A new public-private partnership between DataBank and the Georgia Institute of Technology is in the works to deliver enhanced solutions to a growing and sophisticated Atlanta technology base.

DataBank, a provider of data center, cloud and interconnection services, announced it will develop a 94K SF data center in downtown Atlanta. Georgia Tech will be an anchor tenant, and university students will have the opportunity to work with advanced equipment and computing systems. The data center will enable students to gain research experience and work alongside business professionals.

The new data center enters the market as Atlanta continues to become a hotspot for data center real estate. As more companies relocate to the city, workers and their families are migrating to the greater Atlanta area. More people are using technology for work and play, and the need for reliable digital connectivity is higher than ever. To meet this increasing demand, companies and agencies have begun leasing space in data center facilities.

The industry initially saw data center investments in major markets including New York, New Jersey, Dallas, Chicago, San Francisco and Ashburn, Virginia. There is now increased need for data connectivity in emerging tech hubs like Minneapolis, Pittsburgh, Cleveland and Atlanta.

“We’re seeing much more demand in what we in the industry refer to as edge markets, which are essentially emerging cities like Atlanta,” DataBank CEO Raul K. Martynek said. “It’s all about finding markets with untapped potential.”

The new facility at Georgia Tech is part of Portman Holdings’ 645K SF mixed-use office complex at the university’s Technology Square. Students and faculty will have access to insights using the space’s high-performance computing center, which can provide information at a higher speed than the average computer. Georgia Tech will provide power for 50% of the development and plans to lease out the other half.

“This partnership will provide an opportunity to drive data further,” Martynek said. “The center will help Georgia Tech increase interaction with public and private actors in the Atlanta tech space. Another gratifying aspect to the partnership is that it is an opportunity to better prepare Georgia Tech students for their high-tech careers."

The partnership also gives DataBank the chance to expand its footprint in Atlanta. The engineering talent at Georgia Tech will be an integral part of the center’s success. The institution’s access to analytics and strong partnerships with the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation will help DataBank drive innovation in the industry, Martynek said.

"Technology Square represents a significant investment by Georgia Tech, the City of Atlanta and the State of Georgia to create and advance a vibrant technology ecosystem around the university,” Georgia Tech Executive Vice President for Administration and Finance Steven Swant said in a statement. “The data center is at the core of that effort."

This development is only the beginning. Just about every industry is using data, analytics and software in one way or another, Martynek said. The continued growth of data centers in cities across the country is proof that demand for connectivity is not slowing down. The acceleration of cloud adoption is expected to double the size of the data center industry over the next five years.

Martynek will be speaking at the Data Center Investment Conference & Expo Southeast in Atlanta. Find out more here.

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