Major Capital Project Profile: Primary Data Centre

This project will replace the university’s primary data centre, currently located in the Henrietta Harvey (HH) building, by constructing a new, purpose-built primary data centre in the Core Science Facility (CSF).

Project quick facts:

Project sponsor: Alison Randell, chief information officer
Start date: Construction package awarded to RCS Construction in March 2026
Status: Under construction
Location: Core Science Facility (CSF), Level 1, Pavilion A
Project size (square metres): ~315m²
Expected substantial completion date: Q4 2028
General contractor: RCS Construction
Design consultant: Stantec
Global project budget: $15.2M (funded by deferred maintenance funding received from the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador in Budget 2025-26.

The existing primary data centre in the Henrietta Harvey building (HH) has been in service since the 1980s and is experiencing significant issues. Key environmental control systems are at or near the end of their service life and require replacement (e.g., UPS, rooftop chillers, air-conditioning units). The existing primary data centre in the HH building has been in service since the 1980s and is experiencing significant issues. Key environmental control systems are also at or near the end of their service life and require replacement (e.g., UPS, rooftop chillers, air-conditioning units).

The primary and secondary data centres underpin enterprise services, including wired/wireless networks, communications, internet access, enterprise applications, storage, backups, and broader IT service delivery across campuses. A failure could be detrimental to internet connectivity, university applications, and federal research networks. An Internal Audit Data Centre Review (completed April 2, 2019) identified the need for an enterprise data centre model and purpose-built infrastructure, and the project aligns with this direction and with ongoing consolidation of IT services into OCIO facilities.