Mentor Graphics invests $15m in data centre

EAST Park-based Mentor Graphics has opened its newly constructed regional data centre, which was developed at a cost of some $15 million.
Seven jobs have been created to date and a similar amount of jobs are set to follow in the next few years, according to site manager Martin Gennery. “We’ve spent $15m installing a new consolidated regional data centre. This facility is to host up to 6,000 servers, which will be used by the 1,000 software development engineers that Mentor Graphics has in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
“We’ve added about seven [employees] so far and in the next three years we’ll probably add another seven. The rate of growth is something that’s hard to predict because there are so many other factors. There’s a technology change called virtualisation, which is driving a lot of growth. We’ve built two halls in the data centre and in the next three years we’ll fill hall one and then spill over into the second one.”
Data centres are specialised facilities that house densely-packed banks of computers and storage used to run services delivered over the wide area network (WAN). The new facility will house state-of-the-art data communications, back-up power supplies, environmental controls including cooling systems and fire suppression, plus security devices.
It has been built on a two-and-a-half acre site, which the company bought from Shannon Development two years ago. The 16,000ft2 greenfield facility is located adjacent to the existing Mentor Graphics base in Shannon. The company has had a presence in Shannon since 1999 and employs over 100 highly skilled staff.
Mr Gennery said Shannon was chosen ahead of international competitors and Ireland’s much criticised climate was a factor. “A number of sites competed for the regional data centre. Eventually Shannon won out for a number of reasons, with superior infrastructure one of the key determining factors.
“Ireland’s temperate climate was also a factor in the site decision. The concentration of so many computer servers in a single place can require huge amounts of power both to run the computers and keep them from overheating. Our naturally cool weather minimises reliance on air conditioning units, making the data centre more cost-effective and environmentally friendly to run.”
The company’s vice-president and chief information officer Ananthan Thandri came to Shannon for the launch and praised the local advantages. “Ireland has provided a favourable environment for business. This has encouraged Mentor Graphics to locate this high-investment operation here and it demonstrates our clear commitment to the Shannon operation.”
Enterprise Minster Richard Bruton said, “This sector can bring great benefits to regional locations, as well as to major cities and the Government is determined to move quickly and ensure that Ireland can seize the opportunity offered by our many advantages in this area.”
Clare TD Pat Breen said, “The fact Shannon was selected by Mentor Graphics Corporation as the location for this regional data centre sends out a very positive message to foreign investors about this region in terms of attracting foreign direct investment.
“We have the infrastructure in place to support FDI investments and today’s announcement is testimony to this given that the company have stated our superior infrastructure was one of the main reasons for citing this centre here.”
Shannon Senator Tony Mulcahy said the decision by Mentor Graphics Corporation to open a regional data centre in Shannon should be the catalyst for other similar developments in the Mid-West Region.
“Similar to Google’s recent decision to invest in a data storage facility in Dublin, Ireland’s temperate climate was a key factor in Mentor Graphics’ decision to construct the multi-million euro data centre in Shannon.
“Our climate allows technology firms to greatly reduce their dependency on the expensive practice of air conditioning. I was informed by the company that air conditioning will be required for only 10-14 days each year, representing a fraction of the usage in other locations throughout the world.
“This investment consolidates Mentor Graphics’ operation in Shannon and paves the way for future investments by the company. I now call on regional development agencies to seek potential investment from other technology firms looking to either relocate to or expand their existing operations in this region,” added Senator Mulcahy.