LCL invests €30 million in fifth data center in Diegem

An additional data center space to support the digital economy

Diegem, 10 April 2024 – Data center specialist LCL is to expand the region’s most connected data center, LCL Brussels-North, in order to continue to support the growing digital economy. A total of €30 million will be invested. The design of the new Tier III data center has already been certified by the renowned Uptime Institute.

There are already four data centers in Diegem, and they will be joined in the next two years by a fifth data center.

Expansion of best-connected data center hub 

LCL Data Centers specifically chose its data center complex in Diegem for the additional data center space. LCL has consciously decided that the brand-new data center will not be fully equipped at first. This will allow the data center company to shift gear quickly and meet the specific accommodation needs of new customers, which is in keeping with LCL’s decision to opt for a customer intimacy strategy.

‘LCL Brussels-North is a hub through which all Belgian internet traffic flows, and that makes it the region’s best connected data center complex’, said Laurens van Reijen, managing director of LCL Data Centers. ‘It can be considered the beating heart of the digital economy. Adding another data center will enable us to continue to support society’s growing digitalisation.’ 

The €30 million investment will make LCL even more appealing to customers wanting to accommodate their IT infrastructure at LCL Brussels-North. A number of customers have already reserved racks at this new data center.

Tier III Design Certification 

The design of the new data center in Diegem was Tier III certified by Uptime Institute. This involved checking the entire design (including all calculations) to ensure conformity with Uptime Institute’s Tier III criteria.  

Sustainability is the key to the future

LCL is also at the forefront of the sector when it comes to sustainability. 

More and more data center space is required due to the growing use of AI and the computational processing power AI requires, in particular the associated infrastructure and cloud resources. Moreover, because computer infrastructure consumes energy, LCL is constantly thinking about sustainable solutions. Among other things, the data center company is upgrading its cooling installations and is considering alternative cooling methods with a view to further reducing the CO₂ emissions of its data centers. 

LCL currently uses air to cool its data center spaces, but this will cease to be sufficient at a certain point in time. The data center company is now looking into the possibility of using liquid cooling to achieve greater energy efficiency. LCL has also been devoting attention to the topic of heat recovery.

‘Our ambition remains the same: to become the largest data center operator in Belgium. We intend to grow in a sustainable way, however. And we will also continue to opt for a customer intimacy strategy, which will enable us to achieve sustained growth ’, Laurens van Reijen concluded. 

Facts and figures 

• An investment of €30 in a new data center;
• Choice of 41 telecom operators; 
• Workforce made up of 46 LCL employees;
• Upgrading of cooling installations to reduce CO₂ emissions.

Note to editors:

If you would like to receive further information or arrange an interview, please call Aurélie Decoster at Luna on +32 495 59 38 00 (mobile) or send an email to aurelie@luna.be.

About LCL

LCL has many years’ experience and know-how in the field of data centers and colocation, which it offers to customers and partners. The company has five independent data centers: Aalst (LCL Brussels-West), Antwerp (LCL Antwerp), Diegem (LCL Brussels-North), Gembloux (LCL Wallonia One) and Huizingen (LCL Brussels-South). Thanks to its dynamic team and its service reputation, LCL has grown over the years into a company that offers services to customers active in almost every business sector.

Multinationals, small and medium-sized companies, authorities, internet companies and telecom operators all rely on LCL’s services. Customers have a choice of 40 carriers and the LCL Cloud Exchange for optimal connectivity. The company is Tier III certified and complies with ISO 27001, ISO 45001 and ISO 9001. LCL is committed to the most ambitious SBTi target and is ISO 14001 certified. In addition, LCL holds ISAE 3000 and ISAE 3402 type II reports and has TIA-942 Rated-3 Facilities certification.

For more information, visit: https://www.lcl.be/en/