Pulsant Edinburgh South Gyle (SC-1) Data Centre
Located in a business park in the west of Edinburgh, the Pulsant South Gyle SC-1 data centre is a significant digital infrastructure hub for Scotland. It serves as a central point for regional connectivity, providing the physical space and power required to support cloud services, data storage, and high-speed internet traffic.
Infrastructure and Power
The data centre is designed to provide high levels of reliability and service continuity. It operates with a total IT power capacity of 3.4 MW, supported by a 6.0 MW incoming supply.
To prevent service interruptions, the facility uses a 2N uninterruptible power supply (UPS) system. In the event of a mains power failure, N+1 standby generators are ready - supported by fuel stored on-site. The cooling systems utilise a combination of chilled water and free air cooling to maintain optimal operating temperatures for hardware.
Security and Standards
Physical security is maintained 24 hours a day by on-site personnel. The facility is monitored by 360-degree CCTV coverage. Access to the data halls requires dual-factor authentication - including both keycards and biometric scanners.
The facility meets several international standards for management and security:
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ISO 27001 for information security.
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ISO 9001 for quality management.
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PCI DSS compliant for the physical security of payment card data.
Environmental Sustainability
The SC-1 facility is powered by 100% renewable energy and is certified to the ISO 50001 standard for energy management. This certification ensures that the site follows a systematic approach to achieving continual improvement in energy performance and efficiency.
The facility is also certified to ISO 14001 for environmental management. Recent upgrades to the power infrastructure at the South Gyle site have been implemented to further improve its Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE). PUE is a metric that measures how much power is used by the actual computing equipment compared to the overhead of cooling and lighting. PUE at this facility is typically targeted within the 1.2 to 1.4 range, which is usually achieved by utilising free air cooling - taking advantage of the local climate - and modern efficient UPS systems to minimise energy waste.
Connectivity and Network Access
The facility is a long-established primary connectivity inter-connect point for network traffic in Scotland. It houses LINX Scotland - the dedicated regional internet exchange - which allows internet service providers to exchange traffic locally with low-latency rather than routing it through London. The site provides access to over 29 different telecommunications carriers, including Tier-1 networks and connectivity on diversely routed fiber paths.
