Sustainability

Aruba achieves certification for new Rome data centre

Aruba, an Italian provider of cloud, data centre, hosting, e-mail, domain registration and PEC (certified email) services, has announced that it has achieved ANSI/TIA-942-C Rating 4 Constructed Facility certification for Data Centre A of the Hyper Cloud Data Centre campus located within the Tecnopolo Tiburtino area in Rome. The certification issued by EPI, one of the world's leading providers of data centre training and TIA-942 audit/certification, ensures (as a result of rigorous inspections) not only full compliance with the standard in terms of design and planning, but also total correspondence and conformity of what is actually built. The ANSI/TIA-942 standard assesses the resilience of a data centre, such as its ability to ensure the continuity of services provided. In detail, the Telecommunication Industry Association (TIA) develops its standards in accordance with the procedures of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), which require them to be revised every five years. The ANSI/TIA-942-C standard, released in May 2024, presents an essential update to ensure that the implementation of new applications and technologies in data centres results in improved performance, service delivery and resilience in various aspects through more stringent risk analysis. Among the main new features of ANSI/TIA-942-C, it highlights that environmental sustainability and combating climate change are given greater attention with new considerations, including risk and context analysis, thus ensuring that the standard is brought in line with the most modern and stringent regulations. To date, all the data centres at the Ponte San Pietro (BG) campus, to which this first building at the Rome campus is added, comply with ANSI/TIA-942 Rating 4. This result was achieved thanks to a series of design and construction arrangements involving multiple aspects of data centre design and construction: site selection, architectural aspects, physical security, fire protection systems, electrical system, mechanical system and data networks. This also helps to ensure compliance with the requirements for the provision of services to the Public Administration as recently recognised by ACN (the National Cybersecurity Authority) with the assignment of the QI3 level to Aruba infrastructures, hence ensuring high levels of security. Stefano Cecconi, CEO of Aruba, comments, "Obtaining the highest levels of certification for our infrastructure is a cornerstone of our data centre and colocation services development strategy. Over the years, our internal teams have built important know-how that has enabled us to design and build data centres that have easily reached, and sometimes exceeded, the highest standards that various regulations over time have offered us. "It is in this way that Aruba is committed to providing services capable of guaranteeing the highest performance and business continuity to public and private customers who need to ensure the functioning of their IT infrastructures, applications, services or more generally of their online business". For more from Aruba, click here.

Google’s emissions soar 48% over five years due to AI

Google’s greenhouse gas emissions have soared 48% over the past five years, with its Artificial Intelligence (AI) products relying on energy-intensive data centres. Google labelled "increases in data centre energy consumption and supply chain emissions" as the primary driver behind the rise, with total emissions reaching 14.3 million metric tons, according to its annual environmental report. It is estimated that data centres contribute 2.3% to 3.7% of the world’s CO2 emissions, surpassing the global aviation industry, which accounts for 2.1%. In the report, Google said that "reaching net zero emissions by 2030 is an extremely ambitious goal and we know it won’t be easy", citing that the future of AI and its environmental impact is "complex and difficult to predict". Last week, Microsoft’s Co-Founder, Bill Gates, downplayed AI’s climate impact, saying that it would be more of a help than a hindrance. He also said that big tech is "seriously willing" to pay the extra premium to bootstrap clean energy capacity. At the end of 2023, Google released Gemini, which is positioned as a competitor to OpenAI’s ChatGPT-4 and Google’s biggest leap into the AI trend. The tech giant is also placing AI at the heart of its new Pixel phones in order to make them ‘even more helpful’. John Kirk, CSO at ITG comments, “The insatiable demand for AI adoption is already fuelling a wave of increased emissions, leaving big brands open to scrutiny around their sustainability credentials. Forward-thinking organisations will need to look again at the impact their operations are having on the environment and work with partners in the supply chain, such as creative agencies, to provide a more open and honest account of their activities. Customers now expect both accountability and a clear action plan to offset or reduce emissions, and without it, trust will be lost.”

Centiel to open new office in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Leading uninterruptible power supplies (UPS) manufacturer, Centiel, is opening a new office in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as the company continues to expand internationally. Centiel’s manufacturing base for its award-winning UPS solutions is in Switzerland, and the company also has offices around the world including in the UK, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Qatar and Singapore among others. Gerado Lecuona, Co-Founder & Global Sales Director, Centiel, comments, “Our expansion is in line with Centiel's continued commitment to provide leading UPS solutions for organisations requiring high quality and more resilient technology for critical power protection in more international locations. It is essential that we maintain close relationships with our valued customers and regionally based offices ensure prompt technical support and delivery. We can also offer expert training as required locally, and our comprehensive approach underlines Centiel’s constant focus on excellence and responsiveness to deliver our industry leading critical power protection solutions.” Following four years’ development, Centiel recently launched StratusPower, a true modular UPS to provide complete peace of mind in relation to power availability while helping data centres become more sustainable. StratusPower offers '9 nines' (99.9999999%) availability to effectively eliminate system downtime; safe semiconductor technology with a close to 98% VFI efficiency to minimise running costs; true 'hot swap' modules to eliminate human error in operation and also includes long-life components to improve sustainability and provide a 30-year useful working life. Uniquely, StratusPower has also been designed with the future of renewables, such as solar and wind, in mind. In 2023, Centiel was confirmed as the recipient of a Frost & Sullivan Award for Technology Innovation Leadership in the Global UPS Industry and in 2024 Centiel was awarded for its outstanding contribution to sustainability and efficiency in the data centre market. Centiel now protects critical loads for data centres and comms rooms in over 100 countries across five continents. For further information, visit centiel.com. For more from Centiel, click here.

Schneider named world’s most sustainable company

Schneider Electric has topped the 'World's Most Sustainable Companies for 2024' list by Time magazine and Statista. This recognition reflects Schneider Electric's ambitious goals to reduce its own emissions, but also the company’s commitment to helping its customers to become more energy efficient and reduce their emissions. Time and Statista used a transparent, multi-stage methodology to identify the world's most sustainable companies for 2024. The process began with a pool of over 5,000 of the world's largest and most influential companies. Following a rigorous four-stage assessment, the final ranking excluded unsustainable industries and considered factors like external sustainability ratings and commitments, corporate reporting practices, and environmental and social performance indicators. This comprehensive approach produced a ranking of 500 companies from over 30 countries. Both Time and Statista highlighted Schneider Electric's technological expertise and the Schneider Sustainability Impact (SSI) programme. This programme drives and measures the company’s progress toward global sustainability 2021–2025 targets, contributing to six long-term commitments that cover all environmental, social, and governance (ESG) dimensions. Among this progress, the company helped customers reduce their carbon emissions, with 553 million tonnes of CO2 saved and avoided since 2018. The company has also made significant progress in transforming its own supply chain. Carbon emissions from Schneider Electric's top 1,000 suppliers fell by 27% since the beginning of the programme – and 21% of the company's most strategic supply chain partners have met Schneider Electric's decent work standards. "We are incredibly honoured to be recognised as the world's most sustainable company," says Peter Herweck, CEO of Schneider Electric. “This achievement is a testament to our unwavering commitment to sustainability, which is embedded in everything we do. We consider the environment, society, and good governance in our decisions and daily operations. That's why we're pushing hard to make even more progress on our sustainability goals and ensure everyone contributes to creating a positive and enduring impact”. Schneider Electric was also recently included in the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index for the 13th consecutive year, ranked number one in its industry and securing its place in the Europe index. This achievement reflects Schneider's strong environmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance, with sustainability at the core of its strategy. For more from Schneider Electric, click here.

Aligned’s data centres earn Green Globes

Aligned Data Centers, a technology infrastructure company offering innovative, sustainable and adaptive scale data centres and build-to-scale solutions for global hyperscale and enterprise customers, has announced that its Phoenix and Chicago data centres have received Green Globes for New Construction certification from the Green Building Initiative (GBI). Both data centres received a rating of Three Green Globes for their design and construction, demonstrating outstanding success in resource efficiency, environmental impact reduction, and occupant well-being. "We're incredibly proud to receive Three Green Globes certification from the GBI for our data centres in Phoenix and Chicago," says Andrew Schaap, CEO of Aligned Data Centers. "This recognition further validates our commitment to sustainable data centre design and construction in today's age of AI and high-performance computing, where efficiency and environmental responsibility have become even more crucial. Our commitment goes beyond simply minimising environmental impact – we're pioneering innovative solutions that prioritise energy efficiency and occupant well-being, ensuring a thriving and sustainable data centre ecosystem for the future." Founded in 2004, GBI is an international non-profit organisation and American National Standards Institute (ANSI) accredited standards developer dedicated to improving the built environment’s impact on climate and society. GBI’s Green Globes third-party certification process involves a design and on-site assessment and evaluates environmental assessment areas including project management, site, energy, water, resources, emissions, and indoor environment. “Aligned Data Centers is deeply committed to improving the sustainability, health, and resilience of its portfolio through its use of Green Globes certification,” notes Vicki Worden, GBI President & CEO. “The achievement of Three Green Globes for two new data centres demonstrates Aligned’s innovative strategies that improve energy and water efficiency, positively impact local communities, and lead the way for a more sustainable data centre industry.” In addition to receiving high rankings in areas related to project management, site, and energy, GBI’s final assessment report for Aligned’s PHX-04 recognised the data centre for using sustainable materials in the construction of its building core and shell, the low ozone-depleting potential of its cooling systems, as well as the control and measurement of indoor pollutants, and the environmental integrity of the facility’s ventilation. Aligned’s ORD-02 was recognised by Green Globes for the company’s integrated design approach and selection of a previously developed site with access to existing utilities for its newest Chicagoland facility. The material and product selections for ORD-02 were strongly supported by the use of environmental product declarations (EPDs) for both the building core and shell as well as the interior fit-out. Widely used in the green building and construction materials industries, EPDs are internationally recognised transparency reports detailing how materials and products impact the environment. GBI’s Green Globes assessment also noted Aligned’s sustainability policy that ensures 100% of its US-based data centres are matched with renewable energy sources. In August 2022, Aligned’s ORD-01 data centre was also awarded the ranking of Three Green Globes in recognition of its outstanding achievements in sustainable design and construction. The facility was the first newly constructed data centre in Illinois to earn Green Globes certification, and one of only six certified data centres in the world to receive a ranking of Three Green Globes. Aligned's Sustainability Programme recognises the importance of industry-leading certifications like Green Globes that encourage improved environmental and health performance for data centres, and plans to integrate them across future North American developments.

Colt DCS publishes its second Sustainability Highlights report

Colt Data Centre Services, a global provider of hyperscale and large enterprise data centre solutions, has released its second 2023 Sustainability Highlights Report. In 2023, Colt DCS further reduced its global absolute greenhouse gas emission by 40%, compared to its 2019 base year. This means that Colt DCS is currently on track to reach its 1.5oC 2030 climate targets, approved by the Science-based Targets initiative (SBTi). To sustain momentum in delivering on its ESG strategy, Colt DCS is already showing progress towards its long-term goal to reach net zero emissions by 2045. The business is undertaking actions such as renewable energy procurement and energy efficiency initiatives. It is prioritising close collaboration with its suppliers and customers to make sure it is decarbonising across its entire value chain. Zero waste in operations and conserving natural resources is also a priority to prevent environmental degradation. Further key features from the 2023 Sustainability Highlights Report include: Decarbonising the business 100% renewable electricity in Europe and India 67% reduction in absolute Scope 1 & 2 emissions compared to 2019 38% reduction in absolute Scope 3 emissions compared to 2019 Connecting people Launch of the AIM Framework - which serves as the foundation of its vision to become an employer of choice 83% of employees affirm Colt DCS as an excellent place to work 74 global customer satisfaction (NPS) score Safeguarding the company “A” rating CDP Climate and Platinum score for EcoVadis Standalone DCS Governance Committee formed As demands for digital technologies has grown, so too has the number of data centres across the globe. Therefore, data centre operators have a responsibility to design, build, and operate facilities that are good for society and the planet. Colt DCS has been committed to expanding existing and constructing new data centres across India, Japan, the Netherlands, France, Germany and the UK. All new data centre builds from Colt DCS in London, Paris, Frankfurt, Tokyo, and Mumbai have been or will be constructed using its Global Reference Design (GRD) guidelines which adopt a number of principles to enhance a site's environmental sustainability performance. Niclas Sanfridsson, Chief Executive Officer at Colt DCS said: “I want to extend my gratitude to our valued customers, partners, and dedicated employees. Your support and collaboration has been instrumental in achieving this significant progress in our sustainability goals.   Data centres are the backbone of our global digital economy and a vital component of modern society. Designing, building, and operating these facilities with sustainability at the core has never been more crucial. Today, achieving our vision - to be the most trusted and customer- centric data centre operator in the industry - means investing in a future that is better for people, places and the planet.”   Fore more from Colt DCS, click here.

HPE and Danfoss partner to curb data centre energy consumption

Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) and Danfoss are collaborating to deliver HPE IT Sustainability Services – Data Centre Heat Recovery, an off-the shelf heat recovery module, helping organisations to manage and value excess heat as they transition towards more sustainable IT facilities. The rapid integration of AI technologies across organisations and businesses is expected to have a dramatic increase in the power demand and utilisation of AI optimised IT infrastructure. According to the International Energy Agency, by 2026 the AI industry is expected to have grown exponentially to consume at least 10 times its electricity demand in 2023. To mitigate these challenges, IT leaders and data centre facility operators are taking action to reduce energy usage, such as implementing modern power-efficient capabilities and improved cooling systems. Excess heat in the EU alone represents an estimated 2,860 TWh/y, almost equal to the EU’s total energy demand for heat and hot water in residential and service sector buildings. The flow of excess heat from data centres is uninterruptible, and therefore constitutes a very reliable source of clean energy. To address these issues, the new energy efficient data centre solution from HPE and Danfoss offers: • HPE’s scalable Modular Data Centre (MDC), in the form of small footprint, high-density (kW/rack) containers, can be deployed nearly anywhere in the total absence of heavy industry and incorporates technologies such as direct liquid cooling, reducing overall energy consumption by 20%.• Danfoss’s innovative solutions, including heat reuse modules that capture excess heat from data centres to provide renewable heating onsite and to neighbouring buildings and industries for various applications, and Turbocor oil-free compressors that enhance data centre cooling efficiency by up to 30%. “Our strategic partnership with HPE is a great example of how we revolutionise building and decarbonising the data centre industry together with customers,” says Jürgen Fischer, President, Danfoss Climate Solutions. “With this latest cross-industry partnership, we’re building the blueprint for the next generation of sustainable data centres – using technologies available today”. HPE’s MDC incorporates direct liquid cooling (DLC) technologies to enhance energy efficiency by over 20% and optimise energy production and distribution, leading to notable energy savings. The design’s compactness minimises energy loss by reducing the distance for energy and cooling fluid transport and maximises the temperature differential at the inlet and outlet, which promotes the capture of excess heat. Furthermore, the MDC’s agility and the exclusion of heavy industrial materials negate the need for costly, conventional building materials and substantially reduces the time to market. Deployment can be achieved three times quicker than with traditional data centres, decreasing from 18 months to as few as six months. Finally, the reduced land footprint and flexibility of the MDCs allow for placement in proximity to data generation sites, which diminishes the energy impact and bottlenecks associated with complex networking solutions and data transfer, while also supporting enhanced data governance and security. “At HPE, we believe in the power of collaboration to create transformative solutions,” notes Sue Preston, Vice President & General Manager, WW Advisory & Professional Services & Managed Services, HPE. “Our partnership with Danfoss brings together HPE’s innovative modular data centre with Danfoss’ ground-breaking heat reuse technology. Together, we are not just adding value; we are multiplying it. By harnessing the typically untapped resource of waste heat, turning waste into worth, showing the future of energy usage is efficient, intelligent, and, most importantly, achievable now.” With unparalleled density, HPE’s modular data centres offer an impressive power usage effectiveness (PUE) of 1.1, in contrast to the PUE of 1.3 to 1.4 typically associated with the best modern designs of traditional brick-and-mortar data centres. Capable of handling the most power-demanding architectures like HPE Cray Supercomputing EX4000, HPE’s modular data centre is the adequate architecture for mission critical and compute intensive workloads like supercomputing and generative AI, enabling scientists, universities, and enterprises to achieve faster outcomes. To leverage excess heat, one of the largest untapped sources of energy and the largest potential for data centres across Europe, HPE has partnered up with Danfoss as their decarbonisation partner. The strategic partnership takes advantage of Danfoss’ extensive product portfolio of energy-efficient solutions to drive innovation, support decarbonisation and build the blueprint for the next generation of sustainable modular data centres. HPE IT Sustainability Services – Data Center Heat Recovery is inspired by how Danfoss is already using heat reuse technology at its own headquarters campus in Denmark. Here, the heat is recovered from Danfoss’ onsite data centre, boosted by a heat pump, and re-used in surrounding buildings to provide space heating. The heat can also be fed into the local district heating network to provide a renewable heat source to local residents. Reusing heat is a major part of Danfoss’s own decarbonisation strategy which has helped Danfoss achieve carbon neutrality in the energy system of its 250,000m² campus in Nordborg in 2022. The new scalable modular data centre offering leverages Danfoss technologies, including Turbocor compressors for heat pumps and chillers, heat exchangers, heat reuse modules, drives and pump skids, allowing data centres to be cooled up to 30% more efficiently while recovering and reusing excess heat. It’s a modular solution with components that work together seamlessly and includes two technology stack options with a heat recovery system. As part of its holistic 'Reduce, reuse, resource' approach, Danfoss also partners with HPE to retire its end-of-use IT assets through HPE Asset Upcycling Services, a circular economy solution that enables technology refurbishment and reuse, while recovering economic value from those assets.HPE IT Sustainability Services – Data Center Heat Recovery is available to order immediately. For more from Danfoss, click here.

Mainova and BlackRock launch data centre partnership

The Mainova Group has sold 50.1% of its shares in Mainova WebHouse to a fund managed by BlackRock’s Diversified Infrastructure team. The share sale is the result of a structured and competitive bidding process and was signed on 10 June 2024. Mainova WebHouse, a subsidiary of Mainova Group, is a digital infrastructure company focused on designing, building, and operating data centres. With this partnership, Mainova WebHouse is tapping into new growth potential for the planning, construction and operation of sustainable data centres in Frankfurt and the Rhine-Main region. Dr. Michael Maxelon, Mainova CEO, says, "We are delighted to have gained a partner in BlackRock that will allow us to further develop the data centre ecosystem in the Rhine-Main metropolitan region over the long-term and, most importantly, sustainably. With our strong partnership, we are pushing ahead with digitalisation and strengthening value creation in the region. With their specific focus sustainability, the data centres of Mainova WebHouse support the city of Frankfurt and our customers in achieving their climate protection goals." Mark Florian, Global Head of Diversified Infrastructure at BlackRock, comments, “We are thrilled to make this investment in Mainova WebHouse and to partner with Mainova Group. Led by an experienced management team, Mainova WebHouse exemplifies our thematic and partnership approach to infrastructure investing. Our joint commitment to sustainable data centre design and energy supply will serve customers focused on decarbonisation and help make the Frankfurt region one of the world’s leading data hubs.” Frankfurt and the Rhine-Main region are the powerhouse of digitalisation in Europe. No other place has a greater concentration of data centre power. The Internet node located in Frankfurt is the largest in the world in terms of data throughput. Data centres are the basis for the further digitalisation of the economy and society, for intelligent and sustainable solutions and for the prosperity of the entire region. Driven by the increasing use of the cloud, the market for data centres is on a strong growth trajectory. Against this backdrop, Mainova and BlackRock see great potential in Mainova WebHouse to capture a valuable share of this dynamic growth. Both partners are contributing the capital required for the company’s growth. In addition to the data centre already under construction in Frankfurt's Ostend district, which is scheduled to go into operation later in 2024, the company already has a pipeline of data centre projects with a total IT load of over 200MW. The company is focused on building particularly sustainable and efficient data centres that are powered by renewable energy sources, where available, and whose tenants’ energy consumption is 100% backed by renewable energy certificates. For example, the buildings have an optimal use of space for high computing power per square metre, as well as an ecological design. In addition, the waste heat is used as heating energy. Mainova WebHouse's Managing Director, Oliver Schiebel, adds, "Mainova WebHouse has successfully established itself in the data centre market. We are proud of the success that is already visible in the construction of our first data centre campus, the utilisation of our two data centres by a well-known customer, and this forward-looking partnership. The support of Mainova and BlackRock will allow us to significantly expand our presence in Frankfurt and the RhineMain region in the future and to cater to the demand for sustainable data centres.” Dirk Schmitz, Country Head of BlackRock in Germany, Austria, and Eastern Europe, states, "Digitisation is a key success factor for the German economy. Sustainable data storage and processing infrastructure in line with Germany's energy transition, requires significant investment. We are pleased to provide our clients access to this investment in the Rhine-Main region. This second investment in the region on behalf of our clients in the last four months highlights the regions’ attractiveness for investors. I am excited that we will be put our clients’ money to work through our partnership with Mainova Group locally." Details of the transaction have not been disclosed.

New Oslo data centre to double as a green urban space

Drawing on the competencies of international engineering consultancy, COWI, the new Skygard data centre is creating highly secure, energy-efficient, and environmentally friendly operations in the centre of Oslo. Skygard is owned by Norwegian companies Telenor, Hafslund, HitecVision, and Analysys Mason Nordic, which have decided to invest 2.4 billion Norwegian kroner (£1.7bn) in the project. For Skygard, it's essential to create a data centre that will address national security, data safety, and sustainability, while strengthening Norway's AI position in the process. Thus, the Skygard data centre, which will use renewable energy sources, will reportedly be one of the most energy-efficient data centres in Norway. The excess heat from the plant will be utilised and integrated into the district heating network, and the circular energy design of Skygard could serve as a pilot project for future data centres in Norway. The future of data centre design Skygard contracted engineering consultancy COWI to deliver a complete solution due to the company's broad experience within the design of data centres, sustainable energy, engineering solutions, and architecture. Meanwhile, Norwegian company, A-lab, was responsible for the architectural design of the centre. Located centrally in Hovinbyen in Oslo, Skygard will take an innovative approach by transforming an industrial brownfield area into a green public space for the citizens of the Norwegian capital. The choice of location means the site itself will have minimal impact on existing biodiversity and contribute to urban greening. The location, however, also represents a series of challenges since the site is placed between a city street and a light rail track. Tommy Lundegaard, Business Development Director at COWI, says, "In a time where data centres are facing increased scrutiny due to energy consumption and land use, Skygard is a visionary project that points the way to the future way of creating data centres. At COWI, we are excited to be an integral part of Skygard's project because it allows us to apply our capacities to fulfil the wishes and needs of our client." Moving from an old data centre to a modern one like Skygard can reduce power requirements by between 50-70%. Utilising surplus heat for district heating will also help energy efficiency and bring down the environmental impact of data centres. National security, data safety, and environmental responsibility The Skygard data centre will provide colocation facilities for multiple tenants, and it will be operational in the first half of 2025. Elise Lindeberg, CEO of Skygard, comments, "With the investment in Skygard and other data centres, we will provide Norway with a much-needed data centre capacity that prioritises national security, data safety, and sustainability. The current geopolitical situation has made the need for secure solutions more important, but there is also an urgent need to improve the environmental footprint of data centres. With Skygard, we address all these issues and set a new standard for the future." In addition to the first centre, Skygard has ambitions to build two more data centres in the capital region. Once fully developed, the three data centres are planned to have a combined capacity of 40MW.

Switch Datacenters commences operations of AMS4

Boasting direct access to the AMS-IX internet exchange and world-class fibre connections, Amsterdam remains a prime location for digital infrastructure in Europe. As a result, Switch Datacenters, a developer and operator of sustainable data centres, has recently unveiled its latest 15-18 MW facility, AMS4, expanding local capabilities through modular design, sustainability and robustness. While recent reports have suggested a lull in new data centre projects in the Amsterdam area during Q1 of 2024, Switch Datacenters says that its investments and expansions in the area show the opposite - while also noting that demand for data centre services outpaces supply by a considerable margin in the region. By closely aligning the needs in power capacity, density and sustainability of both clients and the local community, Switch Datacenters has shown considerable capacity to expand. On top of the newly opened facility, Switch Datacenters has over 200MW of new capacity in and around Amsterdam in current development. By adding this capacity, Switch Datacenters says it will be one of the largest wholesale players in Amsterdam, which is the third largest data centre market in EMEA. AMS4 is built on the foundation of an existing logistics building at Amsterdam Science Park; a move which has allowed Switch Datacenters to achieve a construction timeline of just 22 months, while reducing Scope 3 emissions by approximately 50%. Some of the major features of AMS4 include: Modular Design: The layout of AMS4 is highly modular, creating a scalable and adaptable environment that allows for technological advances as they appear. Efficient Cooling: The closed loop cooling system of the facility minimises water consumption and increases efficiency. Robust Infrastructure: AMS4 ensures reliable performance through its design, incorporating best practices as demanded by the most advanced IT companies for their technology and AI use. Green Heat Reuse: AMS4 runs on 100% green power and employs heat capture technology. The fossil-free generated heat is aimed to be delivered to a new heat municipal heat grid in the municipality of Diemen for potentially thousands of households. “Our new data centre sets a new standard for sustainability in the industry by redeveloping existing industrial buildings, while also designed to deliver heat to the local community,” says Gregor Snip, CEO of Switch Datacenters. “By reusing an existing building, we have been able to build faster and more sustainably, improving our own record time from build to operation of a high-end data centre to under 22 months. “AMS4 exemplifies our dedication to making data centres more environmentally-friendly. Working together with local stakeholders from the start, we have delivered top performance to our customers. At the same time, we are contributing to local and national needs in terms of moving away from fossil fuels and delivering excess heat for use by domestic units.” Switch Datacenters tells us that AMS4 is fully operational and that it services a diverse group of clients, including a top five cloud provider and one of the leading apps in the world. It will also serve as the home of the IT infrastructure of several high-end Dutch end-customers that need to physically keep their data within the Netherlands. For more from Switch Datacenters, click here.