The two companies have entered into a new and exciting collaboration. CGI has contributed mainly through marketing up until this point. The new agreement entails establishing the world's most sustainable data center in Stavanger in Norway.
CGI Group is a large international consulting company with employees worldwide. They have offices in Norway, including Trondheim, Stavanger, and Oslo, where Green Edge plans to build a new generation of green, edge data centers. The first data center in Trondheim is being installed as we speak.
– CGI is a perfect match as a partner, says senior business advisor in Green Edge Compute, Jan Georg Larsen.
- Read more about: IT Consultancy Firm CGI Norway Partners with Green Edge Compute
CGI will monitor the networks
– The agreement we had was mainly a market collaboration, where CGI contributed to marketing Green Edge Compute's solutions to their existing and potential customers. The partnership has been very successful. Therefore, we wanted to expand the agreement, says Larsen.
Green Edge Compute will establish a new data center in Stavanger. The data center will be found in the same building at Bjergsted, where CGI has offices today. According to the agreement, CGI will expand the NOC (a Network Operating Center) they already have so that it can monitor Green Edge's data centers.
The data center in Stavanger already has several customers who will use it at start-up. These customers are brought in through CGI's marketing apparatus. CGI and Green Edge will work closely together during the data center's establishment and operational phase through the NOC.
A valuable collaboration
– CGI has a portfolio and a customer base that has contributed to giving Green Edge Computes innovative data center concept visibility. We have accessed a large market of potential customers. This is very important to us, says Larsen and adds:
– The agreement is now extended and will include establishing the data center and the NOC in Stavanger. This collaboration provides even greater value to both companies. We are pleased about the new, extended agreement, says senior business advisor at Green Edge Compute, Jan Georg Larsen.
The partnership aims to make Green Edge Compute's green data centers known and established throughout Norway and eventually internationally. CGI has 80 000 employees in locations worldwide. There are 650 employees in Norway at eight different locations.
Energy Director at CGI Norway, Paul Fiskaaen, says the focus on sustainable energy is the main reason they wanted to expand the collaboration with Green Edge Compute.
– The timing is perfect
– The timing of Green Edge Computes data center project is perfect. It is critical to balance the energy consumption in the world. Few people know how big a slice the IT industry consumes. The industry uses about 3% of the global energy resources, and most of the energy is used to cool components. Green Edge's concept reduces energy consumption, and the excess heat can be utilized in district heating systems. It is a fantastic opportunity for us to be part of this innovative and future-forward project, says Fiskaaen.
Entering into partnerships with other prominent players in the industry has been Green Edge Compute's strategy from the start.
– We do not want to build a sizeable internal organization. Instead, we will expand by entering into strategic partnerships with established, reputable industry players. The extended agreement with CGI demonstrates that we practice what we preach, says Jan Georg Larsen.
The agreement with CGI is not exclusive. Customers will also be brought into the new data center through other channels and directly from Green Edge Compute's own sales channels.
- Read more about: Why datacentres must innovate to waste less electricity
– We have an obligation to the environment
– It is a great advantage that we do not have to establish a NOC independently. CGI already has a NOC for its customers, which will be expanded to accommodate the new customers. The expansion means that the NOC can also be used by customers not affiliated with CGI, says Larsen.
Green Edge Computes data centers have a green profile and uses existing buildings in urban areas to be sustainable. In line with this, the new data center in Stavanger will be co-located in the current premises of CGI at Bjergsted.
– Participating in building a green edge data center hits the core of what CGI is all about. We have an obligation to the environment, our customers, and our employees to contribute to more balanced energy use. Building green, sustainable data centers that use future-forward technology is right up our alley, says CGI's director of energy, Paul Fiskaaen.
The new data center will be co-located here at Bjergsted in the current premises of CGI.
Aims to become a key player
Jan Georg Larsen in Green Edge Compute adds:
– By establishing ourselves in Stavanger, we are closer to a large market in the energy/oil and gas sector. This market will need significant data processing capacity close to where the data originates.
Larsen concludes:
– With our sustainable concept based on cutting-edge technology, we are well-positioned to become a key player in the new and more environmentally friendly data center industry.
