Brightsolid Aberdeen Data Centre: Whitemyres Ave Tier III Specs
Status: Operational | Location: Whitemyres Avenue / Lang Stracht, Mastrick, Aberdeen, AB16 6HQ, Scotland, United Kingdom
Project Overview
The Brightsolid Aberdeen Data Centre is a flagship Tier III certified colocation facility located on Whitemyres Avenue in the Mastrick area of Aberdeen, Scotland. Purpose-built in 2015 in partnership with Keysource, the facility was developed to provide resilient and high-performance digital infrastructure for enterprises operating across Aberdeen and the wider North East Scotland region. The data centre contains approximately 400 racks distributed across two dedicated data suites, providing substantial capacity for enterprise IT environments, cloud platforms, and mission-critical workloads. Its infrastructure is particularly suited to the high-performance requirements of Aberdeen’s oil and gas and energy industries, where organizations often require secure, reliable, and geographically accessible computing resources. The facility is also designed to support sovereign cloud workloads, helping customers maintain greater control over where critical data and applications are hosted. A key feature of the centre is its ability to accommodate high-density deployments, with power densities of up to approximately 25 kW per rack, allowing customers to operate increasingly demanding computing equipment within a controlled colocation environment. To manage the thermal requirements associated with these higher-density systems, the facility incorporates EcoFris chilled-water cooling technology, designed to provide efficient and reliable temperature management across the data suites. The cooling strategy contributes to the facility’s targeted design power usage effectiveness of below 1.25, reflecting a strong emphasis on operational efficiency and resource optimization. Its Tier III certification further demonstrates the facility’s focus on resilient infrastructure and maintainability, supporting customers with demanding availability requirements. With its combination of substantial rack capacity, high-density power delivery, advanced chilled-water cooling, Tier III design, and strategic location within Aberdeen’s energy and enterprise ecosystem, the Brightsolid Aberdeen Data Centre provides a robust platform for organizations seeking secure, efficient, and scalable colocation infrastructure in Scotland.
Quick Facts
| Field | Value |
|---|
| Project Name | Brightsolid Aberdeen Data Centre: Whitemyres Ave Tier III Specs |
| Location | Whitemyres Avenue / Lang Stracht, Mastrick, Aberdeen, AB16 6HQ, Scotland, United Kingdom |
| Status | Operational |
| Commissioning | September 30, 2015 |
| Total IT Load | 1.0 MW – 2.0 MW Total Critical IT Capacity (2x Data Halls) |
| Total Capacity | ~428 m² (~4,600 sq ft) technical whitespace across 400 server racks |
| Tier Level | Uptime Institute Certified Tier III Design & Facility |
| Project Type | Purpose-Built Enterprise Colocation, Sovereign Cloud & High-Density IT Hub |
City Profile
| Header | Details |
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| City Name | Aberdeen |
| Population | ~224,000 (2022 Census) |
| Urban Agglomeration | ~500,000+ (Aberdeen wider urban/economic area) |
| City GDP | ~£18 billion+ GVA contribution historically; Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire recorded £36,748 GVA per head in 2022. |
| Per Capita Income | £721.70 median gross weekly pay for full-time workers in 2024. |
| City Tier | Tier 2 – Major Regional Energy & Business Hub |
| Key Strengths | Energy and offshore industries, renewable energy transition, strong business services, two universities, skilled workforce, Aberdeen Harbour, international airport connectivity, established telecommunications infrastructure, and access to North Sea energy projects. The city is also diversifying into renewable energy, digital industries, food and drink, and life sciences. |
Companies Involved
| Header | Details |
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| Developer / Operator | Brightsolid |
| Strategic Infrastructure Partner | Keysource (Build Partner), SSE Power Distribution, Microsoft Azure (Hybrid Cloud Certified) |
| Construction Contractor | Keysource Limited (EPC & Mission-Critical Data Centre Specialist) |
| MEP Engineering | Keysource Engineering & Brightsolid Infrastructure Operations Teams |
| Network Connectivity | Carrier-neutral facility with dual path-diverse dark fiber entrance vaults, dedicated Meet-Me-Rooms (MMRs), and high-speed links to major UK carriers (BT Openreach, Virgin Media, Neos Networks, CityFibre, Zayo). |
| Power Infrastructure | High-voltage utility grid feeds, 2N active/passive power paths per data hall, N+1 double-conversion online UPS systems (10-minute autonomy), automatic transfer switchgear (ATS), and N+1 backup diesel generators with 72-hour on-site fuel capacity. |
Technical Specifications
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| Power Capacity | ~2.5 MVA Utility Grid Allocation / 2.0 MVA Backup Generation |
| UPS Redundancy | Concurrently Maintainable 2N Active/Passive Electrical Distribution & N+1 UPS |
| Cooling System | Ecofris optimized chilled-water cooling loop with air-side free cooling, cold-aisle containment, and chimney rack flood cooling capable of supporting high-density loads up to 25 kW per rack. |
| Connectivity | Ultra-low latency optical dark fiber interconnects linking Aberdeen directly to Brightsolid's Dundee HQ campus, Edinburgh, Glasgow, and London network exchanges. |
| PUE Target | < 1.25 Annualized Operational Design PUE |
| Energy Mix | 100% Certified Renewable Energy tariffs backed by UK green power guarantees. |
Milestones
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| Announcement | 2013 |
| Construction Start | 2014 |
| Phase 1 Go-Live | September 30, 2015 |
| Full Buildout | Active Commercial Operations & Colocation Hub |
Investment Details
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| Total Investment | ~$10,000,000 – $15,000,000 USD (£5M+ Initial Buildout) |
| Funding | Corporate Capital Expenditure (Brightsolid / DC Thomson Group) |