Telecom subsidiary Gen-i  has announced it will invest $10.5 million to build a new data center in Christchurch, bringing its total facility count country-wide to 15.

Complementing existing facilities in Hereford Street and Hillmorton, the new data center will be purpose-built to withstand earthquakes and ‘with a heavy focus on energy efficiency’.

Chris Quin, CEO of Gen-i Australasia, says the investment is part of the company’s commitment to ‘contributing to the success of Christchurch as a major business hub in the South Island’.

"Our investment in the new data center and ongoing commitment is designed to help our Canterbury clients scale their ICT capability to meet changing market demands and re-build their business,” Quin says.

Many of Gen-i’s local customers are still working out of temporary facilities, making cloud-based IT infrastructure a logical choice.

Quin says the rollout of Ultra Fast Broadband will further accelerate the uptake of cloud applications, and he sees it as Gen-i’s responsibility to ‘deliver real leadership’ in driving this shift.

Work will start on the data center in a few months and is scheduled for completion by the end of 2012.