IBM to help build data center in Hebei

IBM (IBM.NYSE) will work with Chinese network services provider Range Technology Development to construct Asia’s largest cloud computing data center in China in terms of floor space, the Wall Street Journal reported. The data center in Langfang, Hebei province, is expected to be completed in 2016 and will have a floor space of more than 620,000 square meters. Construction of the center is likely to generate about US$200 million worth of contracts for IBM over the next five years. The data center will be used by enterprises such as software developers and government departments, and services ranging from data backup, disaster recovery and leasing of servers will be offered. The agreement between IBM and Range Technology was signed last week in Chicago during Chinese President Hu Jintao’s state visit to the US.