Data Centre Infrastructure News & Trends

BSRIA: 'Data centres dominate global cabling'

BSRIA, a UK-based research, testing, and consultancy organisation, has released its latest analysis of the global structured cabling sector. The Structured Cabling Worldwide 2026 report, covering 34 countries, points to a market driven by data centre investment. The global structured cabling market grew 21% in 2025 to $9.08 billion (£6.7 billion), adding $1.3 billion (£965 million) in a single year and building on almost 11% growth in 2024. The data centre segment was the main driver of that growth, increasing by 54% in 2025, as AI infrastructure investment continues to push cabling demand higher. Data centres now account for more than 41% of all cabling installed, almost double the 21% share they held in the 2015 to 2018 period. Markets including Denmark, Spain, Switzerland, Germany, and India recorded strong growth. Data centre growth across all segments The US delivered the strongest growth of any market, with sales up 44% year on year and the country accounting for almost nine in 10 dollars (89%) of the total global value increase in 2025. The US also holds more than two thirds (69%) of the global data centre cabling market, 14 times the size of second-placed China. Germany, the UK, Australia, and India follow as the next biggest data centre markets. While hyperscalers were the largest contributor to US growth, all data centre segments increased. Some of the US figures reflect products shipped from American hyperscalers into Canada, Latin America, and Europe, so the headline numbers slightly overstate domestic installation. Even allowing for that, the gap between the US and the rest of the world has widened. China is the exception, taking a separate path for reasons explored below. Suppliers dealing directly with hyperscalers have been amongst the main beneficiaries of the increase in US data centre revenues. China takes a different route in AI data centres China's AI data centres are following a different path. Direct Attach Cables (DACs) account for more than the majority (90–95%) of connections there, chosen for their lower cost and shorter lead times. Structured cabling plays a smaller role in those builds than it does in the US and other regions, with commercial implications for suppliers planning Asia Pacific strategies. The report as a whole covers the global structured cabling market across copper and fibre cable and connectivity, as well as associated components, with sales data, supplier shares, and forecasts for both data centre and LAN segments. For more from BSRIA, click here.

PowerCell wins hydrogen power order for AI data centre

PowerCell, a Swedish developer and manufacturer of hydrogen fuel cells for stationary power and transport applications, has secured an order worth approximately SEK 30 million (£2.3 million) to supply hydrogen fuel cell systems for ECL's CSC-1 AI data centre campus in Santa Clara, California, USA. The contract covers the supply of PowerCell PS190 fuel cell systems, together with licences for the company's Distributed Master Controller (DMC), for integration into ECL's FlexGrid microgrid architecture. The installation represents approximately 5MW of power generation capacity, with deliveries scheduled for completion by the end of 2026. The order follows the deployment of the same technology at ECL's MV-1 AI data centre in Mountain View, California, and forms part of an ongoing collaboration between ECL, PowerCell, and Bosch. Richard Berkling, CEO of PowerCell Group, says, "This order demonstrates how hydrogen fuel cells are becoming part of critical energy infrastructure. As demand for computing capacity accelerates, access to reliable power has become one of the industry's biggest constraints. "ECL deserves significant credit for having continuously operated liquid, hydrogen-powered AI infrastructure over the past two years. Technology matures through operation and that experience has created a depth of application knowledge that few organisations have." Project targets resilient AI infrastructure The CSC-1 campus is designed to provide 35MW of AI computing capacity using a combination of grid power, battery storage, natural gas, and hydrogen fuel cells. PowerCell's DMC will coordinate these energy sources through ECL's energy management platform. According to PowerCell, the project marks a commercial deployment of its strategy to combine hydrogen fuel cell technology with energy management software for primary power applications rather than standby generation. Alongside the order, PowerCell and ECL have also signed a separate non-binding memorandum of understanding covering a potential further 300MW of hydrogen power capacity.

Treat your rack like prime real estate

Data centre racks are often specified on dimensions, load ratings, and cost alone. However, as power densities, cooling requirements, and cable volumes continue to increase, the rack has become a critical infrastructure platform that directly influences performance, operability, and long-term resilience. A rack may have available U space and still be effectively 'full' if airflow is compromised, access becomes restricted, or cable and power management become difficult to maintain. Modern data centre environments demand a broader view of rack performance - one that considers serviceability, cooling, power distribution, security, and future growth alongside physical capacity. Elevate's latest whitepaper, Treat Your Rack Like Prime Real Estate, explores why racks should be treated as infrastructure rather than furniture, providing practical guidance for consultants, specifiers, and operators. Covering topics including usable capacity, access capacity, airflow management, and lifecycle planning, the whitepaper offers a framework for designing rack environments that remain effective throughout their operational life. Download the whitepaper and discover what your rack really enables. For more from Elevate, click here.

BAK Power develops battery cell for AI data centre backup

BAK Power, a Chinese manufacturer of lithium-ion batteries, has developed a new 2170 cylindrical lithium-ion cell designed for battery backup units (BBUs) used in AI data centres and other mission-critical power systems. Developed in collaboration with Echion Technologies, a UK developer of materials for lithium-ion batteries, the new cell combines Echion's XNO anode technology with BAK's tabless cell architecture. The companies say the design is intended to provide high charge and discharge rates, extended cycle life, and improved thermal performance for high-density AI environments. Evaluation samples are expected to be available from late 2026. The cell has been developed for liquid-cooled BBU architectures, including ±400V module designs, and is designed to support continuous charge and discharge rates of more than 10C. The companies say the design also offers lower internal resistance and improved thermal stability compared with conventional ultra-high-power 2170 cells, helping to maintain performance in the elevated temperatures typically found in AI data centres. Designed for next-generation AI infrastructure According to BAK Power, the new cell is intended to reduce the need to oversize battery backup systems by providing symmetrical charge and discharge performance. The companies also state that the cell has been engineered for longer operational life and improved safety characteristics compared with existing ultra-high-power chemistries used in similar applications. A spokesperson for BAK Power comments, "We have observed that workloads are reshaping the power architecture within data centres, and the existing ultra-high-power cell chemistries are struggling to keep pace with this evolution. "This is exactly the challenge that BAK's new tabless high-power cell, powered by Echion's XNO anode technology, is designed to address, and the very reason we launched this development project. "We are now opening this programme to select BBU system integrators who wish to secure early access to evaluation samples, pursue joint certification, and establish long-term supply partnerships."

Kickstarting the next decade of mobile growth

The Mobile Broadband Forum (MBBF) Top Talk Summit recently took place in Shanghai, held in tandem with MWC Shanghai 2026. The event gathered 150 industry experts, including mobile telecom operators, movers and shakers in the AI ecosystem, industry organisation leaders, and renowned academics to discuss the next 10 years of mobile development, as well as the key paths to get there. The discussion largely focused on how the industry can make the most of intelligent connectivity and pave the way for new growth. "The mobile communications industry is entering the age of intelligence," said David Wang, Huawei's Deputy Chairman of the Board and Rotating Chairman, in his opening keynote. "Intelligent devices and agentic services are developing fast, opening the doors to incredible new growth opportunities - but also some key challenges. "As we chart the way forward, we need to drive the advancement of mobile communications in three key areas: industry, technology, and business." From an industry perspective, he explained that coordinating efforts to connect people, things, and agents with a single network is key to meeting a growing range of disparate application requirements. He called for the development of integrated satellite-ground networks to push out the boundaries of connectivity, as well as the allocation of ultra-large, contiguous spectrum blocks that can truly support a generational leap in mobile communications. As for the technology itself, Wang said, "We can use AI to upgrade networks across the board. And with AI-native architecture for next-generation core networks, we can more effectively support agentic services." When it comes to the business side, Wang encouraged carriers to actively explore new business models and scenarios, focusing on sustainable growth opportunities that intelligent mobile networks and services will unlock. "We look forward to working closely with industry partners as we explore the boundless horizons ahead," he concluded. "The paths forward are clear. And with practical action, we can build a solid future for mobile communications." Symbiosis with AI: Industry synergy breaks new boundaries As the mobile AI era accelerates, AI services are transforming into the engine of industry intelligence. These services expand rapidly from consumer-facing applications to deep vertical integration. AI applications are driving ecosystem convergence through the harmonious coordination of people, things, and agents. In the consumer field, user interaction modes are undergoing a paradigm shift, from touch-based graphical user interfaces (GUI) to zero UI with multimodal user assistance. A prime example is Celia, whose three billion daily activations are powered by proactive user-intent recognition and autonomous agent services, driving a 4.5-fold increase in agent distribution. In firefighting and emergency response, embodied AI robots equipped with 5G-Advanced (5G-A) modules have become indispensable frontline assistants. Using China Mobile's high-bandwidth, ultra-low-latency 5G-A network, these robots seamlessly backhaul real-time videos and thermal imagery to cloud-based AI brains. In complex fire scenarios, they provide precise data-driven support for rescue operations, with fire source localisation, real-time reporting, remote piloting, and autonomous execution. In logistics, AI has evolved from a mere assistive tool into a driver of productivity capable of autonomous decision making and execution. During weather-induced road closures, smart logistics networks harness specialised AI agents to synthesise real-time traffic, weather, and order workflows. Within seconds, these systems can plot hundreds of alternative routes and sync them with drivers, slashing shipment delays by 15%. Advancing with AI: Technological innovation unlocks new capabilities As connectivity extends beyond humans and things to encompass intelligence, it creates new requirements for mobile network capabilities. In terms of breadth, networks need to extend beyond terrestrial boundaries into fully integrated space-air-ground systems, redefining the limits of intelligent connectivity. In terms of density, with massive robots operating concurrently, agent density in hotspot zones is projected to exceed 10 million per square kilometre, vastly exceeding human density. In terms of quality, future traffic models will undergo a fundamental shift from a downlink-heavy model to a highly symmetric uplink-downlink model optimised for intelligent collaboration. Multimodal real-time perception, context synchronisation, and collaborative training and inference will drive explosive uplink growth. This will create stringent requirements on network latency as well as uplink and downlink speeds. Network transformation requires technological innovations. Operators must tap into new bands like U6GHz to build wide pipes that offer ultra-high capacity as well as stable low latency. In addition, multi-band coordination (high, mid, and low bands) and device-cloud-service synergy must be utilised to satisfy the multifaceted connectivity demands of people, things, and agents. To this end, China Telecom and China Unicom are using their co-constructed and shared footprint of over one million 5G base stations to form a premium network, featuring multi-band coordination and multi-dimensional coverage. They are also pioneering innovations like GigaUplink technologies for greater network speed and stability. This will power seamless collaboration between people, things, vehicles, and agents. Succeeding with AI: The intelligent economy unleashes new value in connectivity Currently, industrial digital and intelligent transformation is gaining significant momentum. While consolidating their existing traffic and user experience monetisation, operators are actively pioneering network service upgrades across diverse scenarios. For Singtel, its deployment of agentic AI enabled its AI assistant to handle more than 70,000 customer interactions within just six weeks, with more than 70% of routine requests being resolved independently, freeing employees to focus on higher-value and more complex customer needs. This combination of AI-driven automation and human expertise is helping operators improve service quality, accelerate response times, and unlock new productivity gains across the organisation. With the dawn of the Agentverse, tokens are emerging as a critical new factor of production, placing higher demands on SLA differentiation. From differentiated, intelligent service packages for consumers to tailored network assurance solutions for industries, operators are well positioned to diversify their portfolios of smart service products. Consequently, the value monetisation blueprint for operators will extend from a single traffic pipe to the entire lifecycle of token generation, transmission, and application, achieving collaborative innovation and shared prosperity with industry partners. Li Peng, Huawei's Director of the Board, President of ICT Sales & Service, and President of the China Region, delivered the closing remarks at the event. Li said, "By 2035, we'll have co-created an Agentverse defined by carbon-silicon symbiosis, virtual-real integration, and agent collaboration. Intelligent connectivity can break new boundaries, technological innovation can open the door to new network capabilities, and the intelligent economy can unlock new value in connectivity. Together, we can achieve symbiosis with AI, advance with AI, and succeed with AI." Li concluded his speech by inviting global carriers and industry partners to collaborate with Huawei in building a Mobile AI City and shaping the next decade of mobile communications. For more from Huawei, click here.

Lightpath expands fibre network for 1GW data centres

Lightpath, a New York-based fibre network and connectivity provider, has announced two new fibre network builds to support hyperscale data centre campuses under construction in Michigan and Wisconsin, USA. The projects will extend the company's fibre network to campuses in Saline, Michigan, and Port Washington, Wisconsin, both of which are planned to exceed 1GW of capacity. Lightpath will provide triverse fibre infrastructure and multi-terabit connectivity to both sites in partnership with an anchor hyperscale customer. The Saline deployment is scheduled for completion by the end of 2026, with the Port Washington build expected to follow in the second quarter of 2027. Supporting gigawatt-scale AI infrastructure Chris Morley, CEO of Lightpath, comments, "Lightpath is playing an increasingly central role in partnering with hyperscalers to build new fibre infrastructure to address AI-driven demand across the US. Fibre infrastructure remains a critical component in the evolving and accelerating AI ecosystem." The new projects follow the company's recent network expansion in Phoenix, eastern Pennsylvania, and Columbus, as well as the development of a long-haul fibre route linking Columbus and Chicago. Tim Haverkate, Chief Commercial Officer at Lightpath, says, "Gigawatt-scale AI campuses need more than fibre in the ground; they need a partner that can engineer an end-to-end connectivity solution across new construction, existing Lightpath network assets, and strategic partner fibre. "Our ability to creatively combine those assets is what allows us to deliver route-diverse, multi-terabit capacity on timelines that match the pace of hyperscale AI development." According to Lightpath, the latest builds form part of its wider investment in fibre infrastructure serving locations with increasing concentrations of hyperscale data centres and AI workloads. For more from Lightpath, click here.

United Infrastructure to develop DC grid connection standards

United Infrastructure, a UK contractor delivering utility and social infrastructure across energy, power, water, and telecoms networks, has been asked by industry stakeholders to lead the development of standardised electricity connection archetypes intended to help accelerate grid connections for UK data centres. The initiative follows discussions between industry representatives and Ofgem on improving the speed and consistency of electricity network connections as demand for AI infrastructure and data storage continues to grow. The work will bring together organisations from across the electricity infrastructure supply chain to develop standard designs for data centres, substations, high-voltage compounds, and other common connection arrangements. The aim is to simplify network design, improve delivery efficiency, and support faster grid connections. Industry collaboration on network delivery The announcement follows a roundtable in Cardiff attended by more than 30 senior representatives from the energy, digital infrastructure, development, and utilities sectors. Discussions covered connection reform, supply chain resilience, decentralised energy, workforce capability, planning, and grid capacity. Akshay Kaul, Director General of Infrastructure at Ofgem, says, "The rapid growth in data centres presents both a challenge and an opportunity for the energy system. "It was encouraging to see how technologies like fuel cells could complement the grid, and these insights will be important in shaping a flexible, resilient, and future-ready energy system." Neil Armstrong, CEO of United Infrastructure, comments, "To be asked to lead on such an important piece of work is a real credit to the engineering teams we have within United Infrastructure. As demand for data centres grows, we are seeing unprecedented interest in our gas-to-power solutions. "Being recognised in this way is testament to the work we are doing to accelerate ‘time to power’ for data centres across the UK, many of which are now frequently classed as nationally significant infrastructure." The programme will initially focus on developing connection archetypes for data centres and associated electricity infrastructure. United Infrastructure says the work will be shared with industry stakeholders to help inform future network delivery and regulatory discussions.

euNetworks launches direct Paris–Milan fibre route

euNetworks, a European bandwidth infrastructure company, has launched a new long-haul fibre route between Paris and Milan, providing what the company says is the most direct connectivity path between the two cities. Spanning 1,057km, the route follows a new path through the Alps, offering an alternative to routes that typically run via Lyon and Marseille. The company says the route has been designed to provide a shorter and more diverse connection between two of Europe's major connectivity hubs, whilst also strengthening wider network connectivity across the region. The announcement follows the launch of euNetworks' direct Frankfurt–Milan route via Zurich in October 2025. Together, the two routes provide shorter connectivity options between Frankfurt and Milan. Customers using the new route can connect to euNetworks' metro networks in Paris and Milan, which include 38 and 18 directly connected data centres respectively, as well as the company's wider network of more than 600 connected data centres across Europe. Route expands European network connectivity According to euNetworks, the new infrastructure is intended to support growing demand for low-latency connectivity driven by AI, cloud services, and data-intensive applications. Marisa Trisolino, CEO of euNetworks, says, "The new route between Paris and Milan is a prime example of our dedication to providing customers with the most direct, diverse connectivity options in Europe. As demand for AI, cloud, and data-driven connectivity rises, shorter routes and diversity become increasingly crucial. "Building a diverse route through the Alps takes a lot of persistence and collaboration with an extensive supplier network. euNetworks was proud to take on this challenge to deliver for our customers and we will continue to expand our network wherever our customers need it the most." For more from euNetworks, click here.

Why network resilience now depends on control​

In this exclusive article for DCNN, Ramtin Rampour (pictured above), Principal Solutions Architect at Opengear, explains why independent management access is becoming an essential element of network resilience as data centre environments grow larger, more distributed, and increasingly complex: Building resilience beyond the production network With data centres supporting ever higher-density workloads and users increasingly expecting the services they use to be available at all times, network resilience is a fundamental priority for operators responsible for keeping critical infrastructure running. Resilience is no longer just about whether infrastructure can withstand disruption; it also depends on whether operations teams can retain control when something goes wrong. As data centre environments become more distributed and security-sensitive, the ability to reach critical systems during failure has become central to recovery. In this context, remote access to networks has become critical. When the network fails, recovery can only begin if teams can still reach the systems they need to fix. A loss of connectivity is no longer only a traffic problem; it can restrict visibility, delay remediation, and leave data centre network teams dependent on the same production environment that is already degraded. For data centre network teams, resilience now depends not only on network availability, but on maintaining a reliable management path when the production network is degraded or unavailable. Redundant links and resilient hardware still have a place in delivering this. However, they cannot guarantee recovery on their own. Teams also need a trusted route into critical infrastructure when the production network is misconfigured, compromised, or unavailable. Without it, a familiar fault that should be routine to resolve can become a prolonged recovery exercise. The control gap This need for control is becoming more urgent as data centre environments grow increasingly complex. Preventing outages remains a strategic priority for owners and operators, even as infrastructure equipment improves. At the same time, modern architectures and external threats continue to introduce risks that must be actively managed. For network teams, the takeaway is clear: component reliability alone does not ensure resilience. Effective recovery planning must also address dependency chains, change-related errors, and potential loss of access. Those dependencies are increasing with AI environments placing heavier demand on traffic inside high-density infrastructure. Edge sites often sit far from specialist engineering teams, whilst hybrid operating models extend the network across owned and hosted environments. Each can lengthen recovery if teams have no independent management path. During an incident, the gap appears at console level. An engineer may understand which change caused the issue, which device needs attention, or which segment should be isolated, but still have no reliable way to act. No amount of bandwidth helps if management access depends on the failed route. This gap is exactly what out-of-band management is designed to address. By providing a dedicated, physically separate network path, it gives operators direct console-level and IP access to critical infrastructure, independent of the production network they may need to repair. Skills, security, and scale Workforce pressure is another factor widening the control gap. In the 2025 ISC2 Cybersecurity Workforce Study, only 55% of respondents agreed their organisations have the resources needed to address security incidents over the next two to three years. For data centre operators, that shortage has direct consequences. When incidents occur, recovery often depends on the same network teams that manage access and infrastructure availability. If those teams are stretched, site visits take longer and recovery becomes harder to coordinate. Stretched data centre network teams need fewer site visits and more repeatable processes. Automation is valuable but it is not a substitute for reachability. A workflow cannot reboot, reconfigure, or isolate a device it cannot access. For large estates, the access model has to be designed before the recovery process can be trusted. Security adds another constraint. Palo Alto Networks’ 2026 Unit 42 Global Incident Response Report found that identity weaknesses played a material role in almost 90% of investigations, whilst 87% of intrusions involved activity across multiple attack surfaces, including networks. For data centre operators, this is a network resilience issue as much as a security one. When disruption occurs, teams still need a trusted way to reach routers, switches, firewalls, and other critical devices, but that access cannot rely on the same production network that may be degraded or exposed to attacker movement. During a cyberattack, management access has to be both available and governed. Speed without strong authentication creates risk. Tight controls with no practical route into the infrastructure slow recovery. Operators need a path that sits outside production traffic, with clear permissions and logs that stand up to audit. Future-proofing through independent access Future-proofing data centre networks should start with control under imperfect conditions. An independent management plane separates the route used to control infrastructure from the route carrying production traffic. When the main network is down or untrusted, it allows teams to inspect devices, roll back changes, isolate segments, and verify service health remotely. The aim is not to prevent every failure; it is to prevent failures from removing the operator’s ability to respond. This capability is valuable from the outset. New infrastructure often needs to be built and secured before normal production connectivity is ready. In edge or remote sites, local intervention can be slow and expensive. In this context, a separate management path allows teams to bring equipment online, test configurations, and reduce dependence on physical access. Once infrastructure is live, the same path can support daily resilience. Network operations teams can intervene earlier when device health deteriorates and recover services without depending on unstable systems. Against this backdrop, resilience becomes less about emergency improvisation and more about disciplined control built into network operations. Data centre networks will always face disruption from misconfiguration, cyber threats, equipment faults, and external events. For operators, resilience depends on whether they can retain control when those disruptions occur. As data centre estates become larger, more distributed, and harder to secure, resilience will depend on a trusted path back into the infrastructure, whether teams are managing a core facility, an edge site, or hosted environments. That control helps teams recover faster and keep critical services always running. For more from Opengear, click here.

Power equipment shortages threaten Scotland DC growth

A shortage of critical power equipment could become one of the biggest barriers to delivering Scotland's planned data centre expansion, according to Opna, a London-based critical power supply market infrastructure company. The comments follow reports that an £8.2 billion AI data centre project in Lanarkshire, led by CoreWeave and DataVita, is unlikely to meet its original target of being operational by 2030. While discussion around Scotland's data centre growth has largely focused on renewable energy generation and grid connections, Opna argues that shortages of transformers, switchgear, cables, and other electrical equipment present an equally significant challenge. According to Montel's curtailment report, Scottish wind farms received around £343 million in payments to switch off in 2025. At the same time, Wood Mackenzie reports average transformer lead times have reached 128 weeks, with some orders extending beyond four years, while prices have increased by 77% since 2019. Grid upgrades and data centres compete for equipment Shilpika Gautam, founder and CEO of Opna, says, "The massive investment in grid upgrades to support Scotland’s data centres is being hindered by a shortage of critical power equipment: transformers, cables, switchgear, etc. Network operators, who buy in bulk and have long-term agreements with manufacturers, get priority for these supplies. "As a result, when a data centre orders equipment, it’s pushed to the back of a four-year waitlist. Grid expansion and data centre development compete for the same resources, while only network operators have reliable access to manufacturers. "Connecting to the grid is the bottleneck, but procuring critical power equipment is the bottleneck of the bottleneck; few are addressing it." Opna points to the scale of electricity network investment already under way in Scotland. SP Energy Networks began a £12 billion programme of grid upgrades across central and southern Scotland in April, including 12 new substations and a supply chain framework worth up to £5.4 billion over 10 years. Meanwhile, SSEN Transmission is investing at least £22 billion in northern Scotland by 2031 and recently announced a further £7.4 billion supply chain framework. Shilpika continues, "The tens of billions of pounds of grid upgrades meant to unblock Scotland’s data centres are being bought from the same transformer and switchgear order books those data centres need. Network operators are bulk buyers with multi-year framework agreements; manufacturers allocate scarce production slots to them first. "A single data centre project arriving with a one-off order goes to the back of a four-year book. [As mentioned,] grid expansion and data centre growth are now competing for the same equipment, and only one side of that competition has a standing seat at the manufacturers’ table." For more from Opna, click here.