How Elevate is redefining data centre infrastructure
Author: Joe Peck
It feels like yesterday that Elevate – Future Faster launched at Data Centre World 2025. Since then, the team have been working closely with operators, integrators, and partners to understand where white space designs struggle under pressure, namely: how density is increasing, how airflow and power must evolve, and how programmes need to accelerate without increasing operational risk.
Now, as Elevate returns for year two at Data Centre World on Stand B180, it isn’t “new for the sake of new”; it’s a platform that closes the gap between what modern data centres demand and what infrastructure can realistically deliver – more density, more control, and more scale, without complexity creeping in through the back door.
Elevate was built as an integrated ecosystem: fibre, racks, aisle containment, power, and security engineered to work together with clean installation, clear labelling, and predictable operation. In its second year, that ecosystem has expanded significantly, with wider choices for high density fibre, more robust airflow strategies, and smarter power and physical security options designed to make scaling easier.
Addressing today’s data centre challenges
Modern data centres face a familiar set of pressures: rising density, faster change cycles, and tighter operational guardrails. Elevate is designed to help teams keep pace.
Densification is no longer optional. Port counts rise, but physical space doesn’t. Elevate’s high-density fibre solutions – VSFF, MPO, and modular ODF architectures – deliver more ports in the same rack unit space while maintaining front access, bend radius control, and clear labelling. The goal isn’t only to fit more, but to manage more.
Thermal performance is another sticking point. As loads increase, improvised airflow tactics break down. Elevate’s hot and cold aisle containment is engineered to integrate properly with racks, cable pathways, and power routes. The result is stable airflow separation and higher cooling efficiency across mixed hardware environments.
Power, too, needs to evolve. It is no longer enough to energise a rack; operators need visibility, telemetry, and control. Elevate’s high-density intelligent power provides meaningful insight – usage, load, switching – so day two operations become more predictable and less prone to surprises.
Deployment speed matters as much as performance. To avoid delays and rework, Elevate prioritises pre-connectorised designs and engineered pathways. Pre-configured fibre assemblies and pre-populated ODF trays reduce on site variability, shorten install windows, and improve “first time right” outcomes.
Moreover, as estates grow, clarity becomes critical. Structured labelling, clean patch presentation, and tray level guidance help maintain consistency long after the initial build and far beyond the day one installation.
Fast, reliable availability rounds out the approach. Predictable supply chains and standardised configurations help teams maintain design intent and execute programmes without interruption.
Advancing the Elevate Platform for 2026
This year, Elevate introduces a number of key additions designed to meet the demands of increasingly dense, increasingly dynamic data centres:
1. VSFF ultra high density pre-connectorised fibre optics deliver far higher port density within standard 1U and 2U panel formats, reducing splicing, test cycles, and deployment time.
2. Hot aisle containment supports facilities optimised around hot air capture and reuse, improving thermal stability as densities rise.
3. High density intelligent power adds the visibility and control required to balance loads, automate switching, and support safe change windows.
4. Intelligent rack locking delivers scalable, auditable access control.
5. High-density ODFs with pre-connectorised trays provide structured, repeatable patching fields with predictable routing and clear documentation.
Alongside these additions, the DCR Rack Series, cold aisle containment, and MPO high-density, pre-connectorised solutions return with refinements that make dense builds easier to construct, cool, and maintain.
These aren’t isolated features; they’re responses to real operator pressures, helping teams design once, scale confidently, and maintain operational clarity.
Experience the Elevate platform at DCW London
The most reliable way to evaluate infrastructure is to see the engineering up close. At DCW London, Stand B180, you can explore ODF trays, routing paths, containment interfaces, intelligent power options, and rack level access control, as well as discuss how Elevate can support your growth, densification, or refresh plans for 2026. And while you’re there, enter Elevate’s on-stand competition for a chance to win a pair of Apple AirPods.
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