Automation provided through data center operations will be at the heart of a new deep sea container port project, which will be the largest in the world when it opens at the end of this year.

Dimension Data has been selected to build and manage the end-to-end next generation data center architecture for the port, which will also include the largest logistics park in Europe as well as a retail park, with the entire park taking up land the size of the City of London.

The London Gateway project, managed by Dubai Ports, will allow next-generation container ships to unload and load millions upon millions of containers from the one site with asset management, labour management and more, all aided by the use of a private cloud set up in the Dimension Data-designed data center.

The new data center will also provide infrastructure for the commercial operations of the port, finance, executive information and terminal operating software, all running off the one Infrastructure-as-a-Service utility platform.

The terminal operating system, once fully deployed, with allow for port processes to be automated making unloading and loading at the port faster than any other UK port.

This will not only help with turnaround of container ships, which can carry about 600 containers each, but with the port’s bottom line, with fines of £1m a day issued if ships are not unloaded.

The use of the terminal operating system will also help the port lower its carbon emissions and power usage compared with that of traditional ports – once again through its efficient delivery of port services.

Dimension Data UK managing director Calvin Goom said to carry out the project, Dimension Data had to build a completely new data center, security solutions and provide network infrastructure and network and solution design support services as well as cable the project.

It also built redundancy into the site, replicating the environment in another virtual machine inside the data center to allow for constant monitoring of container activity and the management of ship slots.

Such levels of redundancy also make it easier to carry out maintenance while ensuring seamless operations at the facility.

“The London Gateway project requires an extensive process of analysis and system integration design to develop the technical solution that will give London Gateway a high level of service, combined with the flexibility for future enhancements and growth,” Goom said.

Good said Dimension Data also integrated Microsoft Applications, CCTV and IP Telephony which will be delivered through a MetroCluster solution – using Cisco and NetApp equipment.

Goom said Dimension Data is currently carrying out extensive testing on the data center before it formally opens at the end of this year.