Data center provider Ascent is investing US$85m in building a colocation data center in St Louis, Missouri.

The St Louis data center (STL1) will feature Ascent’s Dynamic Data Center Suite which offers large-scale, hyper-entitled data center development to end-users.

STL1 is designed to provide high flexibility and scalable data center infrastructure necessary for local enterprises and the growing biotechnology, life sciences and start-up sectors.

It will be built over 15 acres and will boast 10+ MVA.

STL1 is located close to medical and medical research facilities, academic research institutions and a variety of businesses.

Ascent said the facility will be similar to its CH2 and CH3 data centers in Chicago. It will offer rack-ready, purpose-built, customizable and autonomous suites as well as shared infrastructure.

The building has been designed with a hardened building shell to withstand tornado wind speeds which Ascent said is essential for the continuity of SLT1’s operations in the region.

Ascent’s CEO Phil Horstmann said as a St. Louis-based company it is excited to play an integral role in the city’s continued advancement for innovation.

“Finding a site at the epicenter of numerous and diverse fiber providers, redundant power and near the sprawling tech corridor, makes this development a prime location for businesses,” Horstmann said.