60 jobs to be created as tech firm unveils plans for £5m data centre in Hull

Internet firm Connexin has unveiled plans to build a £5m data centre, which has been specially designed to help Hull become one of the UK’s leading smart cities.

When the facility opens in December, it will create 60 new jobs including engineers, technicians, sales staff and event managers.

Called CXNDC, the data centre will create new opportunities for local businesses and technology firms. The 200+ rack facility has been designed to ‘tier-3’ reliability specifications and will bring more than 40,000 Mbps of internet connectivity to the region.

Furqan Alamgir, Connexin CEO, said: “Hull is not hanging about in its race to become a smart city. Our investment is real, it’s happening and this state of the art data centre is proof of that. Hull is advancing technologically at pace and it’s a privilege to be part of it.”

Connexin has applied for planning permission with East Riding of Yorkshire Council to develop the facility on a 1.2-acre site at Bridgehead Business Park and has approached the Humber Local Enterprise Partnership’s funding programmes for support with the project costs.

The data centre will also be the home for Connexin’s headquarters, which will include a cafe, 50+ seat auditorium for presentations and screenings, and a video conferencing suite.

David Donkin, property director at Wykeland, added: “Bridgehead is fast becoming the premier business location in the region and we are delighted Connexin have chosen Bridgehead to locate their new Data Centre and Head Office there. It will be a fantastic addition and facility on the Business Park”.

The data centre will offer businesses the option of managed or co-located facilities. Most of the centre’s capacity has already been acquired by business customers in the region, but more is being added and the facility is open for new business enquiries.