Infrastructure & Hardware

Chemists create molecular magnet, boosting data storage by 100x

Scientists at The University of Manchester have designed a molecule that can remember magnetic information at the highest temperature ever recorded for this kind of material. In a boon for the future of data storage technologies, the researchers have made a new single-molecule magnet that retains its magnetic memory up to 100 Kelvin (-173 °C) – around the temperature of the moon at night. The finding, published in the journal Nature, is a significant advancement on the previous record of 80 Kelvin (-193 °C). While still a long way from working in a standard freezer, or at room temperature, data storage at 100 Kelvin could be feasible in huge data centres, such as those used by Google. If perfected, these single-molecule magnets could pack vast amounts of information into incredibly small spaces – possibly more than three terabytes of data per square centimetre. That’s around half a million TikTok videos squeezed into a hard drive that’s the size of a postage stamp. The research was led by The University of Manchester, with computational modelling led by the Australian National University (ANU). David Mills, Professor of Inorganic Chemistry at The University of Manchester, comments, “This research showcases the power of chemists to deliberately design and build molecules with targeted properties. The results are an exciting prospect for the use of single-molecule magnets in data storage media that is 100 times more dense than the absolute limit of current technologies. “Although the new magnet still needs cooling far below room temperature, it is now well above the temperature of liquid nitrogen (77 Kelvin), which is a readily available coolant. So, while we won’t be seeing this type of data storage in our mobile phones for a while, it does make storing information in huge data centres more feasible.” Magnetic materials have long played an important role in data storage technologies. Currently, hard drives store data by magnetising tiny regions made up of many atoms all working together to retain memory. Single-molecule magnets can store information individually and don’t need help from any neighbouring atoms to retain their memory, offering the potential for incredibly high data density. But, until now, the challenge has always been the incredibly cold temperatures needed in order for them to function. The key to the new magnets’ success is the unique structure, with the element dysprosium located between two nitrogen atoms. These three atoms are arranged almost in a straight line – a configuration predicted to boost magnetic performance, but now realised for the first time. Usually, when dysprosium is bonded to only two nitrogen atoms it tends to form molecules with more bent or irregular shapes. In the new molecule, the researchers added a chemical group called an alkene that acts like a molecular pin, binding to dysprosium to hold the structure in place. The team at the Australian National University developed a new theoretical model to simulate the molecule’s magnetic behaviour to allow them to explain why this particular molecular magnet performs so well compared to previous designs. Now, the researchers will use these results as a blueprint to guide the design of even better molecular magnets.

LSC completes new dark fibre route in Kansas City

Light Source Communications (LSC), an owner-operator of networks serving enterprises throughout the US, has announced it has completed work on a new dark fibre network in Kansas City, Missouri, USA, aiming to deliver new opportunities to the region’s tech-rich ecosystem at a time when artificial intelligence (AI) and other high-performance computing (HPC) technologies are driving demand for greater connectivity. The 35-mile metro ring already has a major hyperscaler as the anchor tenant, with more on the way, as well as connections to four data centres so far. The Kansas City route is the first of LSC’s four new network builds to be completed this year, with projects in Las Vegas, Phoenix, and Tulsa also on track to be finished in 2025. “We’re thrilled to raise a toast to this exciting milestone,” says Debra Freitas, CEO of LSC. “Expanding into the Kansas City market is a key step in our strategic growth across high-demand US regions. As AI and HPC continue to drive unprecedented connectivity needs, we remain committed to delivering high-capacity, low-latency solutions to organisations of all sizes. As a carrier-neutral, customer-agnostic provider, LSC is proud to support the evolving demands of today’s digital economy.” Kansas City is the third-fastest-growing tech market in the US and has emerged as a hub for data centre projects. The area’s infrastructure, existing tech sector, and trained workforce make it a prime location for LSC’s dark fibre network. The route will be entirely underground with a high fibre count and conduit system. The Kansas City project follows a similar pattern to LSC’s other dark fibre builds underway. In Las Vegas, the company is building a 60-mile route that intends to bring hyper-connectivity to one of the country’s fastest-growing data centre markets. The Phoenix network will encompass 300+ miles and 15 rings. In Tulsa, LSC is adding 80 miles of new fibre to its existing 50-mile network. In addition to all of the networks being underground, all are anchored by a hyperscale tenant.

Arelion connects EcoDataCenter to Nordic AI superhighway

Arelion, a Swedish telecommunications company formerly known as Telia Carrier, today announced it is upgrading its existing Point-of-Presence (PoP) at Swedish sustainable data centre operator EcoDataCenter’s Falun, Sweden, data centre campus with the latest-generation open optical line systems. Arelion’s network enhancement enables connectivity to its AI superhighway in the Nordics, leveraging scalable 400G and 800G coherent optics. This upgrade continues Arelion’s investment in its Scandinavian network by enhancing capacity and diversity to support its wholesale and enterprise customers’ AI deployments. EcoDataCenter builds data centres designed for demanding AI workloads and is used by global AI companies such as DeepL and CoreWeave. The company is also currently experiencing growth across the region. “Arelion’s investment is crucial in bolstering Scandinavia’s latest wave of technological innovation amid the region’s AI market growth,” argues Peter Michelson, CEO of EcoDataCenter. “By providing high-capacity connectivity to sustainable data centre infrastructure, we will collaborate to empower customers with Tier-1 services that support the AI ecosystem, enabling digital transformation across vital industries.” Sweden’s AI sector is experiencing growing investment, with analysts projecting the market will reach $6.35 billion by 2031, growing at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 26.24%. The country’s data centre market is also growing to support these applications through digital infrastructure, with experts estimating it will reach $2.73 billion by 2031, growing at a CAGR of 10.39%. This growth is most likely driven by the higher availability of sustainable power in Sweden, with the country’s existing data centre capacity totalling over 130 MW, which is critical for supporting energy-demanding AI workloads. Arelion is offering its enhanced capabilities with delivery starting early Q3 2025. “This strategic deployment continues our Scandinavian network investments, allowing us to provide the vital backbone connectivity needed to support AI and cloud applications in the region’s booming technology markets,” comments Patrik Andreasson, Head of Sales Nordic & CEE at Arelion. “Our partnership combines high-capacity services with energy-efficient infrastructure, accelerating our customers’ AI deployments to spur further innovation across the Nordics.” For more from EcoDataCenter, click here.

New CEO of R&M announced

A new era of leadership is beginning at R&M, a globally active Swiss developer and provider of infrastructure solutions for data and communications networks. The family-owned company has appointed Roger Baumann (58) as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Michel Riva, CEO of R&M since 2012, has decided to scale back his professional activities and focus on consulting and advisory board mandates. The handover took place on 23 June 2025, following a short transitional phase. "Over the past 13 years, Michel Riva has developed our company in a foresighted, goal-orientated manner with great personal commitment. Under his aegis, R&M established itself on the ICT market as an internationally recognised provider of network infrastructures," says Martin Reichle on behalf of the owner family. Under the responsibility of Michel Riva, R&M’s sales increased by 60% in 2022 to CHF 298 million (£271.75 million). The number of employees has almost tripled. The Group’s largest markets are Switzerland, Germany, Eastern, Southern and Western Europe, the Middle East, and India. "Under the leadership of Michel Riva, R&M has further established itself as a global player in the ICT market. Stakeholders were impressed by his focus on internationalisation, segment, and growth strategy, as well as overall solutions," says Chairman of the Board of Directors Thomas A. Ernst. "Together with the management team, Michel Riva has developed R&M from a component manufacturer to a provider of integrated solutions for public networks, data centres, and local area networks." "Being CEO of R&M was the best job of my career," comments Michel Riva as he bids farewell. Roger Baumann has decades of international management, technology, and sales experience in the manufacturing industry. He began his career in 1998 at Siemens, where he worked, among other things, as Head of Global Business Segments and as Managing Director of the market organisation in Taiwan. From this position, he is familiar with the infrastructure solutions for building automation, such as those offered by R&M in the LAN division. Since 2009, Roger has been CEO and Managing Director of three medium-sized, globally active technology companies. Most recently, he led Büchi Labortechnik in Flawil. He studied electrical engineering at ETH Zurich and completed his doctorate in microtechnology at EPFL Lausanne. He also completed the Executive MBA program as well as the Board Program at the University of St Gallen. "I am impressed by the high level of expertise, the perceptible passion, and the global team spirit of the R&M team," says Roger, describing his impression after his first few weeks at the company. For more from R&M, click here.

Fused connectors increase system availability for data centres

IT systems are only ever noticed when they fail. The new Han Protect connector solution from HARTING, a German manufacturer of electrical and electronic connectors, cable assemblies, and industrial networking equipment, aims to help simplify troubleshooting in the event of failures. Large buildings like data centres require a Building Automation System (BAS) to control Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC), lighting, power supply, core IT, and security systems. The control cabinets for those subsystems are built with fused terminal blocks or circuit breakers to protect the automation devices against short-circuits or overcurrent. In the event of a short circuit, fixing the fault and finding the broken fuse is a time-consuming task that must be performed by expensive skilled workers. The fault may not even be in the switch cabinet, it could also be in the device itself. Both possibilities must therefore be checked and sometimes several control cabinets need to be examined before the fault can be isolated. With Han Protect, HARTING have developed a new connector that seeks to simultaneously simplify protection and reduce installation space in the control cabinet. Inside the connector (designed in the Han 3A format), there is an insulation body that adapts an M12A-coded five-pole connector and integrates a 5x20 mm miniature fuse. In the event of a short circuit, the fuse ensures that the supply to the connected units is quickly interrupted. A red LED on the Han Protect clearly identifies the blown fuse and should enable quick, simple, and tool-less replacement without opening the cabinet. Due to the external mounting of the housings, up to 30% of installation space for connectors can be saved inside the cabinet. The main advantage of Han Protect is that extensive fuse terminal blocks are no longer required. The control units remain protected while the connected systems can be started up again quickly. Some benefits include:• Increased system availability due to reduced Mean Time To Repair (MTTR).• Increased efficiency in maintenance due to visual identification of blown fuses outside of the control cabinets.• Space savings of up to 30% for control cabinets by eliminating extensive fuse terminal blocks inside of the control cabinet. For more from HARTING, click here.

LINX and ISOC Ghana announce partnership

The London Internet Exchange (LINX), an Internet Exchange Point (IXP) operator of digital infrastructure across the UK, Africa, and the United States, has stepped into a new community partnership with the Internet Society (ISOC) Ghana Chapter, marking a milestone in the development of Ghana’s digital infrastructure. This collaboration coincides with the launch of LINX Accra, a new interconnection hub designed to enhance internet performance, connectivity, and resilience across West Africa. The partnership aims to build on the existing internet community in Ghana through a series of joint initiatives, including community engagement events, technical training programs, and knowledge-sharing activities. These efforts are geared towards empowering local stakeholders to come together and advance the region’s internet ecosystem. LINX claims the new hub is expected to provide a platform for local and international networks to interconnect, improving latency, reducing costs, and boosting overall internet quality in the region. Nurani Nimpuno, Head of Global Engagement for LINX, comments, “We are excited to work alongside the Internet Society Ghana Chapter to support capacity building in Ghana. This partnership reflects our shared commitment to building a more robust and accessible internet for all.” ISOC Ghana is a chartered Chapter of the Internet Society, which is a non-profit organisation founded in 1992 to provide leadership in internet-related standards, education, and policy. It says it is dedicated to ensuring the open development, evolution, and use of the internet for the benefit of the people in Ghana and throughout the world. Maud Adjeley Ashont Elliot, President of the ISOC Ghana Chapter, states, “This partnership with LINX is a timely and welcome development as it brings renewed energy to our mission and opens up new avenues for collaboration, learning, and impact. We welcome the arrival of LINX into Ghana and look forward to a long-term partnership for the good of the local internet.” The Ghana Network Operators’ Group (GhNOG) Workshop, organised by the ISOC Ghana Chapter, is a technical training initiative aimed at strengthening the capacity of Ghana’s internet technical community. Designed to meet evolving industry demands, the workshop serves ISOC members and the wider internet ecosystem in Ghana. It seeks to provide a platform to attract new members, foster collaboration, and introduce courses and initiatives from the global Internet Society. For more from LINX, click here.

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.

Aggreko bolsters industrial HVAC support with new appointment

British multinational temporary power generation and temperature control company Aggreko has strengthened its data centres sector industrial HVAC support with the appointment of Chris Smith as Head of Temperature Control for the UK and Ireland. With over 22 years of experience at Aggreko working across Europe, Chris is set to support data centre professionals with temporary and supplementary cooling, heating, and dehumidification requirements. The appointment comes as companies across the UK and Ireland continue to experience operational and process temperature challenges caused by changing weather patterns throughout the year. With high temperature spikes expected over the summer, there is increasing strain on HVAC systems across industries, resulting in further demand for reliable solutions while balancing vital maintenance and upgrade schedules. To support sites across the UK with this, Aggreko says it has invested in its capacity to support data centre professionals, both in increasing its fleet of industrial HVAC systems and developing the knowledge to correctly implement the equipment. Chris Smith, new Head of Temperature Control for Aggreko UK and Ireland, comments, “It’s great to lead our expert teams in supporting the data centre industry, alongside contractors, engineers, and energy managers working within them, [and] across the UK and Ireland with their industrial HVAC and process temperature needs. With unrivalled experience in the power sector, Aggreko is best placed to ensure that our solutions operate as efficiently and sustainably as possible to help our customers prevent any challenges that may present themselves throughout the year. “We are able to also achieve better optimisation and efficiency to deliver both cost and environmental savings through data collected through our control and monitoring solution, Aggreko Connect. I’m ready to hit the ground running and help our customers future-proof their industrial HVAC process temperature solutions so that they can combat any weather throughout the year.” Alan Dunne, Managing Director for Aggreko UK and Ireland, adds, “With his extensive expertise, it’s great to be bringing Chris into the UK and Ireland team to lead with our industrial HVAC process temperature offering at a crucial time where solutions are needed. “Helping provide the data centre industry with efficient and resilient solutions, Chris and our expert engineering teams will be able to support our customers through the entire process. Through this, we will be able to implement our leading solutions and strengthen our position as leaders to the industry.” For more from Aggreko, 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.

First companies achieve global FAN 1.1 certification

Smart connected devices from IoT, networking, and electronics providers are now achieving certification for the new Field Area Network (FAN) 1.1 program from the Wi-SUN Alliance, a global non-profit member-based association driving the proliferation of interoperable wireless solutions using open global standards. Exegin Technologies, Kyoto University / Nagano Japan Radio / Nissin Systems, Landis+Gyr, Renesas Electronics, Silicon Labs, and VertexCom have become the first companies to achieve FAN 1.1 certification. The recently-launched Certification Program aims to ensure that products, including smart meters, smart sensors, and other utility IoT devices, can successfully interoperate in a multi-vendor data network in compliance with the FAN 1.1 wireless mesh specification. Network builders across key sectors can now access the new features of FAN 1.1, including: 1. Low-power operation to support water metering, gas metering, and other low power field sensing use cases requiring battery life of ten years or more.2. High performance link speeds of up to 2.4 Mbps to support AMI 2.0 requirements.3. Expanded global support for 800 and 900 MHz regions.4. Compatibility with existing Wi-SUN FAN networks. “We are very pleased to unveil the first certified products and vendors as part of our FAN 1.1 Certification Program,” says Wi-SUN Alliance CEO Phil Beecher. “Utilities and municipalities can now adopt these devices into their existing networks knowing that they can interconnect with other products in one common, interoperable ecosystem that boasts enterprise-class security and more efficient network-wide usage of available bandwidth. Wi-SUN FAN 1.1 offers significant benefits when compared with other sub-GHz, Low-Power Wide-Area Network (LPWAN) technologies, providing greater reliability and resilience through self-healing mesh routing, and best-in-class enterprise level security.” The progress of certification of FAN 1.1 devices can be followed on the Wi-SUN website, and said devices can be used globally, including in the Americas, APAC, and EMEA. The FAN 1.1 wireless mesh technology is designed to support self-healing communications between a variety of devices used for applications from environmental monitoring to smart metering. FAN 1.1’s network reformation capabilities allow for recovery if the network were to go down, and is intended to handle power outages or local RF obstructions with the hope of ensuring communications remain uninterrupted.