NEXTDC’s M1 data centre gains Australia-first certification

NEXTDC has wasted no time in stamping its mark on 2019.

The Data-Centre-as-a-Service provider recently celebrated its M1 Melbourne data center becoming officially certified as Australia's first National Australian Built Environment Rating System (NABER) 5-star rated data center infrastructure facility.

Effectively what this means is that NEXTDC's M1 data center has set a benchmark in attaining a level of energy efficiency not previously achieved in the industry.

NEXTDC chief of engineering and design Jeff Van Zetten says the certification is a demonstration of the company's dogged commitment to energy efficiency and sustainability.

"Our goal is to set a new global benchmark in data center design that will deliver a higher level of sustainability for our customers and our environment," says Van Zetten.

"We are responsible for building the digital economic infrastructure that will support our future generations, so it's something we take very seriously.

NABERS is a national rating system that measures the environmental performance of Australian buildings. The certification allows organisations to gauge the environmental performance of their buildings by measuring the energy efficiency, greenhouse gas intensity, and the overall impact on the environment.

According to NEXTDC, the certification process for the 5-star rating for its data center infrastructure facility began many years ago. It was based on a long-term vision for energy-efficient design coupled with the meticulous day-to-day commitment in performing disciplined onsite real-time monitoring and ongoing tuning.

M1 has several various design elements - like the use of indirect economy cycle free cooling - that need to be running optimally to maintain the ideal air quality for the critical infrastructure, and are crucial in attaining the benchmark.

Another driver of the certification is the fact that NEXTDC developed, owns, and operates its own solar array on the roof of the M1 data center and has also been a Principal Partner to the Melbourne Renewable Energy Project (MREP) since its inception in 2014. In FY18, financial close on MREP was achieved, enabling the construction of the 80MW Crowlands Wind Farm in Victoria.

NEXTDC chief operating officer Simon Cooper says he is extremely proud of what the team has achieved.

"This is a significant milestone for our business and celebrates the energy efficiency of our data centers. Our dedication to environmental sustainability is core to our values at NEXTDC. Continued investment in this area remains a priority and we will continue to push sustainability boundaries and set aggressive new benchmarks for the data center industry," concludes Cooper.