A prototype next-generation data center recently installed at an electric substation will soon provide consumers with unprecedented, reliable, grid-connected power performance thanks to Valley-based companies Salt River Project (SRP) and BASELAYER.

SRP DataStation will commence operations this week, with a ribbon-cutting scheduled for 8 a.m. tomorrow morning at an SRP substation in Gilbert.

SRP has committed to powering the DataStation with 100 percent renewable energy through its Renewable Energy Credit program, an initiative available to all SRP commercial customers dedicated to sustainability.

BASELAYER, an advanced modular data center hardware and software company, and SRP have created a unique partnership with the mutual goal of increasing efficiency and reducing energy consumption. The DataStation will eliminate the need for overhead power lines in both commercial and residential areas along with the need to build new power lines and reduce the infrastructure’s complexity.

"Even though this is a pilot project, we believe the SRP DataStation will be a game changer," SRP's General Manager and CEO Mark Bonsall said. "DataStations are really quite a revolutionary concept, and we are pleased that BASELAYER joined with us to bring this idea to life."

Anticipating that DataStations will play a critical role in tomorrow’s computing grid, SRP plans to locate them where utilities intersect easily with telecommunications. If the prototype performs as planned, SRP DataStations could be available for commercial placement of modular data centers in the near future.

BASELAYER CEO William Slessman said his company "shares SRP's vision for delivering the most reliable, most efficient data center capacity available anywhere. SRP is truly setting a new standard for data centers that will enable continued growth in this critical industry while minimizing the cost and inconvenience of new transmission infrastructure."

Tempe-based SRP is the oldest multipurpose federal reclamation project in the United States. The utility has served Central Arizona since 1903, nearly 10 years before Arizona became the 48th state.