More data centres in Gujarat

After announcing the state data centre (SDC) at Gandhinagar, Gujarat will now be setting up five to six more satellite data centres in the state.

A data centre houses computer systems and associate components such as telecommunications and storage systems.

The centre also includes backup power supplies, redundant data communication connections and special security devices. The state has identified regions like Mehsana, Saurashtra and south Gujarat for setting up these data centers to ease network load and facilitate local e-governance.

Being satellite, the average size of the data centres will not be more than 1,000 square feet. While the SDC is nearing completion and is likely to be commissioned in couple of months, work on the satellite data centres is yet to begin, said Raj Kumar, secretary, department of science and technology (DST), government of Gujarat.

"As per our plans to set up satellite data centres in specified regions, we have identified districts like Surat, Vadodara, Rajkot and Mehsana for the same. Meanwhile, work on the other data centres will also begin soon," said Rajkumar.

Spread across an area of 6,000 square feet, the SDC is being developed at a project cost of Rs 100 crore by the IT division of Gujarat Narmada valley fertilisers corporation (GNFC), nCode Solutions. Later, the government will be adding up another 4,000 square feet to take the total area to 10,000 square feet.

As announced by the Centre for setting up SDCs, after Tamil Nadu, Gujarat is the only other state to have received a grant of Rs 50 crore for Gandhinagar SDC. However, for the rest of the data centres, each of which will cost anything between Rs 1-1.5 crore, the state will have to spend on its own, Rajkumar added.