Switch to Build Huge Data Center Campus at Dell HQ Near Austin

Switch wants to be Big in Texas, and two locations are not enough. The data center developer has unveiled plans to build a 1.5 million square foot data center campus adjacent to the Dell Technologies global headquarters in Round Rock.

Last month Switch announced plans to enter the Texas market with the acquisition of Data Foundry for $420 million, which included existing data centers in Austin and Houston and land to expand in both sites.

Switch, a Las Vegas based digital infrastructure company, is super-sizing those plans with the addition of the new campus, which will be built on land it has acquired from Dell. Switch says the Round Rock operation will be the “primary location” of its fifth Prime – Switch’s term for a multi-building data center hub – data center hub, and will be called “The Rock.”

“This is another transformative milestone in the growth of our company to further expand our geographic diversity to the central region of the U.S.,” said Switch Founder and CEO Rob Roy. “To be strategically located alongside the Dell Technologies global headquarters is an opportunity to continue broadening our offerings of the world’s most advanced data center infrastructure to current and future Switch clients.”

Preliminary plans call for Switch to build up to 125 megawatts of data centers on parcels of land bordering Dell’s HQ campus in Round Rock, a suburb about 15 miles north of Austin, and about 25 miles north of the Data Foundry campuses near the Austin airport.

Expanding a Partnership With Dell

The deal illustrates a growing trend for data center providers to work with corporate partners with substantial real estate holdings, creating new options for site selection and accelerated expansion into new markets.

Switch is already partnering with Dell and FedEx to create an edge computing network for enterprise customers, deployed Switch modular data centers on FedEx real estate, with Dell providing hardware and managed services. The land purchase and proximity of the new Switch campus create new opportunities between the two tech innovators.

“Since Dell was founded in 1984, we’ve seen Central Texas grow into a technology and innovation hub to the benefit of the entire community,” said Michael Dell, the CEO and Chairman of Dell Technologies. “With this agreement, we welcome Switch to a wonderful neighborhood and at the same time continue to expand our relationships with leading data center service providers.”

The Data Foundry acquisition provided Switch with properties capable of delivering over 500,000 square feet and 60 megawatts in Austin and Houston. With the new land buys in Round Rock, Switch’s Texas presence can scale to more than 2 million square feet and 185 megawatts of power upon completion.

Switch operates one of the largest cloud campuses in the world at its Las Vegas CORE Campus, where Roy introduced pioneering concepts in high-density cooling and aisle containment, as well as custom multi-mode cooling systems. The company has added three more purpose-built campuses – the Citadel Campus in Reno, the Pyramid Campus in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and the Keep Campus in Atlanta.

Switch expects to begin site preparation and permitting at The Rock Campus in the summer of 2021, and says it intends to continue its industry-leading commitment to sustainability by powering these facilities with 100 percent renewable energy.