nLighten (LBA1) Data Center

nLighten’s Leeds data center is strategically positioned within one of Europe’s key economic hubs, serving as a vital node in their edge computing network. Located in the south west of Leeds, the facility offers exceptional logistical advantages, sitting in close proximity to the M62 motorway. This placement ensures that it is highly accessible for local and regional businesses, situated just 15 minutes by car from Leeds train station and approximately 40 minutes from Leeds Bradford Airport. The site also features ample parking and dedicated office space, making it a convenient base for technical teams.

The facility is engineered for high performance computing, boasting a fully built out power capacity of 1,000 kW or 1 MW. Within its 650 square meters of whitespace, the data center supports a maximum power density of 7 kW per rack. This robust energy infrastructure is designed to accommodate a variety of deployment scales, ranging from quarter rack configurations to full private rooms. By balancing significant power availability with a compact, efficient footprint, the Leeds site provides the necessary scalability for modern enterprise workloads.

Maintaining optimal hardware performance, the center utilizes a cooling and humidity design that complies strictly with ASHRAE A1 allowable categories. The cooling system is built with N+1 redundancy, ensuring that even if a cooling unit fails, the remaining equipment can maintain the required thermal environment. Despite its high power output, the facility achieves an impressive Power Usage Effectiveness of 1.29. This reflects nLighten’s commitment to energy efficiency and sustainable operations without compromising on the climate controlled environment necessary for mission critical hardware.

Reliability is the cornerstone of the Leeds facility, which adheres to a Tier 3 design standard to ensure maximum uptime. The standby power system features N+1 redundancy, supported by independent A and B power feeds delivered directly to each cabinet. This dual path power distribution protects against localized failures, ensuring that servers remain operational during maintenance or utility outages. This architecture is specifically designed for businesses that require always on connectivity and cannot afford the risks associated with single point of failure systems.

Security at the nLighten Leeds data center is multi layered, combining physical barriers with advanced technology to protect client assets. The site is monitored by 24/7 CCTV surveillance and employs rigorous access protocols, including biometric and card based access controls. To mitigate environmental risks, the data center area is equipped with an automatic fire detection and suppression system. These integrated safety measures ensure that both the physical hardware and the data it contains are shielded from unauthorized entry and accidental damage.

The Leeds site is a highly regulated environment, maintaining an extensive list of international certifications that validate its operational excellence. It is ISO 27001 for information security, ISO 9001 for quality management, and ISO 14001 for environmental management certified, alongside ISO 22301 and ISO 50001 for business continuity and energy management. Furthermore, the facility meets DSS PCI compliance for financial data and holds both SOC 1 Type I and SOC 2 Type I certifications. These credentials provide clients with the assurance that their infrastructure resides in a facility that meets the highest global standards for security and risk management.

As a carrier neutral hub, the facility offers robust connectivity options, including three peering networks and a dedicated Meet Me Room for seamless interconnection. This connectivity is backed by professional on site services, including Remote Hands support provided by technical staff available 24/7. Whether a client requires shared rackspace footprints, partial cabinets, or full private rooms, the Leeds data center combines high speed networking with expert human support to facilitate smooth, around the clock operations for all colocated equipment.