Novva Data Centers plans to build a 300 MW campus on 160 acres in Mesa, Ariz. The company is slated to invest more than $3 billion, in two phases, over the next decade. The campus is Novva’s sixth and its first entry into Arizona.
Plans call for a first, 96 MW first phase, scheduled to deliver in late 2026. On completion, the campus will encompass five data halls, an office building and warehouse with a total footprint of 1.3 million square, off the 202 loop at Ellsworth and Warner roads.
The facility’s design will include a water-free air-cooling system, which Novva estimates will conserve up to 650 million gallons of potable water each year and avoid the discharge of about 350 million gallons of wastewater.
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The campus reportedly will also feature:
- High-density deployments designed for direct-to-chip cooling applications, with liquid (non-water) cooling and air-cooling systems.
- Backup diesel generators designed to operate using second-generation biofuel and hydrotreated vegetable oil to reduce emissions.
- Heat-reducing asphalt sealant and ultra-reflective coatings to reflect more sunlight and reduce the heat island effect.
- Robot and drone surveillance programmed specifically for data center security.
The data halls will be oriented east-west to minimize the effects of solar exposure. Xeriscaping will emphasize native plants and downward lighting to minimize light pollution.
The campus will offer multiple outdoor gathering spaces and trails, for both employees and neighboring residents. In recognition of the pre-Columbian indigenous Hohokam people, the site will feature architectural details such as rammed-earth materials.
Phoenix, data center hot spot
Mesa will be Novva’s sixth location and joins campuses in West Jordan, Utah; Colorado Springs, Colorado; Reno, Nevada; Las Vegas; and San Francisco. This Mesa campus by Novva is one more part of Phoenix’s growth into what could become one of the world’s largest data center markets.
Metro Phoenix saw 148 MW of net data center absorption in the first half of this year and has 334 MW under construction, both figures in the context of a current inventory totaling 511 MW, according to a brand-new report from CBRE.
Overall vacancy was just 3.3 percent, CBRE reported, and lease renewal rents have increased by up to 20 percent.