SURF is moving a significant part of its network from a commercial data center to the data center of Nikhef, one of its cooperative members and scientific partners. The move is in line with the cooperation’s aim to achieve greater independence, sustainability, and collaboration.
SURF is the ICT collaboration of Dutch research and educational institutions. Nikhef is a member of SURF. Until now, part of the core of the SURF network was located in the data center of a private party.
By moving the routers to the data center of Nikhef, the National Institute for Subatomic Physics located at Amsterdam Science Park, SURF is consciously choosing to collaborate within its own community. Nikhef shares SURF’s mission: to support scientific research and education with advanced technology.
Freedom of choice
The switch means less dependence on commercial players, offers more freedom of choice, and fits seamlessly with the pursuit of greater digital autonomy. In addition, the Nikhef data center is unique because the internet in the Netherlands originated at Amsterdam Science Park. Nikhef is the only one to continue to operate a fully autonomous data center where users can connect with the whole world.
This international connectivity is one of the reasons for moving the heart of the SURF network to Nikhef. Sustainability also plays an important role. The Nikhef data center uses residual heat to heat both its own building and student housing—a fine example of responsible energy use.
Shared ambition
What makes the collaboration extra special is that Nikhef is not a traditional data center company. However, Nikhef manages its data center with the same dedication with which it conducts its scientific research. In addition to its research work, it also has a branch that professionally runs the data center. This department was created out of the need to optimally facilitate experiments with the best possible technology and infrastructure.
A recent expansion of the Nikhef data center means that space is now also available for other parties with the same vision on research. “This shared ambition makes our collaboration even more valuable: together we are building the future of research and education,” says SURF.
Nikhef Institute Manager Arjen van Rijn says he is happy and proud of this step. “This strengthens our already solid collaboration in the field of information technology and infrastructure, which has been bearing fruit for more than three decades.”
Core setup
The Nikhef location is expected to be operational by the end of 2025. From then on, the heart of the SURF network will be relocated in several phases over a period of two years. Ultimately, the current core setup of SURFnet8 will be dismantled by the commercial party.
The affiliated institutions and users will not notice the actual move, as it will take place behind the scenes. However, they will eventually benefit from the advantages of the new SURF network setup, with a high-quality, reliable, flexible, and intelligent network infrastructure that is optimally connected worldwide. “This is the next step in our work to create a future-proof network for research and education in the Netherlands,” says SURF.
