Unified National Networks Sdn Bhd (UNN) has started construction of a new 51,000-square-feet data center at the UNN Tungku Submarine Landing Station in Brunei.
The groundbreaking ceremony was held on Thursday. The new facility is expected to finish within five months, with plans to open by early 2024, according to local news report.
The data centre will host data and information technology services and is designed to be an eco-efficient infrastructure. UNN is in collaboration with Vertiv to design and construct the data center. The design of the prefabricated modular data center consists of 200 racks and is built to minimize emissions.
The Brunei government currently owns one data center in the country and is operated by UNN, a company fully owned by the state. UNN was established in the latter part of 2018 with the primary purpose of providing wholesale telecommunication services.
Brunei has been actively pursuing its digitisation roadmap, making significant strides in the telecommunications sector in the past two years. In April 2021, the country initiated a 5G pilot project to showcase the capabilities of a 5G proof-of-concept network. Subsequently, on June 22, 2023, three prominent retail telecommunication providers – DST, Imagine, and Progresif, launched 5G services nationwide.
Situated in Southeast Asia, Brunei is positioned on the northern coast of the island of Borneo. It shares its borders with the Malaysian state of Sarawak and is located along the coastline of the South China Sea.
In neighbouring Sarawak, Cyclect Group, in partnership with TSG Group, recently launched FutureData Sdn Bhd, a Sarawak-Singapore consortium, with the objective of developing a green data center in Kota Samarahan. The 200MW carbon neutral data center is expected to utilize energy-efficient technologies. The green data center is reportedly constructed on a built-to-suit model, meaning the facility’s tenant is the sole occupant.
