New Oslo data centre to double as a green urban space

Author: Simon Rowley

Drawing on the competencies of international engineering consultancy, COWI, the new Skygard data centre is creating highly secure, energy-efficient, and environmentally friendly operations in the centre of Oslo.

Skygard is owned by Norwegian companies Telenor, Hafslund, HitecVision, and Analysys Mason Nordic, which have decided to invest 2.4 billion Norwegian kroner (£1.7bn) in the project.

For Skygard, it’s essential to create a data centre that will address national security, data safety, and sustainability, while strengthening Norway’s AI position in the process. Thus, the Skygard data centre, which will use renewable energy sources, will reportedly be one of the most energy-efficient data centres in Norway.

The excess heat from the plant will be utilised and integrated into the district heating network, and the circular energy design of Skygard could serve as a pilot project for future data centres in Norway.

The future of data centre design

Skygard contracted engineering consultancy COWI to deliver a complete solution due to the company’s broad experience within the design of data centres, sustainable energy, engineering solutions, and architecture. Meanwhile, Norwegian company, A-lab, was responsible for the architectural design of the centre.

Located centrally in Hovinbyen in Oslo, Skygard will take an innovative approach by transforming an industrial brownfield area into a green public space for the citizens of the Norwegian capital. The choice of location means the site itself will have minimal impact on existing biodiversity and contribute to urban greening. The location, however, also represents a series of challenges since the site is placed between a city street and a light rail track.

Tommy Lundegaard, Business Development Director at COWI, says, “In a time where data centres are facing increased scrutiny due to energy consumption and land use, Skygard is a visionary project that points the way to the future way of creating data centres. At COWI, we are excited to be an integral part of Skygard’s project because it allows us to apply our capacities to fulfil the wishes and needs of our client.”

Moving from an old data centre to a modern one like Skygard can reduce power requirements by between 50-70%. Utilising surplus heat for district heating will also help energy efficiency and bring down the environmental impact of data centres.

National security, data safety, and environmental responsibility

The Skygard data centre will provide colocation facilities for multiple tenants, and it will be operational in the first half of 2025.

Elise Lindeberg, CEO of Skygard, comments, “With the investment in Skygard and other data centres, we will provide Norway with a much-needed data centre capacity that prioritises national security, data safety, and sustainability. The current geopolitical situation has made the need for secure solutions more important, but there is also an urgent need to improve the environmental footprint of data centres. With Skygard, we address all these issues and set a new standard for the future.”

In addition to the first centre, Skygard has ambitions to build two more data centres in the capital region. Once fully developed, the three data centres are planned to have a combined capacity of 40MW.