Originally posted on Metro Edge
Metro Edge Data Center Development to Anchor Digital Enablement for the IMD
When it comes to fostering groundbreaking medical breakthroughs, the Illinois Medical District (IMD) stands at the forefront, inspiring innovation. Located just two miles from downtown Chicago, the IMD is an ecosystem of enterprises sharing a common mission – to improve the health of people worldwide. Dedicated digital infrastructure is coming to this master-planned community – a data center solution specifically designed for today’s burgeoning digital needs with tomorrow’s vision in mind.
The IMD is a special-use zoning district consisting of 560-acres of medical research facilities, labs, biotech business incubators, universities, and more than 40 healthcare related facilities. The IMD is the second largest medical district in the country serving over 80,000 visitors daily, including 29,000 employees. Metro Edge’s development is the exclusive data center development in the IMD, with the ability to anchor digital infrastructure for the entire IMD ecosystem.
Why the IMD Is the Epicenter of Healthcare Innovation
The IMD is home to a dense concentration of world-renowned medical institutions, including hospitals, research centers, and universities. This clustering of healthcare organizations fosters collaboration, information sharing, and the exchange of ideas, which are crucial for driving innovation in the field. Only minutes from Chicago’s Loop, the District is well positioned to serve its roughly 50,000 daily visitors and 29,000 employees. With many existing transportation options connecting the District to the region, the I-290 expressway; CTA Blue and Pink Line stations and multiple bus routes.
Some of the country’s top medical schools and research institutions are located within the IMD. For example, the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) College of Medicine and the Rush University Medical Center are major contributors to healthcare research and education in the area. UIC enrolls over 27,000 students and hosts one of the largest medical schools in the country. The close proximity of medical and research institutions encourages interdisciplinary collaboration between medical professionals, researchers, engineers, and technology experts. This collaboration can lead to the development of new medical technologies, treatments, and approaches to patient care.
Real Estate: Collaborative Environment for Enterprises
To meet the expected growing digital needs of the IMD, Metro Edge has secured the exclusive rights to construct a five-story data center, with all of the modern accouterments needed for a forward-thinking digitally advanced healthtech/biotech community.
Metro Edge has secured two acres of land in the IMD to construct a 185K SF high-performance data center to support a vision for a high-tech research and medical district for Chicagoland. The approved site plan is for a Tier III data center construction designed to LEED certified standards with up to 20 MW of power through diverse feeds from ComEd. The site has 11 On-Net network carrier partners already committed, with the lowest latency connectivity to Chicago’s 350 E. Cermak carrier hotel.
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