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Major grocery chain moves to the cloud
Polcom has been present on the IT market for over 30 years. It develops IT outsourcing services, including cloud computing and data center for business clients. The services are used by trading companies such as Carrefour, VRG, e-commerce – Allego, or the gastronomy segment, which migrate part of their operations to the cloud. In 2010, the company opened its first data center in Skawina near Krakow, five years later a twin center in Alwernia on the highway connecting Krakow with Katowice. Today, Polcom's revenues amount to approx. PLN 90 million, and the forecasted growth this year is 21%.
– From the point of view of the development of our company, the most important thing is our customers – for years we have been trying to anticipate their needs. Every investment we have made so far has been dictated by specific market expectations. The same is true for the next data centers – by the end of 2026 we want to put into operation one of the two planned data centers, which will allow us to provide efficient cloud services for our customers, and will also allow us to provide scalable infrastructure for platforms using AI or Machine Learning – says Marcin Gwóźdź, President of Polcom.
Increased investment budget of Polcom
In March this year, the company announced plans to develop cloud services. 70% of Polcom's investment budget is allocated to product development, from the main service platform for customers – Polcom Cloud – through systems supporting IT infrastructure, to strengthening the level of cybersecurity.
– The dynamic market situation requires an equally dynamic response from us. We see an increasing demand for cloud computing services for business, as well as an increasingly frequent need for customers to use high-density IT systems, especially for projects related to AI or machine learning. That is why we have updated Polcom's development plan. It includes the construction of two new data centers for the needs of our key services such as Polcom Cloud and the development of new services dedicated to projects developed, among others, based on artificial intelligence. Investment outlays for this purpose until 2026 amount to PLN 100 million – indicates Marcin Gwóźdź.
Polcom will build two new data centers from scratch and provide a new service platform, Polcom AI Cloud, dedicated to companies processing large amounts of data and requiring advanced computing systems.
– We want to provide our clients from all industries with a stable and efficient IT infrastructure that will be scalable and will allow for the optimization of the use of computing power in projects requiring high power density. On the other hand, we intend to continue the strategy of developing current services – emphasizes Wiesław Wilk, Vice President of the Management Board of Polcom.
Cloud for business also for AI and Machine Learning
The first stage of the investment is to make the Polcom AI Cloud platform available to business customers, which will happen by the end of 2024. The service will allow the use of infrastructure for high power density calculations in the settlement for actual consumption. Such a model will affect better resource utilization and optimization of costs of projects using artificial intelligence.
– Polcom AI Cloud is a fusion of two breakthrough technologies – artificial intelligence and cloud computing. It will provide companies with an AI platform in a service model, without the need for expensive investments – emphasizes Wiesław Wilk.
By the end of 2024, the Polcom AI Cloud service will provide 190,000 CUDA cores. In the following years, intensive development of the platform is planned using two new data processing centers, DC3 and DC4.
– The next stage of the investment involves the construction of two data centers. Both centers with a total capacity of 44 MW have been designed to meet even the most demanding challenges of our clients, but also to provide an appropriate environment for solutions related to AI and ML. By the end of 2026, the first data center – DC3 – will be delivered, which will be ready to provide cloud computing services, disaster recovery and other business services, but also to maintain high-density energy solutions, where the loads will be 20 times greater than those currently encountered on the data center market – comments Wiesław Wilk.
An important element of the investment will be its own photovoltaic farm (photo: press materials)
Data Center III generation for the challenges of the future
The new centers have been designed according to the latest industry standards and based on Polcom's previous experience. The centers will be constructed using prestressed concrete, and each building will consist of three floors and 6 dedicated server chambers. The chambers will be 300 m2 each and will have no columns supporting the ceiling. Each chamber will be able to accept power up to 2.4 MW and will have a dedicated power and cooling system, allowing for the delivery of up to 100 kW per RACK cabinet in an energy- and cost-effective manner. Thanks to this, the company will be able to serve all customers, including those with high power density requirements for the most demanding projects.
To ensure this, the power distribution and cooling systems were redesigned. The new cooling systems assume its adaptation to the increased demand for electricity consumption and preparation of the infrastructure for the appropriate removal of the heat generated in this way. For this purpose, hybrid cooling using air and Direct Liquid Cooling technology, which Polcom has been using since 2015, was used. Another important element are dedicated automation systems designed by the company, allowing for the prediction of events, which in high power density systems is essential for ensuring uninterrupted operation of the center and maintaining optimal operating parameters.
Invariably, based on previous experience, both centers will be characterized by the highest safety standards. The centers will use physical protection, fire protection and monitoring systems proven in previous investments. The new data centers will meet the highest Polish and international quality and safety standards such as ISO 9001, ISO 27001 and ISO 27017.
Green data center
An important element of the investment will be its own photovoltaic farm. Efficient resource management, use of energy-saving technologies and development of its own sources of green energy, such as photovoltaic farms, are an important step towards sustainable development and minimizing the carbon footprint in Polcom.
– For us, this is a natural step, because in 2019 we invested PLN 9 million in renewable energy sources. This is a key aspect for many of our clients, especially corporate ones. The new investment combines understanding of the needs related to high energy efficiency, while simultaneously caring for the natural environment and reducing carbon dioxide emissions. An additional advantage for us is that we are also becoming independent from transmission network failures – assesses Robert Czarniewski, Vice President and CFO of Polcom.
The investment will help the company not only meet contemporary challenges and strengthen its market position, but also meet the expectations of the most demanding customers.
– Our actions are dictated by the needs of the market. As our latest study shows, cloud computing remains in the circle of interest of IT managers – 62% of enterprises plan to invest in this area by the end of 2026. The main reasons are higher scalability (73%) and efficiency (56%) of resources provided by external suppliers. In my opinion, it is the development of new technologies, the possibility of reaching for safe and scalable solutions supporting business development and appropriate specialization that will shape the cloud services market in the coming years – emphasizes Robert Czarniewski.