Schneider Electric and Telstra are partnering up with building and engineering firm, FKG Group, to establish a new $40 million data centre in Toowoomba.
The company claims that its Pulse Data Centre, which is set to be nestled in Queensland’s Darling Downs region, will be the first regional Tier 3 data centre in Australia. It is planned to open in early 2018.
Telstra is FKG Group’s IT partner in the project, with the telco’s investment in its regional network helping to bring capability for the Pulse Data Centre and its customers.
Meanwhile, global energy management and automation vendor, Schneider Electric, is providing the project with expertise in data centre solutions, internet of things (IoT) and industrial technologies.
“Together with our key partners, Telstra and Schneider Electric, it is great to be part of the next generation in building innovation, and creating an opportunity to attract national and global tech giants to Toowoomba,” FKG executive chairman, Gary Gardner, said.
“The likes of these companies will bring investment in infrastructure, jobs, skills, knowledge and commercial horsepower, which will help grow businesses in the area,” he said.
According to Schneider Electric vice president for IT division and strategic segments, Joe Craparotta, when the vendor embarked on the project over a year ago, the focus was two-fold.
“First, to bring our data centre technology experience to the project, and second, to ensure that Pulse Data Centre will be state-of-the-art,” Craparotta said. “It has been a real pleasure to forge this partnership with Gary and the FKG Group.”
The project comes as Schneider Electric continues its efforts to recoup its claims against the Aussie distributor formerly known as DPSA, after a dispute between the two companies while they were engaged in another local data centre project, for Canberra Data Centres (CDC).
Schneider is claiming the liquidated company, now known as ‘ACN 134 017 173 Pty Ltd’, owes it almost $7 million.
The fallout between DPSA and Schneider Electric was made public last year, with both companies going to court over an apparent $5.4 million in debt that DPSA allegedly owed Schneider Electric.
According to court documents filed at the time, the dispute and debt arose from a contractual arrangement with CDC, one of DPSA's customers.
In late March, the Supreme Court of New South Wales ruled in favour of Schneider Electric in its case over the allegedly unpaid debts, after DPSA withdrew its counter-claim against Schneider.
DPSA was placed into creditors’ voluntary liquidation on 31 March.
