Exploring Modern Data Centre Design

SambaNova, Intel unveil hybrid AI platform

SambaNova, a company specialising in AI hardware and software, and American multinational technology company Intel have announced a new hybrid-chip platform designed to address data centre capacity constraints linked to AI workloads. The architecture combines GPUs for prefill processing, Intel Xeon 6 processors for system control and workload execution, and SambaNova’s reconfigurable dataflow units (RDUs) for inference decoding. The platform is expected to be available in the second half of 2026 for enterprise, cloud, and sovereign AI deployments. The design targets agent-based AI workloads, which require coordinated processing across multiple stages, including data input, model inference, and execution of external tools and applications. Hybrid approach to AI infrastructure The platform reflects a shift towards heterogeneous computing in data centres, where different processor types are used for specific tasks rather than relying solely on GPUs. In this model, GPUs handle the initial processing of prompts, while RDUs manage high-throughput inference tasks. Xeon 6 processors act as both the host system and execution layer, coordinating workloads, running code, and managing interactions with external systems. Rodrigo Liang, CEO and co-founder of SambaNova Systems, explains, “Agentic AI is moving into production, and the winning pattern we’re seeing is GPUs to start the job, Intel Xeon 6 to run it, and SambaNova RDUs to finish it fast. "Together with Intel, we’re giving customers a blueprint they can deploy in existing air-cooled data centres, with broad x86 coverage for the coding agents and tools they already use today.” Kevork Kechichian, Executive Vice President and General Manager of the Data Center Group at Intel, adds, “The data centre software ecosystem is built on x86 and it runs on Xeon, providing a mature, proven foundation that developers, enterprises, and cloud providers rely on at scale. "Workloads of the future will require a heterogeneous mix of computing, and this collaboration with SambaNova delivers a cost-efficient, high-performance inference architecture designed to meet customer needs at scale, powered by Xeon 6.” The companies state that the approach is intended to support increasing demand for AI inference, particularly as agent-based systems move from testing into production environments. Additional industry participants highlighted the growing need for scalable infrastructure to support coding agents and similar workloads, which rely on CPUs for execution alongside accelerators for inference. The announcement marks an expansion of the existing collaboration between SambaNova and Intel, with a focus on enabling large-scale AI deployment across data centre environments.

Black & White Engineering makes senior tech hires

Data centre design consultancy Black & White Engineering has appointed Charlie Bater as Chief Technical Officer and Paul Cook as Global Director of Technology & Innovation, expanding its senior technical leadership team. The appointments come as the company continues to grow internationally, now operating across 24 locations with more than 1,000 employees. The move, the company says, reflects increasing demand for integrated, data-led engineering approaches across data centre and critical infrastructure projects. Charlie Bater takes on the newly created CTO role, having spent eight years with the business, most recently as Global Datacentre Director. During that time, he has supported regional expansion, technical standards, and project delivery consistency. The creation of the CTO role forms part of a wider update to the company’s technical leadership structure, aimed at supporting growth and strengthening engineering capability. Paul Cook joins the senior leadership team as Global Director of Technology & Innovation, working alongside Charlie Bater to develop a more structured approach to technology and innovation across projects. He brings experience across sectors including utilities, ports, pharmaceutical research and development, and healthcare. Prior to joining Black & White Engineering, he worked at Yondr Group and ISG in roles focused on technology, research and development, and digital integration. A focus on technical leadership and innovation Charlie Bater says, “Stepping into the CTO role is an incredible opportunity, and I’m grateful for the trust placed in me. Having grown with the business over the past seven years, I’ve seen first hand the strength of our people and the ambition that drives Black & White. “My focus is to build on our position as a leading data centre design consultancy by further enabling a technical function that drives innovation, supports our teams, and ensures we continue delivering high-quality solutions for our clients across global markets.” The appointments are part of the continued development of the company’s Global Engineering Team, a central function that supports project teams, technical direction, and consistency across regions. Paul Cook adds, “A consistent theme throughout my career has been understanding how complex environments operate in practice and how better integration of infrastructure, digital capability, and operational processes can improve performance and resilience. “At Black & White, the opportunity is to build a Technology and Innovation capability that is practical and supports how projects are delivered day to day, while also ensuring that buildings are designed to provide operational insight and enable effective performance over their lifecycle, supported by a structured research and development framework that ensures innovation is captured and applied in a measurable way. That means being clear about where technology adds value, improving how data is used, and strengthening decision-making from the earliest stages of a project.” The company says its Global Engineering Team will continue to support early-stage technical planning, bid development, and standardisation across projects, with a focus on consistency, efficiency, and long-term performance. For more from Black & White Engineering, click here.

atNorth data centre heat reuse powers Finnish store

atNorth, a Nordic high-density data centre provider, has begun supplying recycled heat from its FIN02 data centre in Espoo, Finland, to a nearby retail store operated by Kesko Corporation. The heat reuse system became operational in November 2025 and captures surplus heat generated by the data centre, using it to provide most of the heating required by the adjacent store. The approach reduces reliance on district heating and lowers emissions for both organisations. For Kesko, the initiative supports its target to reduce Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions by 58.8%. The recovered heat is expected to cut emissions linked to district heating by around 200 tonnes of CO₂ equivalent per year, representing approximately 0.9% of its district heating emissions. Antti Kokkonen, Director of Energy at Kesko, comments, “Reducing emissions from the heating of our properties is a key priority within our sustainability strategy. “Through this collaboration with atNorth, we are able to significantly cut emissions at one of our stores while demonstrating how innovative partnerships can accelerate the transition to lower-carbon operations.” Supporting local energy systems through heat reuse The project reflects a wider trend of integrating data centres into local energy systems by repurposing excess heat. By capturing waste heat, the FIN02 facility improves overall energy efficiency while contributing to Finland’s circular economy objectives. Erling Gudmundsson, COO of atNorth, notes, “As demand for AI-ready digital infrastructure continues to grow, it is essential that data centres scale responsibly. “This project demonstrates how data centres can become active contributors to local energy systems. By recycling excess heat, we can reduce our client’s environmental footprint while supporting our partners’ sustainability goals and delivering tangible benefits to the surrounding community.” The FIN02 site forms part of atNorth’s wider Nordic expansion strategy. The company is also involved in similar heat reuse projects, including a greenhouse development in Iceland and partnerships with Vestforbrænding in Denmark and Stockholm Exergi in Sweden to supply district heating networks. For more from atNorth, click here.

Schneider, NVIDIA to advance AI data centre design

Global energy technology company Schneider Electric has expanded its collaboration with NVIDIA to develop validated designs and digital tools for large-scale AI data centres. Working alongside AVEVA, the companies outlined new developments in designing, simulating, building, and operating AI infrastructure during NVIDIA GTC in San Jose, USA. These include a reference design for NVIDIA’s latest rack-scale systems, integration of digital twin capabilities, and testing of AI-driven tools for managing data centre alarms. The announcements focus on supporting large-scale AI deployments, sometimes referred to as “AI factories”, with an emphasis on power, cooling, and operational efficiency. Reference design and digital twin integration A new reference design has been developed for NVIDIA’s Vera Rubin NVL72 rack architecture, covering power distribution and cooling requirements. The design supports higher supply voltage, improved thermal efficiency, and clustered rack configurations for AI workloads. It has been validated using electrical system and airflow modelling tools to assess performance before deployment. In parallel, AVEVA has introduced a lifecycle digital twin architecture integrated within the NVIDIA Omniverse environment. This enables simulation of power, cooling, and operational conditions, allowing operators to test and refine designs prior to construction. According to the companies, this approach is intended to reduce design cycles, improve accuracy, and support more efficient deployment of AI infrastructure. Manish Kumar, Executive Vice President, Secure Power & Data Centers at Schneider Electric, comments, “As AI workloads scale in both size and complexity, the margin for error in data centre design becomes incredibly small. “Delivering AI at scale requires tightly integrated electrical, cooling, and digital architectures that can support both unprecedented performance demands while maintaining peak energy efficiency. "By combining advanced software, digital twins, and validated reference designs, operators can simulate and optimise infrastructure before a single rack is deployed. This approach reduces risk, accelerates deployment, and ensures the efficiency and resilience needed to power the next generation of AI factories.” Vladimir Troy, Vice President of AI Infrastructure at NVIDIA, adds, “Gigawatt-scale AI factories demand a fundamentally new class of energy-efficient and highly predictable infrastructure. “Together, NVIDIA and Schneider Electric are providing the power, cooling, and digital twin architectures needed to accelerate time-to-token for our customers worldwide.” AI-based alarm management testing Schneider Electric also confirmed testing of an AI-based alarm management capability using NVIDIA Nemotron models. The system analyses real-time data from multiple sources to identify root causes of issues and recommend corrective actions. The aim is to support data centre operators in resolving incidents more quickly and consistently, while reducing unnecessary maintenance activity. The latest developments build on ongoing collaboration between the companies, including work on digital twin environments, power system modelling, and support for higher-voltage data centre architectures. For more from Schneider Electric, click here.

Why DC-powered lighting matters for modern data centres

In this exclusive article for DCNN, Ton van de Wiel, Global Segment Manager, Intelligent Buildings at Signify, outlines why DC-powered LED lighting is emerging as a key consideration in making data centre infrastructure more efficient and resilient: Building resilience from the ground up The digital services that underpin modern economies – from media streaming to cloud computing – depend on a rapidly expanding global network of data centres. These facilities are not only critical to digital connectivity; they represent significant sources of employment, infrastructure investment, and tax revenue through construction and long-term operation. Today, data centre operators face a convergence of challenges. Capacity requirements are accelerating due to AI-driven workloads, energy prices are rising, and expectations around sustainability and carbon reduction are becoming more stringent. In response, the industry is re-examining its electrical infrastructure. Direct current (DC) power architectures, once limited to niche applications, are gaining traction as a foundation for higher efficiency and greater operational resilience. Within this shift, lighting – often treated as a peripheral system – can play a strategic role. DC-powered LED lighting combines high energy efficiency with relatively low implementation risk, making it an effective starting point for broader DC adoption. Beyond energy savings, lighting can also function as an intelligent layer within next-generation data centre infrastructure. How power architectures are changing Operating a data centre requires tight coordination between IT equipment, networking, cooling, security, and electrical distribution. Historically, alternating current (AC) has been the default for power distribution. However, as facilities' scale and power densities increase, electrical efficiency has become a primary design concern. Early facilities relied on 48V DC for backup systems – safe but capacity-constrained. This gave way to 230/277V AC distribution, followed by 380V DC for internal systems. Today, the extreme power demands of AI servers are driving another transition towards 650V DC and even 800V DC architectures. According to the Open Direct Current Alliance (ODCA), 650V DC represents the optimal level for building-wide distribution, balancing efficiency with safety, while organisations such as NVIDIA and the Open Compute Project are investigating 800V DC. Despite promising high-power IT loads, these higher voltages do not yet deliver the same system-wide efficiency benefits as a facility-level 650V DC approach. Outside the data centre sector, industrial sites are already deploying 650V DC systems to improve energy efficiency and resilience. One key advantage is the ability to capture regenerative energy from motor drives and robotics – energy that would otherwise be dissipated as heat. Because lighting is a continuous base load, it can readily absorb this recovered energy, reducing grid dependency and operating costs. Integrating lighting, motors, renewables, and storage on a shared DC grid reduces conversion losses, cuts copper usage through fewer conductors, and lowers transmission losses compared with 400V AC systems. When paired with solar PV and batteries, DC grids also improve self-consumption, backup capability, and flexible energy management. What’s driving the move? The momentum behind DC power in data centres is rooted in both engineering logic and economics: • Lower conversion losses — Conventional AC systems require multiple conversion steps, resulting in energy losses of up to 18%. • Alignment with IT equipment — Servers and GPUs operate natively on DC power. • Simpler renewable integration — Solar panels and battery systems produce DC, enabling more efficient connections. • Reduced system complexity — Fewer transformers and rectifiers mean simpler installation and improved reliability. • Preparedness for AI growth — Rising AI workloads are accelerating the shift towards DC-based power systems. DC power is therefore not just an alternative distribution method, but a pathway to smarter, more resilient infrastructure. Lighting as the first step Among all building systems, lighting is often the most practical candidate for early DC adoption. Connected LED lighting allows operators to pilot DC distribution with limited risk before extending it to mission-critical IT loads. The benefits are tangible: • Capital expenditure savings — DC lighting cables reduce copper use by 40%. Three-conductor DC cables (L+, L-, PE) can transmit the same power as five-conductor 400V three-phase AC cables. • Operational cost reductions — With only two current-carrying conductors, DC lighting avoids approximately 33% of cable losses compared with three-phase AC at the same current. • Improved resilience — DC lighting can operate directly from on-site solar generation or battery storage, strengthening microgrid performance during outages. DC-compatible luminaires and components are already commercially available. For example, Signify offers a 100W Xitanium LED driver designed for 620–750V DC operation, integrated into the Pacific LED Gen5 and Maxos Fusion luminaire families. These solutions achieve up to 165lm/W efficacy and can be paired with systems such as Signify Interact and Philips Dynalite. Driver-level efficiency can exceed 95%, with future potential to reach 200lm/W through ultra-high-efficiency LED modules. Sustainability and ESG outcomes DC-powered lighting supports measurable sustainability objectives: • Lower carbon emissions through reduced conversion losses and material usage • Support for certifications such as LEED Zero and BREEAM • Energy optimisation with connected lighting systems, cutting lighting energy use by up to 75% For hyperscalers like Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure, as well as colocation providers, these outcomes translate directly into stronger ESG reporting and progress towards carbon neutrality. DC lighting can also be implemented incrementally. Some facilities deploy rack-level DC lighting while retaining an AC backbone. Others adopt facility-wide DC grids that integrate lighting, renewables, storage, and IT infrastructure. In larger deployments, centralised emergency lighting connected to the DC backbone ensures continuous illumination during outages, reinforcing safety in mission-critical spaces. A strategic role for lighting As operators prepare for the next phase of digital expansion, DC-powered lighting offers a practical, high-impact entry point into efficient, renewable-ready DC infrastructure. Modern connected lighting systems extend far beyond illumination. With embedded sensors measuring occupancy, daylight, temperature, humidity, and air quality, luminaires form a dense, facility-wide sensing network without the need for additional hardware. Using open protocols such as DALI, BACnet, and MQTT, DC lighting networks integrate with building management systems and DCIM platforms, enabling predictive maintenance, enhanced operational intelligence, and optimised cooling and space utilisation. By simplifying cabling, reducing losses, and enabling intelligent energy management, DC lighting transforms illumination from a passive load into an active contributor to resilient, sustainable data centre operations.

Secure I.T. completes Qatar financial data centre design

Secure I.T. Environments (SITE), a UK design and build company for modular, containerised, and micro data centres, has completed a full server room design programme for a financial institution in the State of Qatar. The company delivered the engineering and layout documentation, enabling local procurement and installation. The project involved a new server room within an existing building footprint - covering approximately 110m² - and included a separate staging area to improve security and operational flow. The design includes eight IT racks and three communications racks, based on a target density of 6kW per IT rack. Power infrastructure features dual 50kW UPS systems operating in parallel, alongside additional UPS provision for communications equipment. Capacity, cooling, and resilience Cooling is based on an N+1 direct expansion configuration using three air conditioning units, providing around 80kW of sensible cooling capacity. The total estimated site load is approximately 145kVA within a 150kVA allowance. Environmental monitoring and fire protection systems were also incorporated, with humidity control and condensate management designed for high ambient temperatures. The design follows the ISO/IEC TS 22237 data centre facility standards and related international guidance covering power, environmental control, security, and management. Chris Wellfair, Projects Director at Secure I.T. Environments, comments, “For overseas data centre and server room projects, getting the design decisions right up front is what de-risks delivery. "This programme focused on producing a complete, buildable design for a controlled, resilient environment, with clear capacity assumptions, practical access planning, and standards-led engineering across power, cooling, fire, and security. "Having our work in demand internationally is a testament to the work of our design team.” For more from Secure I.T. Environments, click here.

TES Power to deliver modular power for Spanish DC

TES Power, a provider of power distribution equipment and modular electrical rooms for data centres, has been selected to deliver 48 MW of modular power infrastructure for a new greenfield data centre development in Northern Spain, designed to support artificial intelligence workloads. The facility is intended for high-density compute environments, where power resilience, scalability, and deployment speed are key considerations. Growing demand from AI training and inference continues to place pressure on operators to deliver robust electrical infrastructure without compromising availability or reliability. Modular power skids for high-density AI environments As part of the project, TES Power will design and manufacture 25 fully integrated 2.5MW IT power skids. Each skid is a self-contained module incorporating cast resin transformers, LV switchgear, parallel UPS systems, end-of-life battery autonomy, CRAH-based cooling, and high-capacity busbar interconnections. The skids are designed to provide continuous power to critical IT loads, with automatic transfer from mains supply to battery and generator systems in the event of a supply disruption, a requirement increasingly associated with AI-driven data centre operations. Michael Beagan, Managing Director at TES Power, says, “AI is fundamentally changing the scale, speed, and resilience requirements of data centre power infrastructure. This project reflects exactly where the market is heading: larger, higher-density facilities that cannot tolerate risk or delay. "By delivering fully integrated, factory-tested power skids, we’re helping our client accelerate deployment while maintaining the absolute reliability that AI workloads demand.” The project uses off-site manufacture to reduce programme risk and enable parallel delivery, allowing electrical systems to be progressed while civil and building works continue on-site. Each skid will undergo full Factory Acceptance Testing prior to shipment, reducing commissioning risk and limiting on-site installation time. Building Information Modelling is being used to digitally coordinate each skid with wider site services, supporting installation sequencing, clash detection, and longer-term operational planning. TES Power’s scope also includes project management, site services, and final commissioning.

Johnson Controls launches cooling reference design guides

Johnson Controls, a global provider of smart building technologies, has announced the launch of its Reference Design Guide Series for one-gigawatt AI data centres. Each guide in the series maps the full thermal chain, offering cooling architectures tailored to diverse compute densities, geographies, and elevations. The series begins with a blueprint for water-cooled chiller plants, with future guides to address air-cooled and absorption chiller solutions. As AI transforms industries, the scale and complexity of data centre infrastructure is rapidly evolving. The ability to efficiently manage thermal loads at gigawatt scale is now a critical enabler for AI innovation, and the industry faces mounting pressure to deliver facilities that are not only high-performing, but also sustainable and future-ready. Johnson Controls says its Reference Design Guide Series responds to this challenge by outlining how to achieve "industry-leading" energy and water efficiency (PUE and WUE) while maintaining flexibility to scale across diverse climates and operational requirements. The guide outlines a complete thermal architecture supporting both liquid- and air-cooled IT loads through integrated computer room air handlers (CRAHs), fan coil walls, coolant distribution units (CDUs), and high-efficiency YORK centrifugal chillers. It provides sizing guidance for 220MW compute quadrants and defines temperature and operating conditions across all major facility loops, including Technology Cooling System (TCS) loops supporting next-generation GPUs. Stated key outcomes • Zero water consumption — A "fully water-free" heat rejection process using dry coolers, "reducing operational costs and advancing sustainability objectives." • Future-ready thermal flexibility — High-temperature TCS loop readiness aims to ensure compatibility with forthcoming GPU architectures. • Optimised high-density AI performance — Alignment with NVIDIA DSX reference architecture enables scalable deployment of 1-GW-class AI Factories. • Energy-efficient operation — Elevated condenser water temperatures, bifurcated loops, and YORK high-lift chillers aim to deliver good PUE and improved annualised efficiency. Austin Domenici, Vice President & General Manager at Johnson Controls Global Data Center Solutions, says, "AI Factories are production facilities - the places where intelligence is manufactured at an industrial scale. "By supporting the NVIDIA DSX reference architecture and improving water and energy efficiency in the cooling process while maintaining high temperature loop compatibility, our Reference Design Guide equips customers to deploy gigawatt-scale AI infrastructure that is scalable, repeatable, resilient, and sustainable." For more from Johnson Controls, click here.

Thorn, Zumtobel to exhibit at Data Centre World

Thorn and Zumtobel, both lighting brands of the Zumtobel Group, are to present a "unified approach" to data centre lighting at Data Centre World 2026. The companies say the focus will be on three operational priorities for data centre operators and delivery teams: reduced energy consumption, reliable operation, and consistent control across white space, plant, circulation, and perimeter areas. The stand will outline how a coordinated lighting and controls strategy can support specification, installation, and ongoing operation across different data centre environments. The Zumtobel Group says its approach is intended to support consistency across projects, while also simplifying long-term maintenance and operational management. Lighting controls for data centres A central element of the stand will be the use of the LITECOM control platform, which is presented as a way to connect a defined portfolio of luminaires across different zones of a data centre. The companies say this is intended to support scheduling, presence detection, daylight strategies, scene setting, and portfolio standardisation. The stand will also feature TECTON II, shown as part of a continuous-row lighting infrastructure approach, which is designed to support rapid, tool-free assembly and future adaptation. Lighting applications on show will cover white space, technical areas, offices, and exterior zones. Products listed for demonstration include: • Thorn: Aquaforce Pro, ForceLED, Piazza, Omega Pro 2, IQ Beam • Zumtobel: IZURA, TECTON II, MELLOW LIGHT, AMPHIBIA, LANOS All are shown as being controlled via LITECOM. The stand design itself will be intended to reflect Zumtobel Group's stated sustainability principles, using reused and modular components from previous events, with minimal new-build elements. In addition, graphics have been consolidated to reduce printing and waste. Neil Raithatha, Head of Marketing, Thorn and Zumtobel Lighting UK & Ireland, notes, “Data centre customers need lighting that is consistent, efficient, and straightforward to manage. “Our presentation this year brings together proven luminaires with a control platform that helps project teams deliver quickly and run reliably, from the white space to the perimeter.” Thorn and Zumtobel will be exhibiting at Stand F140 at Excel London on 4–5 March 2026. For more from Thorn and Zumtobel, click here.

Data centre waste heat could warm millions of UK homes

New analysis from EnergiRaven, a UK provider of energy management software, and Viegand Maagøe, a Danish sustainability and ESG consultancy, suggests that waste heat from the next generation of UK data centres could be used to heat more than 3.5 million homes by 2035, provided the necessary heat network infrastructure is developed. The research estimates that projected growth in data centres could generate enough recoverable heat to supply between 3.5 million and 6.3 million homes, depending on data centre design efficiency and other technical factors. The report argues that without investment in large-scale heat network infrastructure, much of this heat will be lost. The study highlights a risk that the UK will expand data centre and AI infrastructure without making use of the waste heat produced, missing an opportunity to reduce household energy costs and improve energy resilience. “Our national grid will be powering these data centres - it’s madness to invest in the additional power these facilities will need and waste so much of it as unused heat, driving up costs for taxpayers and bill payers,” argues Simon Kerr, Head of Heat Networks at EnergiRaven. “Microsoft has said it wants its data centres to be ‘good neighbours’ - giving heat back to their communities should be an obvious first step.” Regional opportunities and proximity to housing The research points to examples where data centres are located close to both new housing developments and areas affected by fuel poverty. Around Greater Manchester, for example, 15,000 homes are planned in the Victoria North development, with a further 14,000 to 20,000 planned in Adlington. The area also includes more than a dozen existing data centres, with additional facilities planned. According to the analysis, these sites could potentially supply heat to nearby new housing, reducing the need for individual gas boilers and supporting lower-carbon heating. Moreover, the study maps how similar patterns could be replicated across the UK, linking waste heat sources with residential demand through heat networks. Using waste heat for space heating is common in parts of northern Europe, particularly in Nordic countries. There, waste heat from sources such as data centres, power plants, incinerators, and sewage treatment facilities is often connected to district heat networks, supplying homes via heat interface units instead of individual boilers. In the UK, a number of cities have been designated as Heat Network Zones, where heat networks have been identified as a lower-cost, low-carbon heating option. From 2026, Ofgem will take over regulation of heat networks and new technical standards will be introduced through the Heat Network Technical Assurance Scheme, aimed at improving consumer and investor confidence. Heat networks, regulation, and policy context The Warm Homes Plan includes a target to double the proportion of heat demand met by heat networks in England to 7% by 2035, with longer-term ambitions for heat networks to supply around 20% of heat by 2050. The plan also includes funding support for heat network development. However, Simon argues that current policy does not fully reflect the scale of opportunity from large waste heat sources, continuing, “Current policy in the UK is nudging us towards a patchwork of small networks that might connect heat from a single source to a single housing development. If we continue down this road, we will end up with cherry-picking and small, private monopolies, rather than national infrastructure that can take advantage of the full scale of waste heat sources around the country. “We know that investment in heat networks and thermal infrastructure consistently drives bills down over time and delivers reliable carbon savings, but these projects require long-term finance. "Government-backed low-interest loans, pension fund investment, and institutions such as GB Energy all have a role to play in bridging this gap, as does proactivity from local governments, who can take vital first steps by joining forces to map out potential networks and start laying the groundwork with feasibility studies.” Peter Maagøe Petersen, Director and Partner at Viegand Maagøe, adds, “We should see waste heat as a national opportunity. In addition to heating homes, heat highways can also reduce strain on the electricity grid and act as a large thermal battery, allowing renewables to keep operating even when usage is low and reducing reliance on imported fossil fuels. "As this data shows, the UK has all the pieces it needs to start taking advantage of waste heat - it just needs to join them together. With denser cities than its Nordic neighbours and a wealth of waste heat on the horizon, the UK is a fantastic place for heat networks. It needs to start focusing on heat as much as it does electricity - not just for lower bills, but for future jobs and energy security.”