Verne Global

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Verne Global is a wholesale data center supplier developer based in Keflavík, Iceland, and Washington, D.C. Formed as a joint venture between Novator Partners and General Catalyst Partners, Verne Global aims to develop data centers in optimized geographical areas that employ 100 percent renewable energy sources. The Wellcome Trust recently joined in as an investor and the company is currently developing the first carbon neutral wholesale data center campus on a 44-acre campus once home to the former NATO Command Center. The facility is leveraging Iceland’s unique environmental attributes, including clean power, cool climate and access to international bandwidth to give companies a more eco-friendly data center solution.

Currently driving the need for greener data center options is developing legislation targeting the reduction of carbon emissions in power-hungry industries like the data center segment. The UK recently introduced its CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme (formerly known as the Carbon Reduction Commitment) intentions of reducing its CO2 emissions 60% by 2050. Similar environmental schemes are being proposed globally, including the U.S., which has its own controversial plan making way through legislation aimed to reduce emissions 17% by 2020 and more than 80% by 2050. Cap-and-trade programs in the UK and US along with mounting environmental efforts worldwide could have a profound impact on business practices in high-power industries and overall energy costs.

Location

Verne Global is located on the site of the former Naval Air Station Keflavik, a once key strategic NATO base located in southwest Iceland. The facility is being constructed in hardened underground bunkers away from the volcanic activity in the east and clear of possible ash clouds spread by prevailing western winds. The site offers access to geothermal and hydroelectric energy, free cooling every day of the year, and multi-terabit-per-second connectivity to America and Europe.

Product and services

Verne Global’s facility is designed around LEED Gold standards to benefit from Iceland's infrastructure and environment, using free cooling, renewable energy sources and constant power rates. The campus will use the same innovative practices of HVAC, exceeding the Uptime Institute's Tier III standard for facility infrastructure.

The data center site will offer both redundant access to Iceland's renewable power resources and the secured campus area, allowing for customized building solutions of up to of critical environment and up to 140MW of total renewable power.

Team

Verne Global is led by an experienced team with proven success in the data center industry and is ready to lead the way toward dramatically greener, more cost-effective data center facilities.

  • Jeff Monroe, CEO
  • Tate Cantrell, CTO
  • Isaac Kato, EVP/CFO
  • Lisa Rhodes, VP of Marketing and Sales

Highlights

Right|Super|Global Connectivity
  • Verne Global offers a data center solution focused on TCO results with upfront visibility into power pricing over the term of the contract.
  • Flexible to meet demands for increased server densities with energy efficiency through modular POD design, an integral part of the Verne Global solution
  • Takes advantage of Icelandic ambient temperatures and provides free-cooling 365 days of the year
  • Connects to North America and Europe with redundant, high-speed, high-capacity cables
  • Addresses impending (US) and current (UK) carbon legislation by offering only 100% renewable energy sources (geothermal and hydroelectric) – no greenwashing

Icelandic benefits

  • Abundant green energy (geothermal and hydroelectric) at competitive prices compared to the US and UK markets
  • Robust power generation and distribution reliability
  • Multiple, diverse high-speed connectivity paths
  • Educated and English speaking workforce with an emphasis on IT skills

Facility and design

  • Modular, pod-based design to maximize energy efficiency
  • Tier III+ redundancy
  • Design and construction program centered around LEED Gold standards
  • Phase I Build: 14.4MW of critical load an 750 square meters computing space
  • Ability to accommodate containers within secured structure and provide power, network connectivity, water-cooling (if required),

Target Applications

  • Cloud computing
  • Disaster Recovery
  • IaaS
  • SaaS
  • Storage
  • Remote Desktop Infrastructure

Key partners

  • Landsvirkjun (national power company)
  • Landsnet (national power distribution company)
  • Kadeco (Keflavik redevelopment authority)
  • Farice (owner/operator of Icelandic submarine cables)
  • ÍAV (Icelandic Prime Contractor)