The new data hall is expected to give live at the end of the year and will provide mixed density support for the university's research requirements.

University infrastructure services director, Peter Sack, told the demand for technology-dependent research was increasing across Australia.

"We didn't really have the capacity for research computing," he said. Sack chose an IBM high-density cooling solution for the new data centre, known as Data Hall 2, with a rear-door heating exchanger set to save the university money and precious electricity costs through efficient cooling.

"There are very few moving parts and the power consumption is lower and the costs were lower," he said. "The university has a commitment to sustainability and we wanted to have an effective solution as we could... but that also translates to the less power used -- the decision was about both the cost and the environment."

The mixed density computing environment will be bolstered by a three-year service agreement with IBM support, with Sack saying that the exchanger can generate up to 26kw of heat in a rack.