nLighten and Shell Spain announce data centre partnership

nLighten has entered into a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) and supply deal with Shell Spain, which began on 1 April 2025. This collaboration will allow nLighten’s edge data centre in Madrid to be powered by Shell’s solar and wind portfolio in Spain, prioritising solar generation. The agreement goes beyond traditional renewable energy contracts by providing nLighten with transparency into the actual renewable energy supply received, rather than relying solely on financial credits such as Guarantees of Origin (GoOs). Through this agreement, Shell will supply renewable capacity to nLighten, supporting the data centre’s efforts to optimise its Carbon-Free Energy (CFE) score, while maintaining the flexibility to scale based on real-time supply and demand. During periods of lower renewable generation, Shell will manage the remaining energy supply to ensure uninterrupted operations. This approach guarantees energy reliability, while reinforcing nLighten's commitment to a more sustainable digital infrastructure. "This agreement is a game-changer for how data centres in Spain – and beyond – can be powered by renewables," says Chad McCarthy, Chief Technology Officer and Co-Founder of nLighten. "By securing direct access to solar and wind energy, we’re not just reducing our carbon footprint but proving that sustainability and business performance go hand in hand. This supply agreement with Shell is important in building a resilient and future-proof energy model for digital infrastructure." In addition to environmental benefits, this agreement highlights the economic advantages of renewable energy integration. As energy markets continue to evolve, the ability to integrate renewables into data centre operations positions nLighten at the forefront of both sustainability and cost-efficiency efforts. "We are excited to partner with nLighten to advance the integration of renewable energy in data centres," says Óscar Fernández, Shell Spain Country Chair. "By integrating lower-carbon sources into the grid, providing flexibility options and offering tailored energy solutions, we can support the growing demands of data centres. Strategic collaborations between digital infrastructure companies and energy suppliers allows to leverage each other's strengths, helping scale solutions quickly and effectively to ensure a sustainable energy supply." nLighten says that the partnership is a significant step in its journey to redefine the energy model for European data centres. By collaborating with organisations like Shell, nLighten demonstrates the industry’s continuous transition to a cleaner energy model. For more from nLighten, click here.

Vertiv announces launch of prefabricated infrastructure portfolio

Vertiv, a global provider of critical digital infrastructure and continuity solutions, has announced the launch of Vertiv SmartRun. Vertiv SmartRun is a modular prefabricated overhead infrastructure system designed to integrate high-density power distribution busbar, liquid cooling piping network, hot-aisle containment, and network infrastructure into a single, scalable solution, supporting an accelerated data centre fit-out. This all-in-one solution is designed to reduce complexity and accelerate deployment times of cloud and AI training applications for greenfield and retrofit colocation and hyperscale data centres. Deploying Vertiv SmartRun delivers significant advantages in scalability and efficiency, Vertiv states, providing end-to-end speed and adaptable configurations to meet various design requirements. With prefabricated assembly, plug-and-play design, and a simplified one-lift installation process, Vertiv SmartRun can deploy up to 85% faster on-site than traditional stick-build methods, enabling data centre installations greater than 1MW per day with just a single crew. The pre-designed system reduces labour needs for engineering review and installation of busway, piping, network cabling, and hot-aisle containment systems, offering a streamlined approach to integrating overhead infrastructure. The system also addresses the whitespace challenges of incorporating new heat removal technologies into AI data centres, by integrating a secondary fluid network into the Vertiv SmartRun design. Prefabricated stainless steel piping systems mitigate complexity of design, fabrication, and start-up, providing a single source for end-to-end data centre liquid cooling support. “As digital infrastructure demands evolve, organisations require solutions that accelerate growth without adding complexity,” says Viktor Petik, Senior Vice President, Infrastructure Solutions at Vertiv. “Vertiv SmartRun is a strategic investment in high-density, prefabricated infrastructure that brings operational agility and enables seamless expansion to support the future of high-density computing.” Vertiv SmartRun is backed by Vertiv Liquid Cooling Services and Vertiv Services, a global network of trained experts available to provide comprehensive support for the installation, maintenance, and optimisation of liquid cooled infrastructure, supporting efficient thermal management and long-term reliability in high-density environments. For more from Vertiv, click here.

Nokia networking backbone to connect Australia data centres

Nokia has been selected by Australian cloud provider, ResetData, to supply a networking backbone that supports its immediate rollout of sovereign ‘AI Factory’ data centres across the continent. The Nokia IP solution will deliver the speed, scale and reliability required for lossless, low-latency performance as ResetData targets an Australian cloud services market that in 2024 saw a 19% year on year increase. Sovereign AI ensures systems and data stay within a country's jurisdiction, promoting national security and compliance with domestic laws and regulations. ResetData’s AI factories with liquid immersion cooling are up to 10 times as efficient as legacy designs and can cut cloud costs by 40% and emissions by 45% to deliver more sustainable AI cloud operations. Backed by Australasian real estate fund manager, Centuria Capital Group, ResetData will deploy the Nokia 7750 Service Router in commercial properties nationwide as part of a series of highly efficient and sustainable liquid immersion cooled AI factories, commencing in Melbourne’s CBD. While addressing precision timing and other key requirements that are fundamental to the performance of AI infrastructure, the FP5-based Nokia IP platform provides super-fast, reliable and highly secure performance at scale. In doing so, Nokia’s approach will reportedly revolutionise data centre operations by delivering a 75% reduction in energy consumption over previous generations. Functioning as a data centre gateway to front-end ResetData’s Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) clusters, the FP5-based Nokia 7750 SR-1x enables connectivity between data centres and to the Internet with massive routing scale, reaching speeds of up to 800Gb/s. Karl Kloppenborg, Chief Technology Officer at ResetData, comments, “We are moving quickly because sovereign AI is critical to Australia’s international competitiveness. Together with the ResetData AI Marketplace, our rollout is delivering critical AI, machine learning and large language model capabilities on-shore and on-demand for the first time. To make it happen, we needed a partner as committed to sustainability as we are, with local resourcing and global reach, who could meet a demanding timeline, scale from single GPUs to entire AI Factories, and replicate Melbourne’s launch nationally. Nokia has been a core partner at every step.” Vach Kompella, Senior Vice President and General Manager, IP Networks at Nokia, adds, “As dynamic new-generation cloud builders like ResetData seize the opportunities that artificial intelligence generates, Nokia is ready with an IP portfolio primed for the stringent and exacting data demands of AI infrastructure. Combining speed, capacity and reliability with cost-efficiency and sustainability, Nokia IP is a top choice for the world’s most modern and secure data centres. We are pleased to partner with ResetData as they deliver Australia’s first sovereign AI at scale.” For more from Nokia, click here.

Infosecurity Europe launches new cyber security masterclasses

Infosecurity Europe has announced the launch of ‘Infosecurity Europe Masterclasses, powered by SANS Institute’, an exclusive new training initiative designed to equip cybersecurity professionals with hands-on, practical skills.  Developed for Infosecurity Europe 2025, the Masterclasses will offer three deep-dive sessions covering Digital Forensics, Cloud Security and Security Culture. Each masterclass will be delivered by a SANS-certified instructor and will take place in the South Gallery Rooms at ExCeL London during the event. The Digital Forensics and Cloud Security Masterclasses will be held on Tuesday 3 June, with the Security Culture Masterclass on Wednesday 4 June.  Introducing these masterclasses highlights the growing demand for specialised training as organisations contend with an increasingly complex threat landscape. Infosecurity Europe has long been a hub for industry leaders to share knowledge, explore innovative solutions, and foster collaboration. The partnership with SANS Institute builds on this and enhances the event's educational offering.  "Partnering with Infosecurity Europe and bringing hands-on masterclasses to this year’s event is a pivotal moment to elevate security readiness across the UK and Europe,” says John Davis, UK Director, SANS Institute. “This collaboration will support cyber security professionals with the practical skills they need to stay ahead of emerging threats. Continuous learning is essential in an industry that evolves at such a rapid pace, and by providing hands-on, immersive experiences, we are ensuring that security practitioners can apply cutting-edge techniques in real-world scenarios to make an immediate impact within their organisations," The masterclasses are designed to deliver practical, actionable insights and are tailored to help cyber security professionals tackle modern challenges head-on. The Digital Forensics Masterclass will be led by SANS Certified Instructor Kathryn Hedley and will provide practical experience in decoding file signatures, data recovery techniques and forensic disk image exploration. Attendees will learn how to extract and interpret critical digital evidence across platforms, equipping them with the skills to handle complex forensic investigations. This session aligns closely with industry demand, as over 50% of organisations plan to increase investment in incident response and forensics according to Infosecurity Europe’s 2025 Cybersecurity Trends Report. With 65% of cyber security leaders also planning an increase in cloud security investment, the Cloud Security Masterclass is key to guiding participants through advanced cloud security practices. Hosted by SANS Certified Instructor Simon Vernon, topics will include securing logging setups in Azure and preventing remote code execution.   On day two, the Security Culture Masterclass will be fronted by SANS Certified Instructor John Scott and will directly address key challenges faced by organisations. Infosecurity Europe’s report shows respondents citing lack of accountability and identifying communication gaps between departments as major obstacles to building a strong cyber security culture. This interactive session will address these challenges and more with a focus on embedding a resilient security culture within organisations.  Participants will engage in the Cyber42 Game Day simulation, where they will navigate real-world decision-making scenarios to strengthen their leadership and cultural impact. 

DataVita earns UK's first 'gold standard' OCP status

DataVita has become the first data centre operator in the UK to achieve an industry-leading accreditation - Open Compute Project’s (OCP) Ready for Hyperscale certification - recognising the capabilities of its DV1 facility in supporting high-density workloads and AI. So far, this certification has only been awarded to three other companies in Europe and is one of the sector’s most recognised and sought-after accreditations. The initiative is designed to give recognition to multi-tenant data centres that can accommodate the larger scale, higher density and more advanced infrastructure requirements of hyperscale operations – including the ability to provide liquid cooling. A rigorous assessment included elements such as logistics, site access, foundational building infrastructure and network connectivity, as well as DataVita’s commitment to innovation, efficiency and sustainability at its DV1 facility located in Chapelhall, North Lanarkshire. Underpinned by its focus on infrastructure for high-performance computing (HPC) and AI, the company recently announced plans to grow data centre capacity to 1GW in central Scotland over the next five years, powered by independent renewable energy sources. Danny Quinn, Managing Director of DataVita, says, “Achieving what is widely considered one of the gold standards in industry accreditations solidifies our position as a market-leader and confirms the expertise we have for handling high-density levels of computing. AI has huge growth potential for the future and has quickly become a core focus for the business, and we have invested heavily in making sure we can support the infrastructure that it requires. “Scotland’s mix of renewable energy – with the lowest carbon intensity compared to anywhere else in the UK – and a naturally cooler climate means we can also offer significant sustainability benefits for global customers. Only a few facilities have liquid cooling capability, for example, but we can do it with a lower carbon footprint. “Our goal is to ensure that AI adoption does not come at the expense of the environment. The OCP status reflects that, and we hope it will open up new conversations with existing and potential clients considering locating in Scotland.”

Second Yondr data centre goes live at London campus

Yondr Group has achieved the first phase of completion at the company’s second data centre on its 100MW London campus. The facility now has 10MW of the building’s 30MW capacity live and operational. The achievement is the latest in a series of project milestones for Yondr’s London campus, with the first building entering into operation in the summer of 2024, and work commencing on a third 40MW data centre earlier this year. Located in Slough, West London, the UK’s largest data centre ecosystem, Yondr’s second facility on its London campus has been designed with sustainability in mind, aligned with Yondr’s ESG strategy and net zero target for scope 1 and 2 carbon emissions by 2030. A BREEAM ‘Very Good’ building, it delivers a better than industry standard annualised power usage effectiveness (PUE) of 1.21, has solar PV panels on the roof, and a green wall on the southern façade, with a horticultural management plan in place to ensure this matures and thrives throughout the operational phase of the building. The building also has a number of electric vehicle parking spaces. Yondr has worked collaboratively with Slough Borough Council and the Canal & River Trust on the design of all three buildings on its London campus, ensuring that the development enhances the local area. Located on the site of a former paint factory, the project has involved extensive ground remediation works to remove lead and chemicals. Yondr is upgrading a local cycleway and providing bat and bird boxes as part of the development. The project has also been the starting point for an apprenticeship programme that will see the London campus accommodate four apprentices by the end of 2025. Peter Hill, VP of Design & Construction EMEA at Yondr comments, “Our London campus is being delivered at pace and to a very high standard of reliability, resilience and sustainability. It fulfils our commitment to meeting our client’s requirements while strengthening Slough’s position as a key global hub for data centre capacity.” “Achieving the first RFS phase on the second facility marks another major milestone for our London campus, as we transform a derelict manufacturing site into a state-of-the-art data centre that will support the urgent global need for data capacity and the UK’s ambitions as a leader in digital industries.”

Cyber attacks drop by nearly 10%

Four in 10 (43%) of UK businesses and 30% of charities experienced cyber attacks or data breaches in the last 12 months, according to the latest Cyber Security Breaches Survey. While this marks a slight decrease from last year’s 50%, the threat level for medium and large businesses remains alarmingly high.  The average cost of the most disruptive breach was estimated at £1,600 for businesses and £3,240 for charities. The drop in incidents is attributed mainly to fewer small businesses reporting breaches – but government officials warn against complacency. With cyber threats increasingly targeting critical infrastructure, the UK Government is introducing the Cyber Security and Resilience Bill, compelling organisations to strengthen their digital defences. The survey found that 70% of large businesses now have a formal cyber strategy in place, compared to just 57% of medium-sized firms – exposing a potential gap in preparedness among mid-sized enterprises. There has been a notable improvement in cyber hygiene practices among smaller businesses, with rising adoption of risk assessments, cyber insurance, formal cyber security policies and continuity planning.  These steps are seen as essential in building digital resilience across the UK economy. However, the number of high-income charities implementing best practices such as risk assessments has declined. Insights suggest this may be linked to budgetary pressures, limiting their ability to invest in adequate cyber security measures. Sawan Joshi, Group Director of Information Security at FDM Group, comments, “Keeping banking systems online is becoming more challenging, and technology alone isn’t enough. Skilled IT teams are crucial for spotting risks early and responding quickly to prevent disruptions. Organisations need to invest in ongoing training so their staff can strengthen system defences and recover fast when issues arise. A mix of advanced monitoring, backup systems, and a well-trained workforce is key to keeping services running and maintaining customer trust.'" The Government has also confirmed that UK data centres are now officially designated as critical national infrastructure. This means they will receive the same priority in the event of a major incident - such as a cyber attack - as essential services like water and energy.

Juniper and Google Cloud enhance branch deployments

Juniper Networks has announced its collaboration with Google Cloud to accelerate new enterprise campus and branch deployments and optimise user experiences. With just a few clicks in the Google Cloud Marketplace, customers can subscribe to Google’s Cloud WAN solution alongside Juniper Mist wired, wireless, NAC, firewalls and secure SD-WAN solutions. Unveiled at Google Cloud Next 25, the solution is designed to simply, securely and reliably connect users to critical applications and AI workloads whether on the internet, across clouds or within data centres. “At Google Cloud, we’re committed to providing our customers with the most advanced and innovative networking solutions. Our expanded collaboration with Juniper Networks and the integration of its AI-native networking capabilities with Google’s Cloud WAN represent a significant step forward,” says Muninder Singh Sambi, VP/GM, Networking, Google Cloud. “By combining the power of Google Cloud’s global infrastructure with Juniper’s expertise in AI for networking, we’re empowering enterprises to build more agile, secure and automated networks that can meet the demands of today’s dynamic business environment.” AIOps key to GenAI application growth As the cloud expands and GenAI applications grow, reliable connectivity, enhanced application performance and low latency are paramount. Businesses are turning to cloud-based network services to meet these demands. However, many face challenges with operational complexity, high costs, security gaps and inconsistent application performance. Assuring the best user experience through AI-native operations (AIOps) is essential to overcoming these challenges and maximising efficiency.  Powered by Juniper’s Mist AI-Native Networking platform, Google’s Cloud WAN, a new solution from Google Cloud, delivers a fully managed, reliable and secure enterprise backbone for branch transformation. Mist is purpose-built to leverage AIOps for optimised campus and branch experiences, assuring that connections are reliable, measurable and secure for every device, user, application and asset. “Mist has become synonymous with AI and cloud-native operations that optimise user experiences while minimising operator costs,” says Sujai Hajela, EVP, Campus and Branch, Juniper Networks. “Juniper’s AI-Native Networking Platform is a perfect complement to Google’s Cloud WAN solution, enabling enterprises to overcome campus and branch management complexity and optimise application performance through low latency connectivity, self-driving automation and proactive insights.” Google’s Cloud WAN delivers high-performance connections for campus and branch The campus and branch services on Google’s Cloud WAN driven by Mist provide a single, secure and high-performance connection point for all branch traffic. A variety of wired, wireless, NAC and WAN services can be hosted on Google Cloud Platform, enabling businesses to eliminate on-premises hardware, dramatically simplifying branch operations and reducing operational costs. By natively integrating Juniper and other strategic partners with Google Cloud, Google’s Cloud WAN solution enhances agility, enabling rapid deployment of new branches and services, while improving security through consistent policies and cloud-delivered threat protection. 

Compu Dynamics launches AI and HPC Services unit

Compu Dynamics has announced the launch of its full lifecycle AI and High-Performance Computing (HPC) Services unit, showcasing the company’s end to end capabilities. The expanded portfolio encompasses the entire spectrum of data centre needs, from initial design and procurement to construction, operation and ongoing maintenance, with a particular emphasis on cutting-edge liquid cooling technologies for AI and HPC environments. Compu Dynamics’ new AI and HPC service offerings build on the company’s expertise in white space deployment, including advanced liquid cooling and post-installation services. As a vendor-neutral solutions provider, the company is uniquely positioned to support equipment from virtually every manufacturer with no geographical limitations, ensuring clients receive unbiased recommendations and optimal solutions tailored to their specific requirements. "Our advanced AI and HPC service offerings represent a significant evolution in data centre services," says Steve Altizer, President and CEO of Compu Dynamics. “We have created this team to respond to the accelerating demand for highly-qualified technical support for high-density AI data centre infrastructure. By working with a variety of OEM partners and offering true end-to-end solutions, we are empowering our clients to focus on their core business while we handle the complexities of their modern critical infrastructure." The company’s holistic solutions portfolio addresses the growing need for specialised support in high-density computing environments. Compu Dynamics’ innovative liquid cooling solutions are said to offer superior efficiency and reduced energy consumption, making them essential for future-ready data centres. Key highlights of these service offerings include: · Equipment evaluation, design consultation and procurement. · Power distribution and liquid cooling system installation, startup, commissioning and quality assurance/quality control. · Flexible maintenance service options designed for seamless, worry-free support including comprehensive fluid management, coolant sampling and contamination and corrosion prevention. · Onsite staffing for day-to-day technical operations. · Dedicated customer success manager. · 24x7 emergency response team for technical issues and repair services. "As AI and HPC workloads drive unprecedented demand on data centre infrastructure, our liquid cooling expertise has become increasingly crucial,” says Scott Hegquist, Director of AI/HPC Services at Compu Dynamics. “We're committed to helping our clients navigate these challenges, providing cutting-edge solutions that optimise performance, efficiency and sustainability."

New PCIe 5.0-compatible broadband optical SSD

KIOXIA Corporation, AIO Core Co. and Kyocera Corporation have announced the development of a prototype PCIe 5.0-compatible broadband SSD with an optical interface (broadband optical SSD). The three companies will develop technologies for broadband optical SSDs to enhance their suitability for advanced applications that require high-speed transfer of large data, such as generative AI, and will also apply them to proof-of-concept (PoC) tests for future social implementation. The new prototype achieved functional operation with the high-speed PCIe 5.0 interface, which is twice the bandwidth of the previous PCIe 4.0 generation, through the combination of AIO Core’s IOCore optical transceiver and Kyocera’s OPTINITY optoelectronic integration module technologies. In next-generation green data centres, replacing the electrical wiring interface with optical and utilising broadband optical SSD technology can significantly increase the physical distance between the compute and storage devices, while maintaining energy efficiency and high signal quality. It also contributes to the flexibility and efficiency of data centre system design, where digital diversification and the evolution of generative AI require complex, high-volume and high-speed data processing. This achievement is the result of the Japanese ‘Next Generation Green Data Center Technology Development’ project JPNP21029. It is subsidised by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO), which is under the ‘Green Innovation Fund Project: Construction of Next Generation Digital Infrastructure’. In this project, companies will develop next-generation technologies with the goal of achieving more than 40% energy savings compared to current data centres. As part of this project, KIOXIA is developing broadband optical SSDs, AIO Core is developing optoelectronic fusion devices and Kyocera is developing optoelectronic device packages. Axel Stoermann, Chief Technology Officer and Vice President at KIOXIA Europe, comments, “As we enter a new era where AI and high-performance data centres form the foundation of societal advancement, it's essential to address the challenge of power management to ensure our strides in technology align with global sustainability goals. "This new prototype of a PCIe 5.0-compatible broadband SSD with an optical interface has the real potential to revolutionise data centres and to make them truly sustainable.”