Following approval of the final design by the Wayne State University Board of Governors, construction has begun on a new data center located at the corner of Cass Avenue and Antoinette Street to complement the existing Computing Services Center.
The new data center will house mechanical equipment, security technology, fire protection, network infrastructure, and a power back-up system.
WSU has relied on its current data facility since 1960, and the building itself dates back to 1915. Adaptations have been made to accommodate existing requirements, but a new building will allow the university to house modern technology and prepare for the future.
“The new data center is an investment by the university to elevate our existing infrastructure to current best practice standards of an energy-efficient, high-performance, and secure computing environment,” says Daren Hubbard, WSU’s CIO and associate vice president for computing and information technology. “Our goal with this new facility is to ensure that Wayne State is able to support the teaching, learning, and research computing needs of today and tomorrow. Our current facility has served the campus well, and we look forward to the new facility doing the same.”
WSU’s new data center was designed to complement existing structures in Detroit’s New Center neighborhood. In turn, landscaping plans for the project will create a green space along Cass Avenue. Construction is expected to be completed in 2019.
