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Broadband specialist AGS secures data centre funding
Leader of the FibreNet broadband project AGS has announced £1.2 million of investment in a new data centre development.
The Merseyside Special Investment Fund (MSIF) and NatWest have agreed to contribute some of the necessary capital for the project, which will lead to the development of a 35,000 sq ft, 1.5MW facility at Liverpool Innovation Park.
Some £200,000 for the scheme has been pledged by NatWest, while MSIF is providing £150,000 from its Merseyside Loan and Equity Fund. Private investors will put forward the rest of the money.
AGS is the company leading the FibreNet initiative, which will link key sites across Liverpool with high-speed broadband connectivity and create a so-called "digital testbed" allowing enterprises to try out new applications and services.
The £1 million project, which is being supported by 2020 Liverpool, Virgin Media Business and Global Crossing, has been backed by the Technology Strategy Board.
Commenting on the scheme last year, chief executive of AGS Professor Dennis Kehoe said the work will transform Liverpool into a "high fibre-connected city", to the benefit of local businesses.
It will also turn the city into a "digital destination, which it has not been previously", Professor Kehoe remarked.
He added: "We will be able to compete with Manchester and on a national level."
Companies in Liverpool will be offered bandwidth of up to 1Gbps once the rollout of FibreNet is completed.
According to Professor Kehoe, the newly-announced data centre investment will allow AGS to create "cutting-edge" cloud computing facilities at the innovation park.
"The improved infrastructure will give significant advantages to customers including improved levels of energy efficiency, cost savings and increased resilience," he said.
Work on the development got underway in December and is expected to take around 16 weeks to complete.