Shell cooling fluids certified for use in data centres

Shell Lubricants’ immersion cooling fluids have become the first to receive official certification from a major chip manufacturer, allowing its innovative products to be used with confidence in data centres worldwide. Jason Wong, Global Executive Vice President, Shell Lubricants, says, “Upgrading existing air-cooling methods with immersion fluids can reduce data centre energy use by up to 48%, as well as help reduce capital and operating expenditure by up to 33%. “We have been working with Intel for the last two years to certify our immersion cooling fluids, which have the potential to transform the way that data centres are cooled and how much energy they use.” Extensive testing by Intel showed that Intel Xeon processors remain as reliable with Shell’s immersion cooling fluids as with traditional air-cooled systems. Immersion cooling involves servers and networking equipment being placed in electrically non-conductive fluid. The specialised liquid absorbs and dissipates heat from IT equipment more than 1,000 times more efficiently than air cooling. With no need for coolers, chillers, fans or evaporative cooling systems, immersion cooling fluids can cut the floor space needed for a data centre by up to 80%. “We’re pleased to be partnering with Shell in accelerating the adoption of more sustainable and energy-efficient solutions for data centres,” says Karin Eibschitz Segal, Corporate Vice President and Interim General Manager of the Data Centre Group at Intel. “Through these advancements we’re paving the way for the next generation of high-performance, environmentally conscious computing.” According to the International Energy Agency, energy consumption from data centres currently accounts for 1.5% of global electricity demand and is expected to double from 415 terawatt hours (TWh) in 2024 to around 945 TWh by 2030. This is mainly driven by the growth in AI. Conventional cooling systems typically account for around 30-40% of a data centre’s energy demand. Shell’s immersion cooling fluids can be retrofitted to existing data centres, as well as allowing new data centres to use space more efficiently. As a renowned lubricants supplier, Shell is investing in new products such as fluids for electric cars, battery storage systems and data centres. This focus is aligned with Shell’s strategy to grow sales of premium, high value products, while helping its customers meet their own emission reduction goals. For more from Shell, click here.

DOLD's energy monitoring keeps colocation costs in-check

DOLD Industries UK, a trusted provider of network monitoring and functional safety solutions across industrial and infrastructure sectors, has launched the RL9405 Smart Energy Meter – enabling colocation customers to gain accurate control over rack-level energy use, meaning they only pay for what you use. The ultra-compact RL9405 (just 35mm wide) fits easily into dense server racks, offering precise, real-time energy monitoring – without complex wiring or infrastructure upgrades. Fast to deploy, it enables fair, usage-based billing, pinpoints system inefficiencies, optimises workloads, and helps avoid costly overuse. Track live and historical energy data, detect anomalies, and flag potential issues early – enabling smarter preventive maintenance and reduced downtime. Even during power outages, the RL9405 securely stores energy data, ensuring critical insights are never lost. With Modbus TCP/RTU connectivity, remote monitoring is simple and seamless, integrating with existing systems to optimise operational efficiency. For more information, click here. For more from DOLD Industries, click here.

Colt DCS breaks ground on new Paris data centre

Colt Data Centre Services (Colt DCS), a global provider of hyperscale and large enterprise data centre solutions, has broken ground on its second data centre in France with Colt Paris 2. This facility is the first of three planned data centres (Colt Paris 2, 3 and 4) to be built on a new 12.5-acre site in Villebon-sur-Yvette, located to the southwest of Paris. Two additional data centres (Colt Paris 5 and 6) are also scheduled for construction on a second new site in Les Ulis, which spans 5.3 acres and is situated in proximity to Colt DCS’ existing operational facility in the French commune. This marks the beginning of a €2.3 billion investment in the country’s digital economy, with five data centres planned to be completed by 2031. Combined, this will bring Colt DCS’ total capacity to 170MW in France by the end of that year. Each new facility has been designed following Colt DCS’ Global Reference Design (GRD) and will use several low embodied carbon principles in the construction process to showcase the operator’s commitment to sustainability. The five data centres will meet the performance requirements of large enterprise, traditional cloud, and AI platforms. With power contracts confirmed at both sites, these facilities will be purpose-built to support the rapid growth of digital services across France and Europe. Colt Paris 2 has been designed to meet the cooling demands of high-density AI workloads through a hybrid approach that combines traditional air cooling with liquid-to-chip technology. During the cooling process, there is zero water waste. The facility has also been designed to recover waste heat for use by the local community. Having secured 100% renewable power, once fully operational, this AI-ready data centre will deliver 40MW with the ability to accommodate over 100kW of IT power per single cabinet. Niclas Sanfridsson, CEO of Colt DCS, says, “Breaking ground at Colt Paris 2 is the exciting next step in our long-term commitment to France and its thriving digital economy. This project not only implements our innovative new design, but it also demonstrates our dedication to sustainable growth and innovation. By investing in renewable energy contracts and supporting the local community through waste heat reuse, we are helping to fulfil the growing demand for cloud and AI services while setting new standards for environmental responsibility.” Furthermore, Colt Paris 2 will be constructed by sourcing building equipment and materials from within Europe, with the development estimated to employ 300 people during construction and create over 100 new jobs within the local economy once operational. The project underscores Colt DCS’ role as a trusted data centre partner, enabling its customers to efficiently deliver AI solutions in a secure and sustainable environment. For more from Colt DCS, click here.

Flex doubles EU footprint to power AI data centres

Anord Mardix, the Critical Power Business of Flex, has announced a significant expansion of its European operations to enhance its power offerings for data centres. The company recently acquired a new manufacturing site in Bielsko-Biała, Poland, doubling Flex's power product capacity in Europe from 616,000 to 1,200,000ft2 to meet rising customer demand for AI-driven power solutions. Flex has strategically established over 11 million square feet of regionalised manufacturing capacity in Europe, to better serve local demand.   Flex is expanding in Poland as part of its global growth strategy to invest in essential power and data centre technologies and sites to meet the growing customer demand. The new Polish site comes after opening a second facility in Dundalk, adding 120,000ft2, doubling Anord Mardix's capacity in Ireland. The Dundalk facility, named D2, assembles switchgear products to efficiently meet the rising global demand for reliable data centre power, fuelled by AI growth.   Additionally, the company recently opened a new US critical power product manufacturing and assembly facility in Dallas, Texas, and made two important acquisitions: Crown Technical Systems, which specialises in power distribution solutions, and JetCool Technologies, which added liquid cooling products to the Flex data centre portfolio.  Employing 700+ skilled workers, Flex’s new Bielsko-Biała site is fully operational. The teams will produce an extensive portfolio of grid-to-chip products, including Low Voltage/Medium Voltage (LV/MV) Switchgear, Power Pods and Busway systems. Flex’s focus is a direct response to its customers’ increasing requirements for next-generation power infrastructure that enables faster data centre deployment at scale.   Flex is planning to expand the site to support PowerPods production, meeting the changing needs of its customers.  The establishment of this new Polish site is a prime opportunity for the workforce to be a part of Flex’s global growth plan, ensuring the company’s ability to deliver innovative power solutions from the grid to the chip. The dedication to expanding Flex’s manufacturing footprint of more than 30 sites in EMEA reaffirms the company’s commitment to providing exceptional service and support in an era of accelerated technological advancement. 

Vertiv to deliver AI infrastructure for Polar's Norway data centre

Vertiv has announced that it has been chosen by Polar as the primary supplier for its first modular AI-ready data centre in Norway. Powered entirely by hydroelectric energy, the Polar facility minimises its carbon footprint whilst accommodating high-density, liquid-cooled environments of up to 120kW per rack. The Vertiv solution is designed with N+1 redundancy across electrical and thermal systems, delivering the resilience and reliability to support AI and accelerated computing operations. Polar’s mission is to create an industry-leading, environmentally responsible infrastructure platform for its customers to develop the future of AI. As AI applications become increasingly resource-intensive, the demand for scalable and energy-efficient infrastructure is greater than ever. With Vertiv’s preconfigured power and cooling infrastructure, Polar’s new facility is set to meet these challenges, supporting a high-performance computing environment with operational agility that supports its sustainability business goals. Viktor Petik, Senior Vice President, Infrastructure Solutions at Vertiv, comments, “This collaboration showcases the strength of Vertiv’s modular approach, providing Polar with a high-density, AI-ready infrastructure that combines rapid deployment with outstanding energy efficiency. By leveraging factory-assembled infrastructure, we overcome traditional on-site challenges and deliver a solution tailored to Polar’s evolving requirements.” Andy Hayes, CEO at Polar, says, “We are excited to partner with Vertiv on this innovative project, which allows us to scale quickly and efficiently while maintaining a strong commitment to sustainability. The flexibility of Vertiv's solution enables us to easily expand to meet market demand, and helps us to support our clients with cutting-edge AI and HPC capabilities.” As part of this collaboration, Vertiv is designing, manufacturing, delivering, installing, and commissioning a fully equipped, scalable, AI-ready prefabricated modular (PFM) solution capable of supporting a 12MW IT load, with the option to expand up to 50MW. The solution includes Vertiv EXL S1, an efficient and grid-interactive uninterruptible power supply (UPS) able to support the variable power loads of AI and other HPC applications. It also features the compact Vertiv Liebert AFC chiller with very low-GWP (global warming potential) refrigerant, designed to significantly reduce carbon emissions, and allowing up to 20% lower annual energy consumption compared to fixed screw systems.  The first deployment phase of the project is set to go live in the second half of 2025, with further expansion already planned. For more from Vertiv, click here.

Colovore secures $925m from Blackstone for AI data centres

Colovore has announced the closing of a $925 million debt facility provided by Blackstone funds. This milestone marks a successful year for Colovore since affiliates of King Street Capital Management acquired the company to accelerate its development of new AI data centres across metro edge markets. “This Blackstone financing, along with the continued support of King Street, positions us well to continue scaling our footprint through the development of new liquid-cooled data centres, starting in Reno, Chicago and Austin,” says Sean Holzknecht, President and Co-Founder of Colovore. “As AI infrastructure shifts rapidly toward highly distributed, inference-driven workloads, we remain focused on building the national backbone for this next phase- scalable, liquid-cooled data centre platforms purpose-built for edge and core inference.” Brian Higgins, Founder and Managing Partner of King Street, adds, “With more than a decade of experience in liquid cooling, Colovore is uniquely positioned to provide infrastructure to meet the soaring demand for high-density, AI-optimised data centres. We look forward to further leveraging King Street’s real estate and credit capabilities to support their rapid expansion.” Unlike legacy data centre architectures, Colovore's liquid-cooled facilities are designed from the ground up to support the intense demands of modern AI chips, offering market leading per cabinet cooling densities, smaller footprints, and improved efficiency. With flexible power and cooling configurations, Colovore supports everything from traditional enterprise hardware to the most advanced liquid-cooled AI accelerators. Colovore earned the distinction of being the world’s first NVIDIA DGX-certified data centre and supports a diverse range of customers from large enterprises to leading GenAI companies.

Irish Taoiseach voices support for data centre sector

Micheál Martin, the Taoiseach of Ireland, has voiced strong support for the data centre sector at the launch of two new large-scale developments being built by Irish company, Echelon Data Centres. Speaking at the event in Arklow, Co Wicklow, Micheál highlighted the economic importance of the data centre sector, and described the facilities being developed by Echelon as “the model for future data centre development in Ireland”. Micheál Martin said, “These two large-scale facilities demonstrate Echelon’s commitment to responsible data centre development. They are located in a regional area where the grid isn’t constrained, they will have the capacity to generate and dispatch power to the grid when needed, and they will facilitate the generation of renewable energy resources that will, in turn, help decarbonise Ireland’s electricity system. “They are the model for future data centre development in Ireland – and they will deliver jobs and economic benefits for Wicklow, and will encourage further foreign direct investment in Ireland. Micheál was joined at the launch event in Arklow by the IDA, Ireland’s inward investment agency, and the state’s transmission system operator, EirGrid. IDA Ireland CEO, Michael Lohan, commented, “Driving sustainable change sits at the very heart of IDA Ireland’s Adapt Intelligently: A Strategy for Sustainable Growth and Innovation 2025-29. Indeed, our client companies are instrumental in shaping a green and digital global economy. Echelon’s commitment to operating its facilities sustainably, responsibly, and with due regard for the environment is commendable. I wish the team continued success.” In January, Ireland’s new Government announced that it recognised the importance of critical digital infrastructure and would support new data centre developments which contributed to economic growth, efficient grid usage, and made use of renewable energy sources and energy efficient technology to reduce their carbon footprint. The following month, the state’s Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU) proposed a new grid connection policy in line with the new government’s approach. Echelon will invest an estimated €3.5bn to develop the DUB20 and DUB30 campuses, creating around 2,600 jobs during construction and 715 permanent positions at the two facilities once they are operational. However, an Economic Impact Assessment prepared by KPMG has calculated that the combined potential economic output of both sites could be as much as €7.5bn during construction, and €801m per year once they are operational. The report found that every €1 Echelon invests in the DUB20 and DUB30 sites could yield a return of €1.60 due to additional economic activity through supply chains and employee spending across construction and operational phases. It also found that for every 10 jobs created during construction, up to nine additional jobs will be supported elsewhere in the economy, while every 10 direct operational roles could sustain a further 16 jobs. Echelon Chief Operations Officer, Graeme McWilliams, says, “Echelon’s sites in Wicklow will generate broad-based economic value with measurable impact across the Irish economy that goes far beyond our initial investment. They represent responsible data centre development which supports regional development and job creation in partnership with good grid citizenship. “The energy demands of DUB20 and DUB30 will underpin investment in almost 1GW of wind-generated renewable energy, power that will help reinforce the national grid, increase Ireland’s energy security, and support our transition from fossil fuels to clean, green energy sources.” Echelon’s DUB20 campus is being developed on the site of the former Irish Fertilisers Industries plant at the Avoca River Business Park in Arklow. DUB30 is being developed some 5km away at Kish Business Park. Last year, DUB20 became the first large-scale data centre in Ireland to receive a grid connection from EirGrid for more than four years. This reflects the fact that the site meets Commission for the Regulation of Utilities’ (CRU) 2021 criteria for data centre connections. The grid connection will allow Echelon to begin work on a 220kV substation at the site that will allow access to the grid for up to 800MW of wind energy generated off the coast of Wicklow in the future. Echelon is also investing in solar, battery energy storage systems, and renewable fuels to replace fossil fuel consumed by the data centre. Construction on DUB20 will commence this year, with construction on DUB30 to follow after. For more from Echelon Data Centres, click here.

leagend UPS solution safeguards backup power supply

According to leagend Solutions, the backup power supply is the second heart of a data centre - and any issue that happens to it will cause huge economic losses or even disasters. As a result, leagend's UPS battery management solution is a professional innovation exclusively developed for backup power applications such as data centres, telecom bases, and other applications seeking energy saving and renewable energy solutions. It guarantees the UPS batteries operate normally by monitoring and managing the key parameters of the batteries in real-time to ensure they supply stable power continuously under the accidence of a power outage. Furthermore, it integrates with advanced technologies like data collection, data transfer and data processing to offer comprehensive monitoring, cloud storage, visualised data analyses and tailored services for customers. Its capacity can be up to over 200 batteries with two different voltages simultaneously. In addition, leagend has integrated 5G and AI chips to the next-generation BMS. – leagend Solutions has been specialising in researching and developing batteries technologies, battery testing technologies, battery monitoring and managing systems and solutions ever since the company’s establishment in 2014. Intelligence, precision, safety and low energy consumption are always the foundation and ideology of its technology research and development. Until now, leagend Solutions has offered the following innovations: smart lead-acid battery testers, UPS battery monitoring solutions, lead-acid battery charger ODM solutions, Coulomb counter solutions, and more. The company’s battery products have been widely applied to multiple professional fields such as lead-acid battery manufacturing, data centre power supply chains, energy-saving, renewable energy, telecoms, and emergency backup power applications. For more from leagend Solutions, click here.

Kao Data hosts AI field trip at data centre campus

Following news that the UK Government has invited local authorities and public-private stakeholders across the country to submit formal applications for AI Growth Zones (AIGZs), on 7 May, Kao Data, the specialist developer and operator of data centres engineered for AI, hosted a cohort of senior government officials for an AI field trip at its Harlow data centre campus in Essex. Together with its customers and partners including Arm, NVIDIA, Nscale and Ciena, Kao Data was joined by representatives from the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) the AI Energy Council, Office for Investment, Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ), Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and No. 10. During the event, speakers including Karl Havard, Chief Commercial Officer (CCO), Nscale, Andy Grant, EMEA Director, Supercomputing, Higher Education and AI, NVIDIA, David Lecomber, HPC GTM, Arm, Bhudutt Jangid, Director of Sales Engineering, Ciena and Spencer Lamb, CCO, Kao Data, shared key insights into the complex interplay between industrial-scale data centres, low-latency connectivity, and next-generation CPU and GPU technologies. The group were given the opportunity to tour both KLON-01 and KLON-02 data centres, led by Kao Data’s Chief Technology Officer (CTO), Paul Finch, and to view the early construction and development of KLON-03, Kao Data’s recently announced 17.6MW, liquid-cooled facility. The tour ended with an exclusive view of Arm’s high performance computing deployment within KLON-02 led by Arm’s CIO, Sarah Cunningham, and Dawn Johnson, Arm’s Data Centre Manager. Following presentations, discussions covered the issues identified by the technology sector that threaten the success of AIGZs and the government’s longer-term AI ambitions, as outlined in it’s AI Opportunities Action Plan. Topics included UK energy pricing - currently three times more expensive than the US and other EU nations - AI copyright laws which threaten to reduce AI footprints in the UK, and how the government proposes AIGZs are funded. Without certainty on the eventual AI offtake from government, in addition to the AI copyright law uncertainty and high energy costs, investment in data centre infrastructure could be heavily restricted. The initial topline parameters for AIGZs - 500MW across 100 acres by 2030 - were also discussed with government officials, with the technology sector suggesting a flexible, phased approach that would allow significant AI compute to commence this year, and allow it to ramp-up to 500MW across a geographic zone immediately supporting university, AI-start-up, enterprise and government utilisation. Spencer Lamb, CCO, Kao Data, comments, “The UK continues to hold a leading position in the global AI race, and we welcome and embrace the AIGZ initiative. But without significant policy reform to key areas like energy policy, AI copyright and the intended AIGZ parameters, our country will never realise the true economic potential of the AI Opportunities Action Plan, or keep pace with our neighbours in the USA, France and Germany. “This week’s AI field trip proactively brought together senior government officials with leading technology companies to showcase the critical role of infrastructure in delivering UK AI capabilities at-scale, and discussed the pragmatic steps needed to deliver AI Growth Zones inline with the government's AI Opportunities Action Plan, and its Plan for Change.” Karl Havard, CCO, Nscale, adds, "As the UK pushes forward with its AI Growth Zones, it is crucial that we prioritise AI sovereignty to ensure long-term resilience and innovation within our borders. At Nscale, we are committed to providing secure, sovereign AI infrastructure that meets the demands of today's applications and is adaptable for tomorrow's breakthroughs. Our collaboration with Kao Data and other key partners exemplifies our shared vision for a scalable, sovereign AI ecosystem that can compete globally while safeguarding national interests and economic growth." Following the field trip, Kao Data will continue to work with NVIDIA and Nscale on the development of full AIGZ submissions in various UK regions, and is also looking forward to continuing its engagement with strategic partners in Manchester to profile the opportunities for a North West AIGZ within Greater Manchester. For more from Kao Data, click here.

AI set to supercharge cyber threats by 2027

The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has released a landmark cyber threat assessment, warning that rapid advances in artificial intelligence (AI) will make cyber attacks more frequent, effective and harder to detect by 2027. The digital divide between organisations with the resources to defend against digital threats, and those without, will inevitably increase.  Published on the opening day of CYBERUK, the UK’s flagship cyber security conference, the report outlines how both state and non-state actors are already exploiting AI to increase the speed, scale and sophistication of cyber operations. Generative AI is enabling more convincing phishing attacks and faster malware development. This significantly lowers the barrier to entry for cyber crime and cyber intelligence. Of particular concern is the rising risk to the UK’s democratic processes, Critical National Infrastructure (CNI) and commercial sectors. Advanced language models and data analysis capabilities are used to craft highly persuasive content, resulting in more frequent attacks that are difficult to detect.  Andy Ward, SVP International at Absolute Security, says, “While AI offers significant opportunities to bolster defences, our research shows 54% of CISOs feel unprepared to respond to AI-enabled threats. That gap in readiness is exactly what attackers will take advantage of." "To counter this, businesses must go beyond adopting new tools - they need a robust cyber resilience strategy built on real-time visibility, proactive threat detection, and the ability to isolate compromised devices at speed.” This latest warning forms part of the UK Government’s wider cyber strategy after announcing the new AI Cyber Security Code of Practice earlier this year. This will form the basis of a new global standard to secure AI and ensure national security keeps pace with technological evolution, safeguarding the country against emerging digital threats. For more from NCSC click here.