Russian engineering systems integrator DataDome has launched what it describes as the first commercial data center in Kyrgyzstan, in the capital city of Bishkek.

The project received $1 million of funding from the Russian-Kyrgyz Development Fund (RKDF) to build the 500kW, Tier III-quality facility.

The facility will be operated by DataTime, a new local data center operator. Plans for the project were first announced in April last year.

“Currently, our data center has 100 server racks, which allows us to store data in the amount of 100,000 petabytes. In the future, we plan to expand and purchase an additional 50 racks,” said Yan Ilnitsky, deputy general director of DataTime.

The data center will store the data of government agencies and commercial organizations, covering 20 percent of the country’s storage needs. Other specifications of the facility have not yet been shared.

Ilnitsky added: “We provide not only services for renting dedicated servers, but also for colocation - hosting our own servers and equipment. The data center can also be used as a backup site for storing critical data.”

RKDF said the data center market in the EAEU region is estimated at $400 million, adding that the construction of the new facility will reduce the inequality of digital infrastructure in the region.

Artem Novikov, chairman of the board of the RKDF, said: “IT is one of the most important areas of the fund’s activities within the framework of the strategy until 2027. We hope that in the next four to five years, Kyrgyzstan will be able to 100 percent meet the need for information storage using its own facilities located on our territory.”

Founded in 2000, DataDome provides data center design, commissioning, and of engineering systems services and mainly operates within Russia. In 2021, the company built a small facility in the remote Russian city of Chita for Rostelecom.

Since then, it has also helped Russian operator Relcom Data with a new data center module in Moscow, another for the Key Systems and Components group in Tver, two for mobile operator Tele2 in Rostov-on-Don, and one for Russian TV channel STS in Moscow.

There is limited information available on local operator DataTime, however, according to Osso.kg the company was registered in 2022 by Pavel Treskunov and Sergei Shurshalin. Treskunov has assumed the role of director.