The University of Wisconsin – Madison would like to contract for data center colocation facility services for hosting a growing portfolio of high-density research computing, mission critical administrative services and a diverse array of other UW School, College, and Divisional hosts. This space (or spaces) is envisioned as a shell capable of hosting an initial power load of approximately 2.5 MW in the first three years with ability to scale up to approximately 5 MW within 5-10 years. Rack power densities are anticipated to range initially from between 10-20kW to upwards of 50-70kW or more within a decade. Cooling technology is expected to include traditional air to air and direct liquid cooling. Options for space and power scaling, and guaranteed future capacity, are of interest and should be part of the information provided, ideally with right-of-first-refusal for space adjoining the primary environment. Time to solution delivery proposed should also be included in the response. Equipment to be housed in this facility includes a range of server, storage and backup devices requiring a varying level of access by pre-qualified university employees. We also require the provisioning of securable separate space located in a data center facility. The space to be occupied by the University of Wisconsin needs to be separated from other occupants in the data center. Separation at the rack level is generally agreed to be adequate for most hosting requirements but options for greater compartmentalization and segregation of space from other tenants should be described (e.g. Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility - SCIF, secure sub-enclosure - fence or similar, etc.).
