TO BE DELIVERED IN 6 PHASES ACROSS FIVE YEARS

Saudi-based data center company Quantum Switch Tamasuk (QST), has just announced the signing of an agreement with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to develop and operate 6 new data centers with a total capacity of 300MW.

The agreement which was established through Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT), requires QST to deliver these data centers over the next five years, expecting each facility to offer 50MW of power capacity.

“We thank QST that came to the table with the perfect mix for us – global data center experience combined with local infrastructure development expertise, a real commitment to excellence and focus on sustainable investments. We are confident that these new data centers will accelerate our own green digitalization plans in the Kingdom,” said Bassam Al Bassam, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Deputy Minister of MCIT.

Despite locating these data centers in one of the highest oil producing countries, QST and MCIT stated that they are committed to sustainable operations, hence, these facilities are expected to feature modern designs to minimize cooling requirements, as well as have access to renewable energy sources with both parties actively evaluating the feasibility of setting-up solar PVs at the data centers.

“We are honoured to be awarded this contract by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. With expertise gained through the design, build and operations of over 4 million square feet of data centres, we understand the challenges and know how to find the right solutions to deliver this strategic project for the MCIT,” said Tim Bawtree, co-founder and CEO of Quantum Switch.

“We are committed to the QST – MCIT partnership, combining Tamasuk’s financial capacity and development expertise with Quantum’s undoubted technical knowledge and reputation with international hyperscalers to become the pre-eminent Saudi data centre developer and operator,” said Matthew Nathan, CEO of Tamasuk.

QST was formed in 2020 by infrastructure investor Tamasuk and data center developer Quantum Switch, aimed at pursuing data center development and investments in the GCC region. Currently, QST has begun the construction of its two flagship data center campus projects in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.