Evoteq, a digital transformation catalyst in the Middle East, and Khazna, the UAE's largest data centre wholesale providers, are collaborating to jointly develop Sharjah's first Tier 3 data centre, which will enable a faster and more efficient digital transformation of the emirate, and its development into a smart city.

Data centres are fast becoming the foundation blocks for enabling smart cities to safeguard business continuity, key operations and data sovereignty, which form the blueprint of smart cities.

Evoteq and Khazna intend to combine their expertise to develop an industry-standard Tier 3 data centre, encompassing high-tech security, fire and environmental control systems, and full redundancy grade power, said Evoteq CEO Jihad Tayara, after signing the deal with Khazna Data Centres CEO Hassan Al Naqbi.

The collaboration is a response to the growing demand for secure, world-class data infrastructure by local and international entities. Target sectors of the new data centre include government departments, banks, universities, enterprises and technology companies, he added.

The agreement was inked in the presence of Sheikh Khalid Al Qassimi, director-general of the Sharjah Department of e-Government Relations; Sheikh Fahim bin Sultan Al Qasimi, executive chairman of Sharjah’s Department of Government Relations; Salim Al Owais, chairman of Evoteq; Badr Al Olama, senior executive of Mubadala; and Khaled Al Huraimel, executive board member of Evoteq.-TradeArabia News Service