RUSAL sets up the infrastructure for data center at NAZ

RUSAL starts its data center project development at its Nadvoitsy Aluminium Smelter in the Republic of Karelia.

The data center will focus on providing IT services, including solutions for big data analysis, machine learning, and cryptocurrency mining-related operations.

AA!LAB company has become the first project implementation partner to sign, alongside RUSAL, the Memorandum of Understanding regarding cooperation in the field of digital technologies.

The first phase of the data center project will consist of 5000 computing units, servers and workstations. The equipment will require 6 MW of power supply. The joint project with AA!LAB will be commissioned in 3Q 2018.

The access to renewable energy of Onda HPP and the cold climate of Northern Russia are the factors that positively impact the data center’s infrastructure efficiency. Low outdoor temperatures throughout the year result in reduced energy consumption of the data center cooling system. Additional advantages of the project include the developed engineering infrastructure of RUSAL’s production facility and the tax privileges provided to the residents of the special economic zone in Nadvoitsy.

Alexey Arnautov, UC RUSAL director for new projects, commented: "Currently RUSAL is engaged in negotiations with potential partners to determine the design and capacity of the data center in Nadvoitsy. The Company is ready to re-equip the number of offices within existing facilities of the smelter in order to accommodate servers and network equipment. We have also allocated around 5 hectares of vacant area within the production site perimeter for future needs of the data center’s development”.

He also noted that the implementation of the data canter’s first phase will create more than 20 hi-tech jobs in the region.

Due to the developed power infrastructure of the Nadvoitsy Aluminium Smelter that source energy from Onda HPP (owned by EuroSibEnergo) the data center exceeds Tier 3 security and reliability standards.

The installed capacity of the Onda HPP is 80 MW; the average annual output is 416 million kWh.