EDGE Modular launches containerised data centres

EDGE Modular has launched globally, expanding its containerised data centre offering for edge computing, telecoms, and remote infrastructure deployments. The New Zealand-based company, a division of Edge Defence, designs and manufactures modular data centre systems intended for rapid deployment in locations where traditional construction may be impractical or time-consuming. According to EDGE Modular, the systems are aimed at organisations requiring scalable infrastructure for edge computing and localised data processing. The company says its modular approach allows systems to be manufactured, tested, and deployed more quickly than conventional brick-and-mortar facilities, while also supporting future expansion through scalable designs. John Gell, General Manager at EDGE Modular, explains, “Our mission is to provide innovative, containerised data centre solutions tailored to the unique needs of each client. "We ensure efficiency, quality, and flexibility for future growth in every project we undertake.” Modular infrastructure for edge computing EDGE Modular’s portfolio includes containerised data centres in 10ft, 20ft, and 40ft formats, alongside telecom exchange units, command and control rooms, battery storage systems, and specialist workshop environments. The company states that its infrastructure is designed for deployment in remote and challenging environments, with systems transportable via road, rail, or sea using standard shipping container logistics. EDGE Modular also says its systems are designed for concurrent maintainability, allowing maintenance work to be carried out without interrupting critical operations. In addition to manufacturing, the company provides infrastructure consultancy, system design services, and maintenance support for deployed installations.

Extreme weather prompts revision of cooling strategies

Following warnings from scientists that current climate conditions are brewing extreme weather in the months ahead, Aggreko, a British temporary power generation and temperature control company, says it is calling upon data centre managers to revise their cooling strategies ahead of time or face the consequences. Global sea temperatures of 21°C were reported last month - the second highest on record for the month of April - with scientists now pointing to another El Niño warming cycle that could significantly intensify extreme weather. These temperatures are marginally lower the 21.04°C recorded in April 2024 ahead of the last El Niño weather event, which ended up being the fourth warmest year on record for the UK. With a long, hot summer potentially in store, Chris Smith, Head of Temperature Control at Aggreko, says he is urging the data centre sector to review its cooling infrastructure before the heatwave arrives. He suggests, “We need only look back at 2024 to see what El Niño might have in store for us this year. Summer temperatures regularly exceeded 30°C, placing immense pressure on data centre cooling infrastructure and even leading to full-blown equipment failure in worst-case scenarios. “The reality is: current cooling strategies simply aren’t designed to deal with this kind of weather or to operate in these temperature ranges. For this reason, now is the time to start reviewing current cooling infrastructure to assess whether it’s still fit for purpose so the right measures can be brought in ahead of time. “The main thing to look out for is ageing assets, as these are at the greatest risk of lower efficiency, overheating, and failure. Engaging with a specialist temperature control partner can help implement temporary cooling and industrial HVAC solutions to bridge gaps during equipment failures, manage seasonal demand peaks, and provide N+1 redundancy for greater operational resilience.” Data centre cooling under pressure With rack densities on the rise, data centre cooling infrastructure is arguably under greater pressure than ever before, with the cost of outages reportedly becoming more expensive. In the Uptime Institute’s 2026 outage analysis, cooling accounted for 14% of all impactful outages - the second biggest contributor behind power - while one fifth of respondents stated that their most recent outage cost more than $1 million (£745,000). In the face of this challenge, Aggreko believes hybridised packages consisting of battery energy storage systems (BESS) and temporary chillers or cold storage units are becoming an increasingly popular option for the data centre industry. Here, the company notes, the chiller or cold storage unit can provide scalable, supplementary cooling capacity, with the BESS powering the package while enhancing efficiency, reducing costs, minimising environmental impact, and offering near-silent operation versus a standard generator. Chris continues, “While we’ll have to wait and see what the summer has planned for us, now is nonetheless a prime time to re-evaluate cooling strategies and identify where efficiency gains can be made. "Procuring temporary cooling from a third-party specialist not only allows access to the latest, high-efficiency technology, but also opens the door to a number of creative solutions, such a hybridisation, which just aren’t feasible in-house. “While cooling is just one of the challenges that data centre managers have to contend with at the moment, the gains this can deliver, alongside the resilience it provides against the threat of outages, mean that this is more than a worthwhile operational solution.” For more from Aggreko, click here.

Vultr launches Milan cloud data centre region

Vultr, a privately held cloud infrastructure company, has launched a new cloud data centre region in Milan, expanding its European footprint to nine locations. The Milan site becomes Vultr’s 33rd global cloud data centre region and was announced during AI Week 2026 at Fiera Milano Rho. The company is also participating in the event as a platinum sponsor and co-host of the AI Agent Olympics Hackathon. Vultr says the Milan region will provide access to its AI and cloud infrastructure portfolio, including its VX1 cloud compute platform, bare metal services, and GPU infrastructure based on technologies from NVIDIA and AMD. The company states that the new region is intended to support workloads including AI, SaaS platforms, databases, analytics, ERP applications, microservices, and APIs. Milan joins Vultr’s existing European regions in London, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Manchester, Madrid, Paris, Stockholm, and Warsaw. Milan expansion targets AI and enterprise demand According to Vultr, the Milan region is designed to provide low-latency connectivity for European users while supporting increasing demand for AI and cloud infrastructure services. The company says its global network is positioned to reach 90% of the world’s population within 2–40 milliseconds. J.J. Kardwell, CEO of Vultr, comments, “Italy is one of Europe's fastest-growing cloud infrastructure markets, and Milan is at the heart of it. Vultr is here because the enterprises and developers driving that growth need high-performance cloud infrastructure without the cost and complexity of the traditional hyperscalers. "This is a long-term investment in Italy and in European AI innovation." Vultr has also connected its Autonomous System Number (ASN) to the Milan Internet Exchange (MIX) to support local traffic routing, lower latency, and increased regional bandwidth capacity. The company says its cloud compute platform supports configurations ranging from two to 192 vCPUs. For more from Vultr, click here.

Eastern Light expands Nordic fibre capacity

Eastern Light, a Stockholm-based independent operator building and owning long-haul dark fibre submarine cable routes, has started construction of the Nordic Corridor, a new subsea fibre cable system connecting Sweden and Finland. The project includes the SF-II subsea connection and represents an investment of approximately €30 million (£26 million). Combined with the company’s existing SF-I cable system, the Nordic Corridor is intended to increase digital communications capacity between the two countries. Eastern Light currently operates the SF-I subsea cable between Sweden and Finland, which contains 144 fibres. The new SF-II system will add a further 288 fibres through a combination of terrestrial and subsea infrastructure. According to the company, the expanded system is designed to meet increasing demand for digital capacity across the Nordic and Baltic regions, particularly as data centre development accelerates. Mikael Vesterlund, COO of Eastern Light, says, “We are seeing rapidly growing demand for digital capacity in the Baltic Sea region, driven primarily by investments in data centres across the Nordics. "Several of the existing cable systems are old and are beginning to reach full utilisation. That is why we need to expand digital capacity between the countries. The Nordic Corridor is an important step in meeting this development.” New cable route designed around resilience Eastern Light says the SF-II deployment will take place in several phases. The first stage, extending to Finnish territorial waters near the Åland archipelago, was completed in May. The company states that the cable route has been designed to remain within national waters, reducing risks associated with international routes and simplifying future repair work if required. Eastern Light also says the Nordic Corridor is owned and financed by Nordic stakeholders. Mikael continues, “The Nordic Corridor is a project of critical importance to society. In the event of security incidents, data must be able to take alternative routes. "That is why we are now strengthening the robustness of the system by building a new fibre connection between Sweden and Finland. More cables are needed.” The SF-II project will span approximately 480km and has an estimated operational lifespan of around 50 years. The subsea cable itself will weigh approximately 566 metric tonnes.

Techno Digital commissions Mumbai edge data centre

Indian data centre developer Techno Digital has announced the completion of its Mumbai Edge Data Center (EDC) in Mahalakshmi, South Mumbai, India. Developed in partnership with RailTel Corporation of India, the facility is built to Rated-3 infrastructure standards and is now fully operational. The site has been designed to support enterprise workloads through a smaller infrastructure footprint focused on low latency and connectivity. The Mumbai EDC is positioned to support businesses operating in Mumbai’s financial districts, providing a reported latency of less than 150 microseconds from the Bombay Stock Exchange in Nariman Point and less than 250 microseconds from the National Stock Exchange of India in Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC). The facility is located near business districts including BKC, Nariman Point, Worli, Lower Parel, Mahalakshmi, and Fort, allowing organisations to deploy infrastructure closer to operational sites. A focus on low-latency connectivity Key features of the facility include: • Low-latency connectivity across Mumbai business districts• Access to RailTel’s nationwide fibre network, spanning more than 63,000km• Infrastructure designed to support sovereign and compliance-focused workloads Its proximity to Mumbai’s cable landing stations is also intended to support international connectivity while maintaining low-latency domestic performance. The Mumbai facility forms part of Techno Digital’s wider edge data centre expansion strategy in partnership with RailTel. The company plans to launch five additional edge locations, with a longer-term target of expanding to 102 sites across India over the next three to four years. Ankit Saraiya, Director & CEO of Techno Digital, comments, “As India’s digital economy scales, infrastructure requirements are evolving beyond capacity to include proximity and performance. "The Mumbai EDC is designed to align infrastructure with demand centres, particularly in high-performance environments such as financial services and real-time platforms. "At Techno Digital, our mission is to build a leading distributed network of interconnected edge infrastructure that matches the concentration of economic and digital activity. The Mumbai facility represents a key milestone in that journey.” Amit Agrawal, President of Techno Digital, adds, “In a city like Mumbai, where milliseconds can impact outcomes, infrastructure placement becomes critical. "This facility combines low-latency architecture, strong connectivity, and sovereign infrastructure to support performance-critical workloads ranging from trading and fintech platforms to real-time AI inferencing and enterprise applications. "It is designed to deliver the reliability and responsiveness required in latency-sensitive environments.” For more from Techno Digital, click here.

'External threats a rising cause of outages for data centres'

External infrastructure failures and outages linked to fibre and connectivity issues are becoming more prominent for data centres, according to new research from the Uptime Institute, a US-based independent data centre standards and certification body. Despite that, on-site outages for data centres have declined for the fifth consecutive year, with approximately one in 10 noting that their last outages had a serious or severe impact. The cost of major outages continued to rise, with 57% stating that their most recent major outage cost over $100,000 (£74,800) and one in five reporting a cost of over $1 million (£748,000). Richard Petrie, CTO of the London Internet Exchange (LINX), comments, “Networking and connectivity continue to sit at the top of the most common causes of IT outages, reinforcing the importance of resilience in this area. "As organisations face growing pressure from network congestion, external threats, and increasing reliance on third-party providers, resilience across both network and data centre infrastructure is becoming critical. "While it’s encouraging to see on-site outages declining as infrastructure providers continue to prioritise resilience, the risks posed by external failures mean organisations still need robust redundancy policies in place for when outages do occur. "The backbone of a strong redundancy strategy is a secondary fabric that allows data to be rerouted during periods of disruption or risk, helping organisations remain operational even when the primary network is compromised. "By providing multiple options to route traffic, organisations can strengthen resilience and help networks stay online.” Power failures a contributing a factor The leading cause of impactful outages was power, with failures involving UPS systems, transfer switches, and generators remaining prominent. Worsening grid constraints and high-density workloads were also found to contribute to outages as a newer challenge. To adapt, the research outlined that operators are adapting investment strategies towards automation and control systems in order to manage complexity, despite acknowledging that more automation can cause different classes of problems. In line with the causes of outages, resilience assessments were found to focus more on internal systems than on external and systemic risks. Andy Lawrence, founding member and Executive Director of Uptime Intelligence, says, “Outages overall have slowed down and, overall, digital infrastructure is remarkably resilient. But further resiliency gains are becoming harder to achieve. “We believe that over time, failures will increasingly not be the result of a single point of failure, but instead be linked to complex interactions between systems, including software, networks, and external dependencies. "While site-based electrical and mechanical infrastructure remain a critical building block that needs to be resilient, digital infrastructure is becoming more distributed with outages originating outside the data centre, including those tied to power availability, network connectivity, or the reliance on external cloud services playing a larger role.”

Zayo Europe expands network into Genoa

Network infrastructure provider Zayo Europe has expanded its Southern European network with a new point of presence (PoP) in Genoa, Italy, strengthening connectivity between Mediterranean subsea cable systems and its terrestrial fibre network. The new point of presence is located within Quadrivium Digital’s QGEN01 facility and extends Zayo Europe’s existing Italian footprint alongside sites in Milan and Rome. According to the company, Genoa is becoming an increasingly important landing point for subsea cable systems connecting Europe with Asia (including the Middle East) and Africa. Zayo Europe says the expansion is intended to support growing traffic flows across the Mediterranean region while providing alternative connectivity routes into major European hubs including Frankfurt and Paris, as well as interconnection points in Barcelona and Lisbon. Subsea connectivity expanding network diversity The company states that the new route options are designed to provide additional network diversity and reduce reliance on traditional connectivity routes through Marseille. Quadrivium Digital says the deployment also gives customers within the QGEN01 facility direct access to Zayo Europe’s wider network and more than 600 connected data centres across Europe. Aditya Ayyagari, CEO of Quadrivium Digital, comments, “This partnership positions QGEN01 as a key interconnection hub in the Mediterranean ecosystem. “By combining direct access to new subsea systems with Zayo Europe’s diverse terrestrial routes, we are enabling customers to efficiently reach key traffic hubs like Barcelona and Lisbon, as well as the US, while achieving greater route diversity and lower latency across global networks.” Colman Deegan, CEO of Zayo Europe, adds, “The digital map of Europe is evolving and our expansion into Genoa is a direct response to our customers’ need for greater resilience and choice. “By connecting this important Mediterranean landing point to our 400G-enabled backbone, we are creating a seamless bridge between subsea systems and our terrestrial infrastructure. "Ultimately, this ensures our customers have access to the scalable, high-capacity connectivity required to support the next wave of cloud and AI-driven growth.” For more from Zayo Europe, click here.

Russelectric expands microgrid controls offering

US power control manufacturer Russelectric, a Siemens business, has highlighted its Advanced Microgrid Controls platform, designed to support power resiliency and energy management across critical infrastructure environments including data centres. The system combines hardware and software for managing onsite generation assets and facility power infrastructure, including generators, battery storage systems, photovoltaic arrays, and electrical loads. According to Russelectric, the platform integrates with transfer switches, switchgear, and power controllers to support facility-wide monitoring and optimisation of distributed energy resources. The company says the system is designed to support operational continuity during grid outages through functions including dynamic islanding, automatic generator black start capability, and grid resynchronisation. Microgrid platform targets critical infrastructure Russelectric states that the platform is intended to help facilities improve power quality, reduce energy consumption, and lower operational emissions through more efficient management of onsite power assets. The company also offers engineering, commissioning, manufacturing, and maintenance support for microgrid deployments, alongside integrated switchgear and turnkey infrastructure options. Russelectric says it has more than 50 years of experience delivering microgrid control installations across critical infrastructure sectors. Siemens acquired Russelectric in 2011, with the business continuing to focus on power control and transfer systems for mission-critical facilities. For more from Siemens, click here.

NEC completes Pacific submarine cable system

Japanese multinational technology company NEC Corporation has completed construction of the East Micronesia Cable System (EMCS), a submarine cable network linking the Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, and Nauru. The approximately 2,250km cable system connects Tarawa in Kiribati to Nauru, before extending to Kosrae and Pohnpei in the Federated States of Micronesia. The infrastructure has now been handed over to FSM Telecommunications Cable Corporation, Bwebweriki Net Limited, and Cenpac Corporation. According to NEC, the project provides the first optical submarine cable connection for Kosrae, Tarawa, and Nauru, which had previously relied primarily on satellite communications. The company says the new cable system is designed to improve internet connectivity, reliability, and latency across the region, supporting applications including video communications and digital payment services. Submarine cable boosts regional connectivity The EMCS project was supported by the governments of Australia, Japan, and the United States through grant funding initiatives focused on Pacific infrastructure development. Gordon Segal, Chief Executive Officer of FSM Telecommunications Cable Corporation and Chairman of the EMCS Management Committee, comments, “Kosrae was the only state in the FSM without a submarine cable connection. "We are truly delighted that the construction of the EMCS has now provided digital connectivity to all four states of the FSM. “This infrastructure development not only advances the digitalisation of the regional economy, but also dramatically improves residents' access to information and services. "NEC's strong execution capabilities and high reliability have been essential to the project’s success, and we hold them in high regard.” Bwanouia Aberaam, Officer in Charge of Bwebweriki Net, adds, “We are pleased to see the completion of resilient communications infrastructure in Kiribati and the Micronesia region. "With this vital foundation supporting the digitalisation of the regional economy now in place, access to diverse information and essential services will significantly improve going forward.” Zikki Eoe, Chairlady of Cenpac Corporation, notes, “This project is Nauru's first undersea cable, enabling the provision of high-speed, reliable internet services to residents. We have high expectations that this will significantly accelerate Nauru's economic development and digitalisation going forwards.” Tomonori Uematsu, Managing Director of NEC’s Submarine Network Division, concludes, “We are truly delighted to have completed this new telecommunications infrastructure in the Pacific Island region. "We consider it a highly significant achievement that NEC's long-established optical submarine cable technology has helped strengthen the region's communications environment, contributing to the realisation of safe and prosperous lives.” NEC states that it has installed more than 400,000km of submarine cable infrastructure globally during its 60 years in the sector.

Socomec expands North American manufacturing

Socomec, a manufacturer of low voltage power management systems, has opened two new manufacturing facilities in North America to support growing demand from the data centre sector. The new sites, located in Suwanee, Georgia, near Atlanta, and Brampton, Ontario, near Toronto, form part of the company’s strategy to expand regional production capacity for power infrastructure equipment. According to Socomec, the facilities will support the manufacture of UPS systems, static transfer switches, transformers, and power distribution units for data centre operators across North America. The company says the data centre sector is now its largest and fastest-growing market segment globally, driven by increasing AI-related infrastructure demand. New facilities target data centre growth The Suwanee site spans 194,000ft² (18,023m²) and will manufacture UPS systems and static transfer switches. Socomec expects the facility to reach full production capacity in early 2027 and employ around 300 staff. Meanwhile, the Brampton facility covers more than 150,000ft² (13,935m²) and will focus on transformers and power distribution units. The site currently employs 170 people. Socomec says local manufacturing will help improve lead times, support compliance with North American regulatory standards, and strengthen supply chain resilience for regional customers. The company also confirmed that a dedicated North American development team has been established to support customer requirements within the data centre market. Ivan Steyert, CEO of Socomec Group, says, “Manufacturing where we sell is a decisive advantage in the current geopolitical context. "Our two new sites will significantly increase Socomec’s ability to serve North American data centre operators, ensuring a consistent level of quality, reduced lead times, and improved industrial agility, while allowing us to remain close to our customers.” Michele Putignano, CEO of North America at Socomec, adds, “In a demanding and highly regulated North American market, our ambition is to build sustainable local expertise, offer ever more innovative solutions, and strengthen our position as the leader in power conversion for data centres and other critical infrastructures. “The region is now a strategic driver for Socomec, having seen annual growth rates of over 20% in five consecutive years.” Socomec currently employs around 750 people across the US and Canada. For more from Socomec, click here.