Build, own or operate data centers in Iceland

The Icelandic national power company Landsvirkjun has published a new video, explaining how data center operators in Iceland are using clean, renewable energy to power some of the world’s lowest total-cost-of-ownership (TCO) data centers. Landsvirkjun is Iceland’s  largest electricity generator, processing around 75 percent of all electricity used in Iceland. According to a report by BroadGroup Consulting, Iceland is a highly attractive place to locate data centers. BroadGroup‘s, analysis show that on the key issue of power (encompassing everything from costs to quality to regulation) Iceland scores higher than leading global data centre locations such as the US, UK, Sweden, Singapore and Hong Kong. The report states that  power costs for data centers in Iceland can be half of those in Scandinavia, and significantly more competitive than other European countries. And what is even more important, Iceland’s power costs remain very likely to stay much lower than other countries. It is particularly important that data centers constructed in Iceland have the opportunity to cap the prices for ten years or even longer for greenfield projects. In addition to the low prices, it is an important fact that the power in Iceland is 100 percent from renewable sources. Iceland produces electricity using exclusively hydropower, geothermal energy and onshore wind. These are sustainable, environmentally green resources with zero carbon trade-offs. This makes Iceland an ideal location for addressing corporate responsibility considerations. On telecoms, existing connectivity (Greenland Connect, FARICE and DANICE) are being substantially upgraded. Significant new capacity is planned to be added over the next several years. The telecoms pricing attractiveness and strong telecom connections are well illustrated by existing users in Iceland, such as Opera Software. You are welcome to contact us at the Icelandic Energy Portal for more information on building, owning and/or operating data centers in Iceland.