CSE planning $1.85-billion data centre in Ottawa area
Canada's Communications Security Establishment is planning a new 60-megawatt data centre in the Ottawa area at an estimated cost of up to $1.85-billion.
The plan was set out in a federal advance procurement notice, which says the government intends to post a contracting opportunity early next year. The notice places the proposed facility on the Ottawa side of the National Capital Region, according to The Globe and Mail.
CSE spokesperson Janny Bender Asselin confirmed to the Globe that the data centre will be for CSE's use. CSE is the federal agency that provides technology security and foreign signals intelligence, functions that depend on secure systems for handling sensitive information.
The 60-megawatt figure refers to the planned power capacity of the facility, a standard way of describing the scale of a large computing site by how much electricity it is built to draw. The cost figure is described as an estimate at this early stage, with the final amount to be shaped by detailed design and the contracting process that follows.
The agency's current data centre was designed more than 15 years ago. An advance notice of this kind does not award work or set final terms. It gives potential suppliers advance warning that a formal opportunity is coming, so they can prepare to take part when it is posted.
Notices of this kind are a routine part of how Ottawa handles large building projects. They set out expectations for industry well before bids are invited. Project details are typically refined as federal design work advances.
