Lefdal Mine Datacenter AS (LMD) is the strategic home for our data centre needs, supporting the national storage system, NIRD, and paving the way for future national supercomputers.
Placed within the depths of a disused mine in picturesque West Norway, Lefdal Mine Datacenter offers a unique blend of security and sustainability, making it an ideal setting for our critical national e-infrastructure systems.
Mine turned data centre
LMD uses the old Lefdal mine facilities located between Måløy and Nordfjordeid in Vestland county. This provides very high general and physical security for the computer systems placed there. The mine was previously used for the extraction of olivine.
Our commitment to environmental responsibility is at the heart of our e-infrastructure solutions. With every new acquisition, we prioritise eco-friendly practices. Our systems are powered by clean, green energy, and we harness the cooling waters of the fjord. It's not just about technology; it's about a sustainable, forward-looking future.
The first supercomputer is expected to be installed at the data centre in 2025. The existing national e-infrastructure systems are located at our partner universities and will remain there until they go out of service.
Establishing Advanced Computing Infrastructure at Lefdal Mine Datacenter
We are signing a contract for installing our first supercomputer in this data centre. This supercomputer is currently referred to as "A2". The water-cooled racks will be in the hall, while the air-cooled racks for near-storage and administration will be positioned in a deeper POD within the hall.
We aim to provide sufficient computing power for Norwegian research environments and other interested parties.
The sketch above illustrates the setup that Sigma2 is currently establishing at the Lefdal Mine Datacenter. The three white containers are home to our NIRD storage solution, which has been operational since 2022. Behind 'A2', there is space allocated for the future 'B2' and 'A3', as well as AI systems. These offer expansion capacity for the coming years.
LMD proudly partners with local businesses in West Norway, contributing significantly to the region's economic growth.
Boosting local business
High-performance computer systems such as national supercomputers generate a lot of excess heat as the processors almost always reach 100% utilisation, day and night. The surplus energy provides considerable heat and requires cooling to avoid overheating. Data centres such as LMD, located close to a fjord, have a low energy cost for cooling because cold water can be taken from the fjord and the return water can be reused.
LMD has signed an agreement with Sjømatstaden, which operates marine food production nearby and will use return water from the data centre in its production.
Together with several other major customers at LMD who produce a significant amount of surplus heat, Sigma2 contributes to the sustainable reuse of energy from the data center.
News and activities
HPE has won the contract to deliver our next HPC system (2024)
- Press release (28 May 2024) Huge contract awarded: Norway`s next supercomputer is coming soon
Inauguration of NIRD: Norwegian research data secured in an old mine (2022)
Sigma2 acquires new national storage infrastructure (2022)
Sigma2 chooses a national provider of data centre (2021)
