GREENSBORO -- While the UNC Greensboro and N.C. A&T State University joint venture, the Gateway University Research Park, is still under construction, university leaders are joining forces again, this time to build a data center at Gateway.

"This will be the server farm for your two high research universities," said UNC Greensboro Chancellor Patricia Sullivan.

Sullivan and N.C. A&T State University Chancellor Stanley Battle made the announcement Tuesday. The proposed 30,000 square foot building will be at the Gateway University Research Park and it will house computer servers for the schools. Officials say the building is a necessity because of the growing student population and their technology demands.

"We have simply run out of capacity at A&T to be able to meet the needs of the students. These needs are from a course management system, to e-mail, to all other electronic communications," explained N.C. A&T Vice Chancellor Vijay Verma.

By doing this together, the universities are saving millions of dollars.

"If each one of us decided to build it would cost approximately $108 million. With this initiative, we are going to save in real dollars between $30 [million] and $60 million," said Battle.

Both chancellors will seek funding for the $46 million project in the 2008 General Assembly session.