-Quebec offered an average power rate of just 5.2 cents per kW in 2016, according to site selection specialist JLL, compared to the 10.3 cents per kW in Toronto. Hydro Quebec touts rates for data centers as low as 2.48 cents, which would be equivalent with the most affordable U.S. power in Quincy, Washington (which is also supported to utility-scale hydro-electric generation).

That cheap power has also made Quebec attractive to cryptocurrency operations, who seek massive amounts of power to establish mining facilities to secure the blockchain.

LinkedinTwitterFacebookSubscribe
Mail

Tagged With: COLO-D, Montreal, Quebec

Newsletters

Stay informed: Get our weekly updates!

Are you a new reader? Follow Data Center Frontier on Twitter or Facebook.

About Rich Miller

I write about the places where the Internet lives, telling the story of data centers and the people who build them. I founded Data Center Knowledge, the data center industry's leading news site. Now I'm exploring the future of cloud computing at Data Center Frontier.

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Voices of the Industry

Understanding the Differences Between 5 Common Types of Data Centers

Understanding the Differences Between 5 Common Types of Data Centers No two are data centers are alike when it comes to design or the applications and data they support with their networking, compute and storage infrastructure. Shad Secrist of Belden outlines the differences between 5 of the most common types of data centers including edge, colocation and hyperscale.

White Papers

data center services

Data Center Services: A Story of Build Versus Buy

Waffle House opted to implement a disaster recovery solution in QTS’ 385,000 square foot facility in Suwanee, Georgia, replicating its financial, inventory management and supply chain management services to the site. Download the new report that explores how choosing a colocation provider helped Waffle House reduce its risk and provide a higher level of performance.

Get this PDF emailed to you.

We always respect your privacy and we never sell or rent our list to third parties. By downloading this White Paper you are agreeing to our terms of service. You can opt out at any time.

DCF Spotlight

Data center modules on display at the recent Edge Congress conference in Austin, Texas. (Photo: Rich Miller)

Edge Computing is Poised to Remake the Data Center Landscape

Data center leaders are investing in edge computing and edge solutions and actively looking at new ways to deploy edge capacity to support evolving business and user requirements.

An aerial view of major facilities in Data Center Alley in Ashburn, Virginia. (Image: Loudoun County)

Northern Virginia Data Center Market: The Focal Point for Cloud Growth

The Northern Virginia data center market is seeing a surge in supply and an even bigger surge in demand. Data Center Frontier explores trends, stats and future expectations for the No. 1 data center market in the country.

See More Spotlight Features

Newsletters

Get the Latest News from Data Center Frontier

Job Listings

RSS Job Openings | Pkaza Critical Facilities Recruiting

  • Critical Power Energy Manager - Data Center Development - Ashburn, VA
  • Site Development Manager - Data Center - Ashburn, VA
  • Data Center Facility Operations Director - Chicago, IL
  • Electrical Engineer - Senior - Dallas, TX
  • Mechanical Commissioning Engineer - Calgary, Alberta

See More Jobs

Data Center 101

Data Center 101: Mastering the Basics of the Data Center Industry

Data Center 101: Mastering the Basics of the Data Center Industry

Data Center Frontier, in partnership with Open Spectrum, brings our readers a series that provides an introductory guidebook to the ins and outs of the data center and colocation industry. Think power systems, cooling, solutions, data center contracts and more. The Data Center 101 Special Report series is directed to those new to the industry, or those of our readers who need to brush up on the basics.

  • Data Center Power
  • Data Center Cooling
  • Strategies for Data Center Location
  • Data Center Pricing Negotiating
  • Cloud Computing

See More Data center 101 Topics

About Us

Charting the future of data centers and cloud computing. We write about what’s next for the Internet, and the innovations that will take us there. We tell the story of the digital economy through the data center facilities that power cloud computing and the people who build them. Read more ...
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

About Our Founder

Data Center Frontier is edited by Rich Miller, the data center industry’s most experienced journalist. For more than 20 years, Rich has profiled the key role played by data centers in the Internet revolution. Meet the DCF team.

TOPICS

  • 5G Wireless
  • Cloud
  • Colo
  • Connected Cars
  • Cooling
  • Cornerstone
  • Coronavirus
  • Design
  • Edge Computing
  • Energy
  • Executive Roundtable
  • Featured
  • Finance
  • Hyperscale
  • Interconnection
  • Internet of Things
  • Machine Learning
  • Network
  • Podcast
  • Servers
  • Site Selection
  • Social Business
  • Special Reports
  • Storage
  • Sustainability
  • Videos
  • Virtual Reality
  • Voices of the Industry
  • Webinar
  • White Paper

Copyright Data Center Frontier LLC © 2022