Quantum chip concept aims to improve scalability

Researchers at The University of Warwick and Canada's National Research Council (NRC) have proposed a new chip architecture that could address one of the main barriers to scaling quantum computers by enabling communication between qubits over much greater distances. Published in APL Quantum, the research introduces the concept of Quantum Phononic Links (QPLs), which use sound-like vibrations, known as phonons, to transfer quantum information between qubits located across a semiconductor chip. The researchers say the approach could help overcome a limitation of current quantum chips, where qubits typically communicate only with neighbouring qubits, as future large-scale quantum computers are expected to require communication between millions of qubits distributed across an entire chip. Maksym Myronov, Department of Physics at The University of Warwick, says, "One of the key challenges in quantum computing is long-range qubit connectivity. Our work introduces a new concept in which phonons act as a quantum bus, enabling distant qubits to exchange quantum information while remaining fully compatible with semiconductor technology." New material supports long-range qubit communication The proposed architecture is based on compressively strained germanium on silicon (cs-GoS), a material developed at The University of Warwick using epitaxial growth techniques. According to the researchers, qubits within the material are highly sensitive to vibrations travelling through the germanium layer. By controlling these vibrations, quantum information could, in principle, be transferred between qubits positioned either adjacent to one another or separated across semiconductor chips measuring up to 300mm in diameter. The team says this differs from other approaches that rely on microwaves or externally generated surface acoustic waves, which typically require additional hardware and more complex chip designs. Instead, QPLs are integrated directly into the semiconductor material hosting the qubits. The researchers suggest that compatibility with existing semiconductor manufacturing processes could support the development of more scalable quantum processors in the future.

Leviton expands UK fibre production capacity

Leviton Network Solutions, a manufacturer of cabling, fibre, and connectivity products for data centres and enterprise networks, has expanded production of its high-fibre-count cable assemblies at its UK manufacturing facility, increasing capacity to support data centre deployments and growing demand for optical infrastructure. The company says more than 100 configuration options are now available through its SJX fibre trunk range, part of the STRATA and OPT-X Global Fiber Systems portfolio. Production at its UK Data Center Factory complements existing manufacturing capacity in the USA. According to Leviton, the expansion is intended to improve supply resilience and reduce lead times for data centre projects, particularly those supporting AI, hyperscale, and cloud environments. Eddie McGinley, Senior Director of Product Management at Leviton, says, "Our enhanced fibre production arrives at a critical time. Operators are under immense pressure to scale optical infrastructure quickly, with the added weight of navigating global supply challenges. This means they need partners they can trust and who will deliver against their commitments." UK investment increases manufacturing capacity The production expansion forms part of wider investment in Leviton's UK facility and includes upgrades to cable, cassette, and fibre assembly manufacturing. The company says the investment includes production of more than 100 OPT-X SJX cable and trunk configurations in both the UK and USA, new UK production of OPT-X HDX fibre cassettes, and the completion of an expansion of its UK Data Center Factory. Leviton adds that manufacturing in both regions provides customers with additional sourcing options, improved supply continuity, and support for projects requiring dual-rated LSZH CPR B2ca/Riser cable constructions. The expanded portfolio also supports Base-8, Base-12, and Base-16 configurations, alongside loose-tube fibre designs intended for high-density network architectures used in AI clusters, cloud deployments, and colocation data centres. Eddie continues, "By expanding manufacturing in our UK facility and strengthening multi-region production, we're giving customers the speed and assurance they need to keep projects on track and meet aggressive build schedules." The new configuration options are available immediately through Leviton's global sales channels and distribution partners.

Croatia approves power infrastructure for 1GW AI data centre

Croatia's national transmission system operator, HOPS, has approved the power infrastructure blueprint for data centre developer Pantheon AI's planned 1GW hyperscale AI campus in Topusko, marking a key milestone for the project. The approval confirms the technical and regulatory feasibility of supplying electricity to the proposed facility and supports plans for construction to begin in early 2027. As part of the proposal, more than €500 million (£427 million) of electricity transmission infrastructure will be developed, including 280km of new transmission lines, fibre-optic networks, a 400kV substation in Topusko, and associated road infrastructure. According to Pantheon AI, the completed infrastructure will be transferred to the Republic of Croatia for long-term ownership and operation. Grid investment to support renewable energy growth The company says the planned infrastructure will also enable access to more than 5GW of renewable energy capacity that is currently constrained by limitations within the national electricity grid. Pantheon AI also explains that the planned 310-acre hyperscale AI data centre has been designed to NVIDIA's 'GW-Scale AI Factory' standards. Mario Gudelj, Project Director at Pantheon AI, comments, "Croatia's largest-ever private investment is moving forward as a direct result of momentum from the unique partnership driving this project: Croatian expertise, US capital, world-class partners in Končar and Greenvolt, and continued support from the Ministry of Economy of the Republic of Croatia and HEP (a state-owned utility company)." The project team includes Končar Group, Dalekovod Projekt, Parsec Lab, Latham & Watkins, Hodgson Russ, PwC, KPMG, and EU Energy Group. Sisak-Moslavina County has also formally recognised the development as being of special regional importance. For more from Pantheon AI, click here.

Indian data centre capacity forecast to reach 12GW

India's operational data centre capacity is forecast to grow from 2.2GW in 2025 to 12GW by 2030, according to a new report from global research and consultancy firm Wood Mackenzie, highlighting continued investment driven by AI, cloud computing, and the country's expanding digital economy. The report, India's Data Centre Landscape: Powering the Digital Economy, predicts a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of around 40% over the five-year period. It also forecasts that AI-dedicated capacity will increase from 275MW in 2025 to 6,546MW by 2030. Wood Mackenzie says rising demand from hyperscale cloud providers, enterprise digitalisation, and AI workloads is underpinning the rapid expansion of the sector. Power availability shapes future investment India's digital economy, valued at ₹32 trillion (£250 billion) in 2025, is contributing to increased demand for digital infrastructure. According to the research, the country has more than 1.03 billion active internet users and processes around 22 billion UPI transactions each month. The report forecasts that data centre electricity demand will increase from 10TWh in 2025 to around 20 times that level by 2040, accounting for approximately 7% of the country's total electricity demand. Whilst Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu currently account for around 65% of installed IT load, Wood Mackenzie expects future growth to extend across Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, and Karnataka. The report notes that both international hyperscale providers (including Amazon Web Services and Google) and domestic operators (such as AdaniConnex) are investing in new capacity. Souhardya Pal, Research Associate at Wood Mackenzie, says, "India's data centre market becomes a structural investment thesis. The convergence of hyperscale capital, AI workload growth, and a decade of policy support have created the conditions for India to rival any market in Asia-Pacific. "The question for developers and investors is no longer whether to enter India, but where and how." Water and infrastructure remain key considerations The report identifies reliable, cost-effective power as the primary factor influencing new data centre developments, ahead of land availability and capital. It highlights captive power generation and long-term renewable power purchase agreements (PPAs) as increasingly common strategies for securing electricity supplies. Wood Mackenzie also highlights water availability as an emerging consideration, particularly as higher-density AI deployments increase cooling requirements. According to its research, developers are increasingly adopting closed-loop cooling systems and zero liquid discharge technologies to reduce freshwater consumption. Rashika Gupta, Vice President of Research at Wood Mackenzie, explains, "Land and capital are no longer the limiting factors for data centre developers in India. What determines site selection and delivery timelines now is access to firm, round-the-clock power at the node level. "Developers who secure their power strategy early, through captive generation or long-term renewable PPAs, will lock in a structural cost and sustainability advantage for the life of their assets."

ABB launches grid compliance solution for Irish data centres

ABB, a multinational corporation specialising in industrial automation and electrification products, has introduced a new energy storage and power management system designed to help data centres comply with emerging grid stability requirements in Ireland. The system combines ultracapacitor energy storage with real-time power orchestration to enable large energy users to respond to grid disturbances within milliseconds, without requiring major changes to existing electrical infrastructure. The announcement comes as Ireland prepares to introduce new grid requirements under EirGrid's proposed MPID345 grid code modification, which will require large-demand facilities, including data centres, to remain connected during grid faults and rapidly restore power demand following network disturbances. ABB has also published a whitepaper, Ireland's Data Centers - Moving from Passive Consumption to Active Participation in Grid Stabilization, outlining how the technology could support compliance with the new regulations. Addressing new grid stability requirements According to ABB, the solution integrates ultrafast energy storage, grid-forming power conversion, and digital control systems to help support grid frequency and voltage stability whilst also maintaining data centre operations. The company says the approach differs from conventional backup systems, which are primarily designed to isolate facilities from grid events rather than actively supporting the electricity network. Ireland's data centres currently account for around 24% of the country's electricity consumption, with that figure expected to increase to 30% by 2032. Under Ireland's Large Energy-User Action Plan (LEAP), new large-scale facilities are expected to provide on-site or nearby generation and/or energy storage, participate in electricity markets, and source at least 80% of their annual energy from new renewable energy projects. Lee Todd, Vice President, Energy & Carbon Services, Electrification Service at ABB, explains, "This is a radical change in what the national grid demands of Ireland’s data centre operators. "When large loads shed simultaneously during a disturbance, the resulting power imbalance can drive frequency excursions that cascade across the entire grid. That is why the country’s data centre operators will be required to provide grid support. And while Ireland is leading the way, other countries such as Spain and US State of Texas are set to follow. "The path forward is not more backup capacity, but precise, coordinated control of power delivered at the exact moment it is needed. We are using ultracapacitors as a unique innovative solution that replaces the need to use the larger alternative technologies of synchronous condensers, e-statcoms, or a combination of different technologies. "The primary purpose of the solution is to provide not only grid inertia and grid voltage control that can be controlled on demand, but [to] support all the available services that energy storage can provide, lowering CapEx investment and OpEx." ABB says a representative 50MW data centre deployment would use five modular 8.4MVA power blocks, providing around 42MVA of dynamic grid support capability. For more from ABB, click here.

Schneider, AMD publish AI data centre reference design

Global energy technology company Schneider Electric and AMD, an American multinational semiconductor company, have released a jointly developed reference design for the AMD Helios rack-scale platform, providing data centre operators with a framework for deploying high-density AI infrastructure. The reference design is the first outcome of the companies' collaboration and is intended to simplify the planning and deployment of AI data centres by providing a validated approach to power, cooling, and IT infrastructure. It supports the AMD Helios platform, which combines AMD Instinct GPUs, AMD EPYC CPUs, AMD Pensando networking technology, and the ROCm software ecosystem. As AI workloads continue to increase power density and cooling requirements, the reference design aims to help operators reduce deployment complexity by offering a tested blueprint covering facility power, facility cooling, IT space, and lifecycle software. Framework targets high-density AI deployments According to the companies, the reference design supports modular AI clusters with up to 10.4MW of IT capacity for greenfield developments and rack densities of up to 246kW. It also outlines liquid cooling approaches using Schneider Electric's Motivair coolant distribution units (CDUs) alongside hybrid air and liquid cooling systems capable of removing up to 84% of generated heat. The design incorporates digital modelling and monitoring tools - including ETAP, EcoStruxure IT Design, and AVEVA's Unified Operations Center - to support infrastructure planning, performance monitoring, predictive maintenance, and operational management. Manish Kumar, Executive Vice President, Secure Power & Data Centers at Schneider Electric, says, "Today, organisations require comprehensive, AI-ready reference designs that can take them from planning to deployment faster and with less risk. "Through our collaboration with AMD, we're delivering an engineering-backed reference design that bridges the gap between advanced AI compute platforms, energy tech, and real-world data centre implementation, enabling customers to deploy scalable, high-density AI environments with greater confidence, efficiency, and speed." Forrest Norrod, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Data Center Solutions Business Group at AMD, adds, "AI infrastructure is rapidly moving to full-scale AI factories and that requires compute, networking, power, and cooling to be designed together from the start. "AMD Helios provides an open, rack-scale architecture built to deliver the performance, efficiency, and flexibility required for next-generation AI workloads. By working with Schneider Electric to create a validated reference design, we are giving customers a practical blueprint to accelerate high-density AI deployments, reduce integration risk, and scale with greater confidence and efficiency." The reference design has been validated to ANSI standards for deployments in the United States, with support for IEC standards planned for future international implementations. For more from Schneider Electric, click here.

Arista Networks adds AI security to SD-WAN platform

Arista Networks, a provider of cloud and AI networking systems, has introduced Edge Threat Management (ETM) for its VeloCloud SD-WAN platform, adding integrated zero-trust security capabilities for enterprise branch networks. The software is designed to combine SD-WAN connectivity and security within a single platform, reducing the need for separate firewall appliances at branch locations. According to Arista, ETM provides firewalling, threat prevention, zone-based segmentation, Geo-IP filtering, DNS filtering, and AI-assisted policy management through the VeloCloud Orchestrator. The platform also incorporates Arista AVA, which provides AI-assisted features including policy explanation and traffic simulation to help administrators understand and manage security policies. Integrated security for branch networks The new software is intended to provide a unified approach to branch security by combining network management and security policy enforcement within a common operating system and management interface. Till Bockenheimer from German MSP T&A SYSTEME, says, "The new ETM functionality allows us to offer requested security services on top of the existing SD-WAN infrastructure managed within the same GUI. This eliminates the need to deploy a separate firewall box managed from a separate GUI, especially for small branches." Edward Fox, Chief Technology Officer at MetTel, states, "The network edge must evolve to be smarter and more autonomous as our clients expand their AI-driven operations from reactive troubleshooting to predictive management." John McCool, Senior Vice President at Arista Networks, comments, "The new zero-trust integrated security with ETM, developed organically by Arista, showcases the power of the combined Arista and VeloCloud teams on the anniversary of the VeloCloud acquisition. Customers can now simplify and unify the branch, extending enterprise-grade zero trust security to the branch office WAN edge." Arista says ETM will be available for all current VeloCloud hardware and virtual edge platforms, with general availability scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2026. For more from Arista, click here.

Sabey Data Centers marks construction milestone in Oregon

Sabey Data Centers, a data centre developer, owner, and operator, has marked a major construction milestone at its new SDC Umatilla campus in northeast Oregon, USA, holding a "Going Vertical" ceremony as the first structural steel was erected on site. The event, held on 15 July, brought together local and state representatives, community organisations, utility partners, contractors, and members of the project team to mark the next phase of construction. Located in the Columbia Cloud Corridor, the campus is being developed to support hyperscale, enterprise, and colocation customers as demand for cloud computing and AI infrastructure continues to grow. Construction enters next phase The ceremony signalled the transition from site preparation and engineering work to the vertical construction phase. Tim Mirick, President of Sabey Data Centers, says, "Watching the first steel go up is always a significant moment because it turns years of planning, engineering, and hard work into something you can finally see. "We are excited to build here, excited to become part of this community, and committed to serving our customers and this region for many years to come." State Representative Bobby Levy comments, "The construction of this new data centre is an exciting investment in northeast Oregon and a strong vote of confidence in our communities. Facilities like this keep our hospitals, schools, and small businesses connected while creating new economic opportunities. "I'm especially pleased that Sabey's use of a closed-loop cooling system demonstrates that innovation and responsible resource stewardship can go hand in hand. We're proud to welcome Sabey Data Centers to northeast Oregon." According to Sabey, the project is expected to create work for hundreds of skilled tradespeople during construction, supporting local businesses and contributing to the regional economy as development progresses. For more from Sabey Data Centers, click here.

Liberty Energy, PowerBridge form joint data centre venture

Liberty Energy, a Denver-based oilfield services company, and PowerBridge, a developer of power-integrated data centre campuses for hyperscale and AI, have formed a joint venture to support the development of powered data centre campuses, beginning with a planned 2GW site in West Texas, USA. The partnership combines PowerBridge's digital campus development experience with Liberty Power Innovations' power generation and energy management offerings to support large-scale AI and hyperscale data centre developments. The companies say the joint venture will provide an integrated approach to campus infrastructure and on-site power generation as demand for AI infrastructure continues to grow. Its initial focus is the proposed Alpha Digital Campus in West Texas, where the first phase is expected to include more than 300MW of generation capacity. Initial power delivery is targeted for the fourth quarter of 2027, with further deployment planned through the first half of 2028. Joint venture targets future AI infrastructure projects PowerBridge is responsible for developing the digital campus infrastructure, including pad-ready sites and a regional fibre conduit network, whilst Liberty Power Innovations will design, develop, and operate the modular power generation systems. The companies say the model is intended to support future gigawatt-scale data centre campuses serving hyperscale operators, AI workloads, and other large power users. Alex Hernandez, founder and Chief Executive Officer of PowerBridge, comments, "PowerBridge was founded on the premise of driving and solving the accelerating convergence between energy and digital infrastructure. Our mission is to serve our digital infrastructure customers with an integrated powered campus solution while building new power generation assets that strengthen grid reliability. "By aligning our powered campus development assets with Liberty's comprehensive power services and operational expertise, we are creating a model that can be scaled across future gigawatt-scale powered data centre campuses in West Texas." Ron Gusek, Chief Executive Officer of Liberty Energy, adds, "The most sophisticated customers are increasingly seeking partners that can simplify the delivery of large-scale digital infrastructure projects. As power availability becomes a defining factor in data centre development, customers need integrated solutions that align power generation, energy management, and campus infrastructure planning from the outset. "With PowerBridge, we are helping customers secure reliable power faster and more efficiently, supporting the accelerating growth of AI and digital infrastructure." The joint venture remains subject to the completion of commercial agreements and the required regulatory approvals.

Telxius expands Caribbean connectivity in Dominican Republic

Telxius, a Spanish operator of submarine cable networks and telecommunications tower infrastructure, has opened a new point of presence (PoP) at the NAP Caribe data centre in Santo Domingo, expanding its network presence in the Caribbean and strengthening connectivity in the Dominican Republic. The new PoP complements the company's submarine cable landing gateway in Punta Cana, extending access to Telxius's network, transport, interconnection, and security services for carriers, content providers, and enterprises across the region. The expansion is intended to improve network availability, resilience, and performance whilst providing customers with greater access to Telxius's global infrastructure. According to DataReportal, the Dominican Republic had more than 10.2 million internet users in the first quarter of 2025, making it the largest internet market in the Caribbean. Telxius says the new facility is positioned to support growing demand for digital connectivity and internet services. Caribbean network growth continues Telxius operates more than 100,000km of submarine and terrestrial fibre infrastructure worldwide, including 25 carrier-neutral landing gateways and edge data centres. Carlos Casado, Northern Region Sales VP at Telxius, says, "Our new PoP in Santo Domingo reinforces our commitment to delivering world-class connectivity across some of the world’s most dynamic markets. "The Caribbean is home to a growing number of digital hubs, making it a key growth region for our customers and our network. Together with NAP Caribe, we are enabling faster, more secure, and more reliable connectivity across the Caribbean and wider Latin America." Maria Waleska Álvarez, CEO at NAP Caribe, adds, "We are proud to welcome Telxius to our data centre in the Dominican Republic, where its global connectivity footprint is anchored by our advanced technological capabilities, robust security standards, and a highly resilient, carrier-neutral digital infrastructure. "By aligning our visions and strengths, we are accelerating the development of a seamlessly interconnected regional ecosystem and enabling new opportunities for innovation, growth, and digital transformation across local and regional markets." The announcement follows Telxius's recent network expansion in Fortaleza and forms part of the company's continued investment in digital infrastructure across Latin America. For more from Telxius, click here.