Data Centres

Kioxia broadens portfolio with data centre NVMe SSDs

Kioxia, a Japanese memory manufacturer, formerly the memory business of Toshiba, today announced the development and demonstration of a prototype of its new Kioxia CD9P Series PCIe 5.0 NVMe SSDs. These are the latest SSDs built with Kioxia’s 8th generation BiCS FLASH TLC-based 3D flash memory. BiCS FLASH features CBA (CMOS directly Bonded to Array) technology, an architecture that the company claims 'boosts power efficiency, performance, and storage density, while doubling the capacity available per SSD compared with the previous generation model.' As GPU-accelerated AI servers drive up the demands on storage infrastructure, maintaining high throughput, low latency, and consistent performance is critical - including keeping GPUs highly utilised. Kioxia claims its CD9P Series is purpose-built for these environments and that it delivers the speed and responsiveness required by AI, machine learning, and high-performance computing workloads. The CD9P Series leverages Kioxia’s 3D flash memory, featuring a CBA-based architecture that aims to reduce heat generation and enhance thermal management. The company says that the drives deliver 4-corner performance improvements of up to approximately 125% in random write, 30% in random read, 20% sequential read, and 25% in sequential write speeds compared to the previous generation. Furthermore, it claims that performance per watt of power consumption has improved by approximately 60% in sequential read, 45% in sequential write, 55% in random read, and 100% in random write - regarding the 15.36 terabyte model specifically. Whilst preliminary and subject to change, some features of the Kioxia CD9P Series SSD include:• PCIe 5.0, NVMe 2.0, NVMe-MI 1.2c compliant.• Open Compute Project Datacenter NVMe SSD specification v2.5 support. (Not all requirements.)• Form factors: 2.5-inch 15 mm thickness, EDSFF E3.S.• Read-intensive (1 DWPD) and mixed-use (3 DWPD) endurances.• Sequential performance (128 KiB/QD32) - 14.8 GB/s Read and 7 GB/s Write.• Random performance (4KiB) - 2,600 KIOPS (QD512) Read and 750 KIOPS (QD32) Write.• 2.5-inch capacities up to 61.44 TB and E3.S capacities up to 30.72 TB.• CNSA 2.0 algorithm support. "Achieving power efficiency, whilst addressing the increasing demand for all data processing challenges for AI, machine learning, or high-performance computing, is possibly the most pressing issue today and in the future," argues Axel Stoermann, Vice President and Chief Technology Officer for Embedded Memory and SSD, Kioxia. "At Kioxia, we are already addressing this need by offering the CD9P Series, a leading power efficiency, high-performance solution delivering speed and responsiveness for high workloads and optimum operation." Kioxia CD9P Series SSDs are now sampling to select customers and will be showcased at HPE Discover 2025, taking place 23-26 June in Las Vegas, USA. For more from Kioxia, click here.

Equinix responds to new research by think-tank Ember

Think-tank Ember has published new research warning that poor electricity grid planning could cause a major shift in Europe’s data centre landscape, particularly as developers increasingly seek locations with faster and easier grid connections rather than traditional hubs like Frankfurt, London, Amsterdam, and Paris. Data centres are a key part of critical infrastructure. In 2024, techUK published a report highlighting the essential role they play in enabling digital transformation across all sectors of the economy. As well as contributing £4.7 billion in gross added value (GVA) to the UK economy and 43,500 jobs, they are the backbone of our digital world. Data centres play a role in everything from delivering our favourite TV shows to ensuring we have access to banking, education, and healthcare. The opportunity AI has unlocked demands further data centre capacity which, in turn, requires energy. Equinix, an American multinational data centre and colocation company operating interconnection and data centre facilities worldwide, says it is responding to this need by investing in and expanding its campuses. The energy grid is evidently an important consideration in that process, with some campuses located in areas where both land and energy infrastructure are readily available. Other sites are built in areas where temporary energy solutions are needed while grid access is extended. In markets like the UK, the Government is making significant investment in the grid through programs like the RIIO-T3 Business Plan, which commits £35 billion to up-level the UK’s energy transmission system over the next 5 years, doubling the amount of transferable power by 2029 - creating great optimism. Equinix claims it has made significant investments in its energy programs. Examples include renewable energy adoption and the global Equinix Heat Export program, which intends to contribute heat and energy to communities that surround its campus locations. By adopting cleaner energy alternatives and innovative technologies, the company says it limits its reliance on the grid in some countries as well as reducing emissions globally. Its power purchase agreements (PPAs) are long-term wind and solar agreements where it partners directly with producers, helping to fund the development of projects like new wind and solar farms, increasing the amount of renewable energy available to the grid while supporting the long-term goal of reaching net zero by 2040. Globally, the Equinix Heat Export program takes waste heat from its data centres and, in partnership with energy utilities, distributes this heat to surrounding communities. In Helsinki, this program provides heat for local homes and, in Paris, heat is delivered to the Plaine Saulneir urban development zone which, alongside local houses, is home to the Olympic swimming pool. The energy grid is critical for supporting data centre infrastructure, and it’s certainly exciting to see innovation coming from both energy utilities and data centre operators. A collaboration between the two is crucial for unlocking opportunities for businesses, enriching the services they can offer to consumers, and achieving climate goals. For more from Equinix, click here.

New energy agreement for nLighten’s UK data centres

nLighten, a provider of sustainable edge data centre services operating across the UK, Germany, France, and the Netherlands, has entered into a new renewable energy supply agreement with UK-based provider Conrad Energy, covering all of nLighten’s edge data centre locations across the UK. Unlike traditional supply contracts, the agreement enables nLighten to monitor its renewable energy consumption with granularity – down to the asset level and on an hourly basis. The partnership, which initially started in April 2024 with the delivery of renewable power, was enhanced in January 2025 with the introduction of detailed tracking and reporting capabilities. Previously, nLighten’s UK energy procurement was based on market-driven purchases supplemented by annual Guarantees of Origin. Conrad Energy has progressively onboarded all nLighten UK meters, consolidating what was previously a fragmented energy procurement approach. Each month, nLighten receives a breakdown of its renewable energy supply from Conrad Energy. This includes asset-level insights into the share of wind, solar, and biomass sources contributing to the energy mix. The data allows nLighten to track its renewable coverage over time and calculate avoided CO₂ emissions based on the actual generation profile. “This collaboration goes beyond what most energy suppliers currently offer in the UK,” claims Francesco Marasco, VP of Energy Operations & Sustainability at nLighten. “Not only can we align our procurement with real-time pricing, but we now also have full transparency over how – and where – our renewable energy is being generated. It’s another step towards building the most sustainable edge data centre platform in Europe.” This model builds on learnings from a similar agreement nLighten established in Spain with Shell. However, the Conrad Energy agreement takes transparency a step further by providing visibility down to individual generation assets, not just the source. “We’re proud to support nLighten’s efforts to lead the way in data centre sustainability,” says Tim Foster, Director of Energy for Business at Conrad Energy. “By combining flexible supply structures with granular data visibility, we’re helping digital infrastructure operators align more closely with today’s energy realities and decarbonisation goals.” For more from nLighten, click here.

'AI is the new oil—and data centres are the refineries'

With AI adoption reshaping global industries, Straightline Consulting’s Managing Director, Craig Eadie, shares his insights regarding how data centres are powering the GenAI revolution: "The age of AI is here. Generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) is rewriting the rulebook when it comes to everything from software development and call centre productivity to copywriting — boosting efficiency and, depending on who you ask, on track to raise the GDP of industrialised nations by 10-15% over the next decade. "The impact of AI will reshape the global economy over the coming years, consolidating value among the companies that successfully capitalise on this moment — and disrupting those that don’t. The 'arms race' to develop the next generation of AI technologies — like Google’s new Veo 3 video generation tool, released at the start of June, which is already making headlines for its ability to allow anyone willing to pay $249 per month to create hauntingly lifelike, realistic videos of everything from kittens playing to election fraud — is accelerating as well. AI has become the new oil: the global fuel for economic growth. Unlike oil, however, GenAI alone isn’t valuable. Rather, its power lies in the ability to apply GenAI models to data. That process, akin to refining crude into petroleum, happens in the data centre. "Productivity is far from the only thing GenAI is turbocharging. This rush to build, train, and operate new GenAI models is also accelerating the race to build the digital infrastructure that houses them. Goldman Sachs predicts that global power demand from data centres will increase 50% by 2027 and by as much as 165% by the end of the decade, largely driven by GenAI adoption. "As someone working in the data centre commissioning sector, it’s impossible to overstate the impact that GenAI is having, and will continue to have, on our industry. GenAI has exploded our predictions. It’s even bigger than anyone anticipated. The money, the scale, the speed — demand is growing even faster than the most optimistic projections pre-2023. By the end of 2025, almost half of all the power data centres consume globally could be used to power AI systems. "The data centre commissioning space we’re operating in today has transformed dramatically. On the construction and design side, huge changes, not just in how buildings are constructed, but in the technology inside those buildings, are reshaping how we commission them. "The battle to capitalise on the GenAI boom is a battle to overcome three challenges: access to power, materials, and talent. "GenAI requires an order of magnitude more power than traditional colocation or cloud workloads. As a result, there are serious concerns about power availability across Europe, especially in the UK. We can’t build the data centres we need to capitalise on the GenAI boom because there’s just not enough power. There are some encouraging signs that governments are taking this challenge seriously. For example, the UK government has responded by creating 'AI Growth Zones' to unlock investment in AI-enabled data centres by improving access to power and providing planning support in some areas of the country. The European Union’s AI Continent Plan also includes plans to build large-scale AI data and computing infrastructures, including at least 13 operational 'AI factories' by 2026 and up to five 'gigafactories' at some point after that. "However, power constraints and baroque planning and approvals processes threaten to undermine these efforts. Multiple data centre markets are already facing pushback from local councils and communities against new infrastructure because of their effect on power grids and local water supplies. Dublin and Amsterdam already stymied new builds even before the GenAI boom. This comes with risk, because AI engines can be built anywhere. GDPR means data must be housed in-country, but if Europe and the UK don’t move faster, large US AI firms will resort to building their massive centres stateside and deploy the tech across the Atlantic later. Once an AI engine is trained, it can run on less demanding infrastructure. We risk stifling the AI industry in Europe and the UK if we don’t start building faster and making more power available today. "The other key constraints are access to raw materials and components. Global supply chain challenges have spiked the cost of construction materials, and the lead times for data-centre-specific components like cooling equipment can be as much as six months, further complicating the process of building new infrastructure. "Access to talent is another pain point that threatens to slow the industry at a time when it should be speeding up. Commissioning is a vital part of the data centre design, construction, and approvals process, and our sector is facing a generational talent crisis. There isn’t enough young talent coming into the sector. That has to change across the board—not just in commissioning, but for project managers, consultants, everyone, everywhere. The pain point is particularly acute in commissioning, however, because of the sector’s relatively niche pipeline and stringent requirements. You can’t just walk in off the street and become a commissioning engineer. The field demands a solid background in either electrical or mechanical engineering or through a trade. Right now, the pipelines to produce the next generation of data centre commissioning professionals just isn’t producing the numbers of new hires the industry needs. "This obviously affects all data centre commissioning, not just AI. The scale of demand and speed at which the industry is moving means this risks becoming a serious pinch point not too far down the line. "Looking at the next few years, it’s impossible to say exactly where we’re headed, but it’s clear that, unless Europe and the UK can secure access to reliable, affordable energy, as well as clear the way for data centre approvals to move quickly, pain points like the industry talent shortage and rising materials costs (not to mention lead times) threaten to leave the region behind in the race to capture, refine, and capitalise on the new oil: GenAI."

Siemens to open data centre hub in Spain

Siemens Smart Infrastructure, a division of German conglomerate Siemens focusing on intelligent building technologies, energy systems, and digital infrastructure solutions, is to open a data centre technology hub in the Iberian region. The company says this strengthens its commitment to the development of sustainable, resilient, and efficient digital infrastructure, and reinforces Spain's role as a strategic digital gateway to southern Europe, amid strong sector growth. The move comes during an expansion of the Spanish data centre market, which is projected to grow at a compound annual rate of over 20%. Morgan Stanley estimates that the number of data centres in Europe will increase fivefold over the next decade, with Spain emerging as a key destination. Due to its strategic location, strong connectivity, and abundant renewable energy resources, Spain is seen as an attractive alternative by some, being potentially able to offer capacity relief for overwhelmed traditional (FLAP-D) markets. In its latest Report on the State of the Data Center Sector 2024, Spain DC forecasts that Spain could attract up to €13 billion in investment over the coming years. “The exponential growth of the cloud and AI workloads presents a significant business opportunity but also challenges, and we are committed to helping our customers streamline their operations, execute projects efficiently, and minimise costs, all while achieving their sustainability and availability goals,” says Ciaran Flanagan, Global Head of Data Center Solutions at Siemens. “The launch of this hub in Madrid marks a key milestone on this journey." According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), global data centre energy consumption reached 415 TWh in 2024 and is projected to more than double to 945 TWh by 2030. Siemens’ new Iberian hub aims to support this rapidly evolving sector with, the company claims, solutions to optimise efficiency and reduce resource consumption. Building on the launch of its Nordic data centre hub, Siemens’ expansion to Madrid suggests an intention to support Iberia’s goal of establishing itself as a leading digital hub in southern Europe. The move should drive regional economic growth, create skilled jobs, and advance the development of digital infrastructure aligned with the objectives of the European Green Deal. "The inauguration of this hub underlines the importance of the data centre market for Siemens, both globally and specifically for Iberia,” comments Fernando Silva, CEO of Siemens Spain. “With this new infrastructure, we will multiply our network of technical experts supporting our customers in their requirement for sustainability, efficiency, and operational reliability of their data centres." For more from Siemens, click here.

EDGNEX announces $2.3 billion data centre in Jakarta

EDGNEX Data Centers by DAMAC, a global digital infrastructure company backed by a global conglomerate headquartered in Dubai, today announced the development of a 'next-generation,' AI-powered data centre in Jakarta, Indonesia - its second in the market. This project marks one of Southeast Asia’s largest AI-dedicated developments, with a future projected capacity of 144 MW and a total investment of $2.3 billion. Following the land acquisition completed in March 2025 by DAMAC, the site has entered early construction phases, with the facility’s phase one expected to be ready for service by December 2026. The Jakarta facility will deploy high-density AI racks and is hoped to be a factor in accelerating the country’s transition from an analogue base to an AI-powered digital economy. Indonesia remains a high-potential Southeast Asian market, yet faces digital infrastructure gaps, limited hyperscale readiness, and rising latency challenges. With AI adoption accelerating across sectors, this project seeks to respond to the nation’s growing demand for scalable, energy-efficient infrastructure. “This is our second project in Indonesia, and this development reinforces our commitment to bridging the digital divide in fast-growing markets across Southeast Asia (SEA), such as Indonesia,” says Hussain Sajwani, Founder of DAMAC Group. “We are proud to build what will become one of Southeast Asia’s most advanced, sustainable data centres to power the next wave of innovation and digital growth. The scale of AI workloads demands a new class of infrastructure. This project is part of our broader push across SEA, where we have committed over $3 billion in digital infrastructure investments to date.” The new facility will target a Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) of 1.32, and builds on EDGNEX’s growing presence in Thailand, Malaysia, and other key SEA markets. In 2024, the company announced its first data centre in Indonesia, a planned 19.2 WM data centre to be built at MT Haryono in Jakarta. It aims to address the growing demand for cloud service providers, edge nodes, and potential artificial intelligence deployments. The first phase is scheduled for completion in the third quarter of 2026. The regional goal for Edgnex in SEA is 300+ MW of operational capacity by 2026. For more from EDGNEX, click here.

Huber+Suhner opens new POLATIS production site

Huber+Suhner has opened its new advanced manufacturing site in Pisary, Poland, dedicated to the large-scale production of POLATIS optical circuit switches (OCS) for AI and hyperscale data centres. Production capacity is planned to increase at least fivefold over the next two years. Reflecting the surge in demand for OCS solutions, the company is increasing the speed of manufacturing of the POLATIS OCS portfolio with the intention to help ensure hyperscale operators have the technology required to enhance the performance and energy efficiency of data centre architectures and AI compute clusters. “The opening of our new Pisary facility is a major milestone that aligns with our commitment to innovation and operational excellence in optical networking,” claims Jürgen Walter, Chief Operating Officer, Communication Segment at Huber+Suhner. “Our POLATIS OCS solutions deliver transparent, software-defined, dynamic optical connectivity within energy-efficient hyperscale data centres to meet the low loss and latency demands of high-performance AI workloads.” Rising demand for OCS solutions stems from the rapid growth of hyperscale data centre infrastructure across the globe, driven by cloud computing and the increased use of AI. AI workloads are hosted on clusters of thousands of graphical processor units (GPUs) interconnected by optical fibres carrying data at hundreds of gigabits per second. An OCS enables on-demand reconfiguration of optical-layer connectivity and can route large volumes of high-speed traffic with minimal latency. By maintaining data in the optical domain and eliminating the need for optical-electrical-optical conversions, POLATIS OCS solutions hope to reduce power consumption and operating expenditure for hyperscale data centres, enabling new data centre architectures and allowing AI workloads to run more efficiently and at lower cost. With approximately 3,000m², the Pisary site will add to the existing Krzeszowice facility nearby, which is currently being operated at its full capacity. “The Pisary site will enhance our supply of OCS solutions while reflecting our mission for sustainable operations,” says Robert Smith, Managing Director, POLATIS at Huber+Suhner. “The facilities include a photovoltaic installation with a capacity of 150 kilowatt peak (kWp), a mechanical ventilation with heat recovery, and a biological waste treatment plant. A new building management system has also been implemented to support a low carbon footprint." For more from Huber+Suhner, click here.

Prysmian launches pre-terminated cable assemblies into UK

Prysmian, best known for its manufacture of power and data cable, used the Data Centre World exhibition in London to launch its wrap-around offer for digital communication within data centres. The product attracting the most attention was the company’s promise of bespoke, pre-terminated fibre assemblies, supplied to UK sites within days. This turnaround is reportedly down to the location and capacity of both cable and termination manufacturing sites in Europe. The offer is based on the G657 BendBright bend insensitive optical fibre, utilised in a variety of pre-terminated assemblies. Prysmian FlexRibbon fibre configuration provides Base 12 and Base 16 terminations onto MTP, SN, and MMC/MDC connectors. Pre-terminated assemblies using US Conec-certified MTP/MPO connectors are also available on short lead times. The Prysmian service team, based in the UK, says it is able to take specifications for bespoke cable assemblies using a range of single-mode and multi-mode optical fibres to service high bandwidth requirements. All products come with a 25-year manufacturer’s warranty. For more from Prysmian, click here.

ST Telemedia achieves 78% renewable energy usage

ST Telemedia Global Data Centres (STT GDC), a data centre service provider headquartered in Singapore, today published its 2024 Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) report. The report details STT's progress towards its ESG targets, as well as its three main ESG pillars: carbon-neutral data centre operations by 2030; a safe, secure, diverse and inclusive workplace; and ethical and responsible business. With the growing demand for digital infrastructure, sustainability has become a critical priority for organisations worldwide. Bruno Lopez, President and Group Chief Executive Officer, ST Telemedia Global Data Centres, says, “As the digital economy accelerates, our responsibility as infrastructure providers extends beyond simply supporting growth—we must lead with purpose and innovation. In 2024, STT GDC made remarkable progress on our sustainability journey, from securing S$500 million in sustainability-linked financing to implementing initiatives such as AI-driven cooling optimisation and pioneering the use of hydrotreated vegetable oil in Singapore. These achievements reflect our unwavering commitment to achieving carbon neutrality by 2030 while delivering the resilient, efficient infrastructure that powers our digital world. Sustainability is not just a corporate objective for us—it is the foundation upon which we are building the future of digital infrastructure.” Some highlights of the 2024 ESG report include: • Achieved 78.5% renewable energy usage. • Achieved a 22.9% year-on-year reduction in carbon emissions across the group. • Issued S$500 million of Sustainability- Linked Perpetual (SLP) securities. • Enhanced Sustainability-Linked Financing Framework — setting further targets, including increasing the use of renewable energy to 85% by 2028 and achieving a 70% reduction in carbon intensity from a 2021 baseline by 2028. • First data centre operator in Singapore to deploy HVO for backup generators. • First data centre operator in Asia to pilot AI-based autonomous control system for optimising data centre cooling in STT GDC’s facilities in Singapore. • Achieved a 66.2% reduction in carbon intensity from the 2021 baseline. • Improved power usage effectiveness (PUE) by 11.2% from the 2020 baseline. • Realised a 34.5% improvement in water usage effectiveness (WUE) from the 2020 baseline. • Achieved zero work-related serious injuries or fatalities since 2020, with a Total Recordable Incident Rate (TRIR) of 0.1 earned across more than 25 million hours worked in its construction and operations program. • Invested an average of 23.5 training hours per employee in the growth and development of its workforce. • In 2024, its team at STT GDC Indonesia partnered with a local conservation enabler to plant 1,000 mangrove trees at Dusun Tangkolak, Karawang, West Java. • 100% of employees have received anti-corruption training, with zero incidents of corruption. STT GDC's ESG Report is based on a full year’s data from 1 January to 31 December 2024, focusing primarily on STT GDC’s operating entities (data centres and offices) during the year. For more from ST Telemedia, click here.

Aruba boosts connectivity with new EXA Infrastructure PoP

Aruba - a provider in the data centre, cloud, and digital services sector - has announced the activation of a new Point of Presence (PoP) in partnership with EXA Infrastructure, one of Europe’s largest dedicated digital infrastructure platforms. The new PoP is located at Aruba’s Hyper Cloud Data Centre (IT4) in Rome, Italy. The announcement was made this week at NAM 2025 - the annual event organised by Namex, the main Internet Exchange Point (IXP) in Central Italy. As a result of this new PoP, Aruba’s IT4 data centre campus in Rome is now directly integrated into EXA Infrastructure’s global network via two fibre optic links. This dual-route architecture aims to ensure maximum security, operational continuity, and resilience. The connections, capable of reaching speeds of up to 400Gbps, are designed to support advanced connectivity needs. Aruba's IT4 campus, located in the capital, covers an area of 74,000m². Once fully operational, the campus will be able to host up to five independent data centres. The site is designed to deliver a total IT capacity of 30MW, with redundancy levels of up to 2N or higher. The campus' first data centre, DC-A, is already operational and has obtained the ANSI/TIA-942-C Rating 4 Constructed Facility certification. The entire site is connected to the Aruba data centres in Arezzo (IT1 and IT2) and Bergamo (IT3) via a modern backbone network. EXA Infrastructure, headquartered in London, is an international operator that owns and manages over 155,000km of fibre network in 37 countries, including six transatlantic cables connecting Europe and North America. "The activation of EXA Infrastructure's new Point of Presence is a key step in building an increasingly connected, resilient, and high-performance digital ecosystem," comments Andrea Colangelo, Director of Network Infrastructure at Aruba. "This type of integration between data centre infrastructure and next-generation networks is essential for attracting international companies and enabling innovative services in the region, strengthening Rome's role as a technological hub in the Mediterranean." For more from Aruba, click here.