The 300MW technology campus will feature water-free cooling, rainfall capture, solar energy, dark sky lighting, atmospheric water generation and dedicated acreage offering public pathways for the community
Novva Data Centers, a data centre company providing purpose-built facilities, has announced plans to build a 300MW data centre campus on 160 acres of land outside of the 202 loop at the northwest alignment of Ellsworth and Warner roads in South East Mesa.
Novva acquired the acreage via a state land auction in August 2023.
The campus is Novva’s sixth site and first entry into the state of Arizona. The data centre provider will invest more than US$3 billion to build the campus in two phases over the next decade.
Novva predicts the project will take 10 million human hours to construct, and the first phase, with 96MW of critical IT load, will launch in late 2026.
Novva’s characteristic sustainability-first principles will make the facility unlike any other currently under construction in the area. Once complete, the facility will feature five data halls, an office building and a warehouse with a footprint of 1.3 million square feet and will employ an estimated 200 people.
Buildings feature site-sensitive architectural details like rammed earth materials, as well as a tribute to the Hohokam people who inhabited the area and built early aqueducts – an invention that many of the Salt River canals still follow today.
“Innovation is timeless, and we hope to continue in that same pursuit,” said Wes Swenson, CEO of Novva Data Centers.
An abundance of outdoor gathering spaces and trails – available for pedestrians, employees and neighbouring residents – contribute to the campus’ low-impact, harmonious design. Novva has taken great care to design the development to a high standard. Muted colours connect to the land and evoke calm. Patterns and shadows, created by natural light and apertures, enhance this effect.
The data centre will be designed to the greatest energy efficiency standards and host numerous advancements in data centre design. Data halls are oriented east and west to minimise the impact of solar exposure. Each data hall includes office space providing variety and visual interest. Xeriscape will feature native plants and downward lighting to enhance the property and minimise light pollution.
Another standout feature of the Mesa campus is Novva’s innovative water-free air-cooling system, which is projected to conserve up to 650 million gallons of culinary water each year – an impressive advancement over traditional evaporative cooling methods. Beyond water conservation, this system is designed to ease the burden on municipal and agricultural water resources.
In contrast, a similarly sized data centre using conventional methods would typically discharge 350 million gallons of wastewater into municipal systems for treatment. Novva’s approach not only saves water but also reduces the strain on essential water infrastructure.
Other features include:
- High-density deployments designed for direct-to-chip cooling applications, with liquid (non-water) cooling and air-cooling systems
- Backup diesel generators will be designed to operate using second-generation biofuel and hydrotreated vegetable oil to reduce emissions
- Chilled water loop uses recyclable polypropylene pipes which are non-reactive, non-corrosive and are a less carbon-intensive product than traditional steel pipe
- Heat-reducing asphalt sealant and ultra-reflective coatings will reflect more sunlight. This will absorb less heat and reduce the heat island effect typical of large industrial areas
- Rainwater capture will be implemented to offset the water needs while the installed desert-lush landscaping becomes established
- Robot and drone surveillance programmed specifically for data centre security
Based on the high-quality materials, construction methods and design features, Novva predicts the facility will be operable for the next 50+ years without any major reconstruction.
“Building sustainably, preserving natural resources, and ensuring that we are addressing community concerns are our top priorities as we begin our Mesa data centre project,” added Swenson. “Novva Mesa will employ the latest technology to help us reach ambitious goals, such as 100% renewable energy use and drastically less water use when compared to a typical data centre.”
Mesa is the sixth location announced by Novva and complements the company’s ever-growing footprint in the Western US. Novva has campuses in West Jordan, Utah; Colorado Springs, Colorado; Reno, Nevada; Las Vegas and San Francisco.
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