Data Centre Infrastructure News & Trends

New ProLabs transceivers extend network reach to 2,400km

ProLabs, a provider of optical connectivity and networking equipment, has introduced two QSFP-DD transceivers designed to extend the reach of coherent optical networks to distances of up to 2,400km. The QSFP-DD 800G ZR LH and QSFP-DD 400G ZR ULH transceivers are designed for carriers, service providers, and large-scale backbone networks requiring ultra-long-haul transmission. The products are intended to extend 400G and 800G network capacity across national and cross-continental infrastructure, while making greater use of existing long-haul fibre networks. “We are delighted to have expanded our range of ultra-long-haul transceivers ahead of Connected Britain,” says Stefan Löhmann, EMEA Sales Director at ProLabs. “Our solutions will enable national operators to deliver new and efficient long-haul services, making it easier to deliver high-bandwidth connectivity between cities, across countries, and over subsea links.” With network operators facing increasing traffic demands, the transceivers are designed to extend the usable reach of existing fibre infrastructure without requiring additional network infrastructure. Transceivers support up to 30 repeater hops While standard 400G products support around six repeater hops, the new transceivers are designed to support coherent optical transmission across up to 30 repeater hops, equating to approximately 2,400km. Stefan continues, "By reducing the need for additional infrastructure while still maintaining long-distance performance, we're helping operators lower both capital and operational expenditure. "Combined with our commitment to interoperability and availability, these new transceivers provide operators with an open, standards-based alternative to proprietary optical networking solutions." The transceivers are compatible with standard QSFP-DD ports, allowing them to be deployed on existing platforms without significant changes to hardware. Both products use modulation techniques and integrated digital signal processing (DSP) to compensate for laser detuning at each repeater and chromatic dispersion over extended distances. The 400G and 800G transceivers will be available for the first time at Connected Britain 2026 on ProLabs Stand D75. For more from ProLabs, click here.

When power is a constraint, cooling is an opportunity

In this article for DCNN, ExxonMobil’s Glen Sharkowicz (Director Strategic Market Development, Immersion Cooling) and Betsy Cossette (Immersion Cooling Market Development Manager) assess how immersion cooling could help data centre operators overcome power constraints, improve thermal efficiency, and extract more compute capacity from existing infrastructure: Immersion cooling offers relief from the growing energy bottleneck AI is accelerating demand for one of the industry’s most constrained resources: power. Across the United States, major players are aggressively pursuing the energy needed for ambitious new projects. If accessing enough power is difficult now, forecasts do not show much relief ahead. The International Energy Agency projects that global data centre electricity consumption will more than double by 2030, reaching roughly 945TWh, with the United States accounting for nearly half of the electricity demand growth over that period. When power becomes a bottleneck, timelines slip, expansion costs rise, and access to compute is constrained. In the AI race, those delays can set companies back years. CBRE has reported that power availability can extend data centre construction timelines by two to four years and, in some cases, by as many as six. The logic is simple: when power is the primary constraint, every megawatt counts. As processor power rises and AI deployments scale, operators are re-evaluating long-held assumptions about how data centres should be cooled. Direct-to-chip moved the market forward; AI is now changing that equation. Modern systems are generating more heat in less space, and thermal pressure now extends beyond CPUs and GPUs to memory, power delivery, and other system elements. Heat affects how much supporting infrastructure must be built around the IT load. It influences how much of a site’s total power can be directed to compute rather than cooling overhead. Direct-to-chip cooling has been an important bridge technology for high-density environments. McKinsey notes that compared with air cooling, operators can run the same tasks on the same equipment with a 31% lower energy bill using direct-to-chip cooling. But, as densities continue to rise, the limitations of cooling only certain hot components become more apparent. For one, liquid cooling systems can introduce significant plumbing complexity. In 2024, Uptime Institute data cited by industry observers showed that liquid cooling system failures contributed to 13% of significant outages. Immersion extends the opportunity Instead of targeting only the hottest chips, immersion cooling places the system in a thermally stable liquid environment designed to cool the full assembly more comprehensively, which itself can reduce temperature variation, lower dependence on fans and heavy air handling, and simplify the environment needed to support high-density compute. With immersion becoming more mainstream, the most likely path forward is a hybrid approach in which cooling strategies are tailored to specific business and application needs. What’s more, immersion cooling can reduce TCO compared with direct-to-chip and air cooling. When AI is driving revenue, the ability to shift energy from cooling to compute can have outsized business impact. A recent survey by KPMG found that 55% of hyperscalers and data centre developers would be willing to pay up to 50% more on electricity costs to expand capacity. When power is the limiting factor in data centre growth, the central question becomes how to get the most compute from the power already available. Immersion cooling is an answer. Immersion cooling can offer meaningful savings relative to cold plate cooling in AI-focused environments. If less power must be devoted to cooling overhead, more can be directed to compute. Power is scarce and time is expensive, so these effects can materially change the return profile of an AI infrastructure investment. Reliability is part of the ROI equation Operators need confidence that the environment will be stable, maintainable, and supportable over time. Downtime, service complexity, and unplanned maintenance can quickly erode the value of any savings. Immersion cooling can help address those concerns by creating a more thermally stable operating environment and reducing some of the infrastructure complexity that contributes to service burden. At the 2025 OCP EMEA Summit, findings presented showed that immersion cooling offered the following advantages: • Higher server reliability• Reduced downtime• Lower maintenance requirements The case extends beyond the rack Water use, physical footprint, and local operating impact of data centres are becoming more prominent considerations in siting, permitting, and long-term planning. Immersion cooling can potentially lower water consumption compared to other cooling strategies, alongside improved thermal management and lower cost. A 2025 Nature study found that advanced cooling methods such as cold plates and immersion cooling can reduce blue water consumption by 31–52% in data centres, depending on conditions. Traditional fan-heavy data centre environments can create significant noise pollution. Immersion cooling can help reduce that burden by lowering reliance on fan-driven airflow. In some configurations, immersion systems have been measured below 50dB, which is materially quieter than conventional data centre cooling environments. Immersion cooling can help maximise power to revenue It’s important to consider how much value a cooling strategy can unlock from the power, space, water, and capital already available. Implementing immersion cooling can help address thermal management at the system level and ties that improvement to core business outcomes: lower operating costs, less infrastructure burden, improved reliability, and the potential for more compute capacity within the same power envelope. Immersion cooling offers a way to turn constrained power into scalable growth, and it belongs in today’s infrastructure planning discussion. For organisations exploring how to maximise performance from constrained power, it is a conversation worth having now. For more from ExxonMobil, click here.

KROHNE introduces data centre liquid cooling flowmeters

KROHNE, a German manufacturer of process instrumentation and flow measurement technology, is targeting data centre cooling efficiency with its flow measurement technology, including chilled water and liquid-to-chip applications, as operators manage increasing power and rack densities. The company’s electromagnetic and ultrasonic flowmeters measure liquid flow in cooling water loops, secondary circuits, and heat recovery systems. This data can then be used to monitor coolant distribution, manage pump and valve operation, and assess thermal performance. In liquid-to-chip cooling systems, flow measurement can help operators monitor glycol-water and other coolant circuits supplying individual racks and processors. Accurate flow data can also support automated control systems that adjust pump speeds and valve positions according to cooling requirements. Flow measurement supports heat recovery According to KROHNE, one data centre project using hybrid liquid cooling and waste heat recovery deployed approximately 40 KROHNE OPTIFLUX 4100 electromagnetic flowmeters to measure glycol-water flow through cooling circuits ranging from DN100 to DN250. The measurements are used to monitor heat dissipation and system efficiency, as well as support a thermal management system that captures waste heat for use in district heating networks. KROHNE also supplies flowmeters and temperature sensors for heating circuits, heat exchangers, and district heating connections. Measuring heat and cold transfer can help operators assess system performance and monitor the results of efficiency measures. The company cites other applications where flow and temperature measurement has been used to track hot and chilled water between geothermal probes, heat pumps, and concrete core conditioning systems. In one building-scale installation, the monitoring contributed to reduced natural gas consumption. KROHNE says its flowmeters are designed for long-term operation in demanding industrial environments, with applications including chemical processing and wastewater treatment. The technology can be integrated with existing monitoring and control systems used for data centre energy management.

iON+, ACCURE to streamline BESS data access

iON+, the data and asset performance management platform developed by Conrad Energy, has partnered with battery analytics provider ACCURE Battery Intelligence to simplify data access from battery energy storage system (BESS) assets. Under the partnership, iON+ will provide data services to ACCURE customers through a data bridge that extracts and records high-frequency data from BESS systems. The service will transfer data from BESS assets to the ACCURE platform in near real time. It can also return corrected values, including State of Energy (SoE), which can be used to inform dispatch and trading decisions. Corrected battery data supports trading The partnership is intended to reduce the time required to integrate BESS data, allowing iON+ to transfer high-frequency information from customers’ portfolios into ACCURE’s analytics platform. ACCURE says correcting SoE can make additional energy available for trading and reduce penalties associated with overstating available energy. The approach has been used at Gore Street Capital’s 75MW Dogfish BESS in Texas. ACCURE says analysis of operating data indicated an annual benefit of more than $110,000 (£80,655), equivalent to around a 5% increase against average BESS trading revenues in ERCOT. Corrected values went live at the site in July 2026 without additional hardware. ACCURE’s platform monitors battery performance down to cell level, with the company’s engineers working with asset owners and operators to identify issues such as imbalance. Rhys Kirk, Chief Technology Officer at iON+, says, “We are delighted to have formalised this mutually beneficial partnership with ACCURE. We have been working with ACCURE for some time and know from first-hand experience the breadth and quality of their analytics.” Yannick Gindroz, Head of Partnerships at ACCURE, says, “The iON+ team’s experience in extracting and transferring high-granularity data made them an obvious partner for us. In our industry, visibility is everything, and so we are always looking for ways to show our customers more of what their assets are doing.”

LINX, JPIX launch London-to-Tokyo network route

Internet exchange operators the London Internet Exchange (LINX) and Japan Internet Xing (JPIX) have launched direct network routes between London and Tokyo, giving European networks access to JPIX’s interconnection platform and local peering opportunities in Japan. The partnership began in 2018, initially allowing networks in Tokyo to access content in London through LINX. Under the new service, LINX members can now connect directly to JPIX Tokyo through the LINX LON1 peering platform. JPIX says it will manage the connection and ordering process through a carrier partner, removing the need for customers to arrange separate local connectivity. Mike Hellers, Product Development Manager at LINX, comments, “It’s great to see this partnership flourish. We have a handful of networks now peering in London from Tokyo with quite high bandwidths. We are pleased to now be able to work with JPIX to provide the reverse route from London to Tokyo.” European networks gain Tokyo peering access The new route is intended to support demand for Japanese digital content from European networks, including content associated with anime, manga, and gaming. An introductory service for LINX members provides 1Gbps connectivity to JPIX for £400 per month, including transport bandwidth between LINX LON1 and JPIX Tokyo. Other bandwidth options up to 5Gbps are also available. Tetsuya Hamada, Senior Executive Expert at JPIX, says, “This new route is a wider project we are working on to increase the awareness of local peering in Japan for networks in Europe.” Tokyo is a major interconnection location, with more than 20 international subsea cable systems connecting Japan with North America, Southeast Asia, and Australia. The service expansion forms part of LINX IX Connect, a programme covering its collaborative work and network routes with other internet exchange points (IXPs), including JPIX, Namex in Rome, and NYIIX in New York. For more from LINX, click here.

FlexSysAI launches platform to manage DC energy demand

Australian energy technology company FlexSysAI has launched a platform designed to make data centre power demand more flexible by shifting GPU-based AI workloads between locations and times without affecting service. The platform connects electricity market and grid conditions with AI workload balancing, allowing compute to be shifted to locations where electricity is cheaper and more abundant. Non-critical workloads can also be reduced when the grid is under strain and electricity prices are high. FlexSysAI says the approach could help data centre operators connect to the grid sooner, reduce electricity costs, access renewable power when it is available, and receive payments for supporting grid operations. The company was founded by energy specialists, technologists, and entrepreneurs including Victor Feoktistov (pictured above), Angelo Perera, and Sean Senvirtne. The team has developed its demand response technology over several years and secured a retail licence providing customers with direct access to energy markets. Australia provides test market for flexible computing FlexSysAI is initially targeting Australia, where the electricity grid, growing data centre demand, and high penetration of renewable generation provide a testing environment for the platform. The company says it is exploring adoption with multiple data centres in Australia. It is backed by EnergyLab and Sean Senvirtne, and is part of NVIDIA’s Inception programme. The launch comes as governments consider approaches to managing increasing data centre electricity demand. The Australian Energy Market Commission recently recommended a national framework that includes operational flexibility as one potential approach to managing demand. FlexSysAI co-founder Victor Feoktistov says, “Data centres need a strategy for the power crunch that is holding back the sector. Physical grid constraints are beginning to bite and time to power is already a major constraint for operators. "These pressures are likely to worsen over the next two to three years, while regulatory pressure is moving even faster as more jurisdictions look to require flexibility from large energy users. “Operators stay in control, see a live price for flexibility, and choose when to shift workloads while connecting to the grid sooner and getting ahead of mandatory requirements that continue to emerge across key markets.” Angelo Perera, Chief Technology Officer at FlexSysAI, adds, “We are starting in Australia’s National Electricity Market as it has one of the world’s most challenging grids, and its structure and volatility strongly reward smarter, more flexible demand. "This makes Australia an ideal market to prove the technology before deploying it globally as we provide a long-term solution to the accelerating electricity demand problem.” FlexSysAI has formally stated it intends to expand into international markets as data centre electricity demand increases.

AI infrastructure: Planning for long-term growth

This article from Antonio Castano, Global Market Development Director at AFL, highlights how a combination of technologies, architecture, and deployment models is driving the next generation of physical infrastructure. In today’s landscape, several infrastructure approaches are becoming increasingly relevant: • Neoclouds provide specialised compute capacity • Brownfield deployments accelerate AI implementation within existing facilities • DCI extends AI infrastructure across multiple facilities • CPO brings optical interfaces closer to compute and networking components • VSFF supports higher-density optical connectivity Each approach addresses a different requirement. However, the consistent, underlying planning challenge remains that AI deployments can change significantly between hardware generations, whilst optical cabling, pathways, and connectivity infrastructure typically remain in service for much longer periods. This means physical infrastructure needs sufficient capacity and flexibility to accommodate technologies that may not yet be widely deployed. Designing around a single AI architecture can limit future options, particularly where increasing fibre density, distributed connectivity, or new optical interfaces require changes to the physical layer. The long-term objective is to establish an infrastructure foundation that can support successive generations of AI systems without requiring extensive physical redesign. AI is not scaling through a single infrastructure model. As neoclouds, brownfield deployments, DCI, CPO, and VSFF connectivity reshape the data centre landscape, the physical layer must be designed as a flexible foundation that can adapt across multiple generations of AI architectures. Approaches to the infrastructure of tomorrow Neoclouds provide dedicated access to accelerated computing, allowing organisations to scale AI capacity without building equivalent facilities. This model can shorten deployment timelines whilst increasing demand for high-density power, cooling, networking, and optical connectivity. For infrastructure planners, the key consideration is ensuring supporting physical infrastructure can accommodate rapid changes in compute requirements. Brownfield deployments can accelerate AI capacity by reusing existing power, cooling, pathways, and facility space. However, infrastructure designed for conventional workloads may not accommodate the fibre density required by modern AI systems. For example, an NVIDIA NVL72 rack can require up to 1,152 fibre connections. Retrofitting requires careful planning for capacity and future upgrades. Data centre interconnect (DCI) allows AI environments to operate across multiple buildings, campuses, or locations. This approach can provide greater flexibility when capacity, power, or resilience requirements exceed what one facility can support. However, longer connections introduce additional considerations around latency, optical performance, power, and network architecture that must be addressed during infrastructure planning. Co-packaged optics (CPO) places optical interfaces closer to compute and networking components, reducing electrical transmission distances within systems. The architecture can support higher bandwidth while changing how fibre connectivity is presented around equipment. Physical infrastructure, therefore, needs sufficient flexibility in cable routing, fibre management, and connectivity capacity to accommodate evolving optical architectures. Very small form factor (VSFF) connectivity enables more optical connections within limited rack and panel space. Higher connection density becomes increasingly important as AI systems require greater numbers of fibres for high-speed networking. The benefit depends on adequate pathway capacity, patching space, and cable management, making VSFF part of a wider physical infrastructure strategy. Long-term AI growth: Building flexible foundations AI infrastructure will continue to combine different deployment models, facilities, optical technologies, and connectivity architectures. Because physical infrastructure remains in service longer than compute and networking hardware, capacity and flexibility are critical. A modular optical foundation allows operators to accommodate future AI requirements whilst protecting existing infrastructure investments. With AI infrastructure demands scaling fast, bringing new considerations that challenge traditional data centre design, AFL’s ‘AI Infrastructure’ whitepaper series, including Architecting AI at Scale and Building AI Training Clusters at 16K Accelerators, examines these requirements in greater detail. For a deeper dive, read AFL’s blog, What Does Sustained AI Growth Mean for Data Center Fiber Infrastructure? For more from AFL, click here.

euNetworks sets new sustainability loan targets

euNetworks, a European bandwidth infrastructure company, has introduced two environmental performance targets through its Sustainability-Linked Loan (SLL), linking sustainability measures to the design and development of new network infrastructure. The revised framework introduces Network Development Impact by Design Plans for major network projects, alongside a target for continuous improvement in the company’s GRESB infrastructure benchmark score. euNetworks first established its €760 million (£650 million) SLL in 2021 to support the expansion of its fibre network across Europe. The facility was then refinanced and expanded to €1.26 billion (£1 billion) in 2024. The Impact by Design Plans will now apply to major projects requiring significant new network construction. These projects account for a large proportion of euNetworks’ annual capital investment and approximately two thirds of its current greenhouse gas emissions. The plans will assess lower-carbon materials, construction techniques, and supplier options during the design stage, before project specifications are finalised. The approach is intended to incorporate environmental considerations into commercial and engineering decisions alongside cost, delivery times, and customer requirements. New targets added to €1.26bn loan The GRESB target will measure continuous improvement against an infrastructure-focused benchmark covering governance, environmental management, and operational performance. Marisa Trisolino, CEO of euNetworks, says, “Our new SLL targets mark an important step in euNetworks’ commitment to growing our business sustainably, focusing our efforts on the areas where we can deliver the greatest impact. “The introduction of our NetDev Impact by Design Plans represents a significant evolution in how we approach major network development projects, embedding sustainability considerations from the very beginning of the design and planning process.” The targets complement euNetworks’ existing sustainability commitments, including its validated Science Based Targets, net zero by 2040 commitment, supplier engagement programme, and carbon measurement tools. For more from euNetworks, click here.

Echelon, Trinovium to develop liquid cooling technology

Echelon Data Centres, a developer and operator of hyperscale data centres, has entered into a collaboration with clinical diagnostics company Trinovium, a subsidiary of Trinity Biotech, to develop liquid cooling technologies for AI and high-density computing environments. The collaboration will focus on cooling requirements created by increasing computing and power densities in data centres, including the management and monitoring of coolant used in liquid cooling systems. As operating temperatures and demands increase, factors including corrosion, particulate contamination, fluid degradation, and microbial growth can affect the reliability of cooling systems. The collaboration combines Echelon's experience in designing, developing, and operating hyperscale data centre infrastructure with Trinovium's expertise in high-purity fluid manufacturing and analytical technologies. Under the agreement, the companies will develop and refine liquid cooling technologies based on the requirements of Echelon's hyperscale and AI infrastructure portfolio, which currently includes more than 700MW of capacity in development and more than 1.4GW of secured capacity across Ireland, the UK, Italy, and other markets. Trinovium was established to apply Trinity Biotech's experience in healthcare-grade fluid manufacturing to AI infrastructure. Its initial direct-to-chip cooling formulation is based on high-purity aqueous chemistry, corrosion inhibition, and coolant system protection, alongside consistency and traceability. Monitoring liquid cooling systems Alongside its cooling fluid, Trinovium is developing a fluid health and system intelligence platform using analytical technologies from Trinity Biotech, including connected electrochemical sensing and mass spectrometry. The platform is intended to monitor corrosion and scaling, particulate contamination, and microbial growth and biofilm formation, providing information about the condition of liquid cooling systems. Development is expected to begin shortly, with initial work covering direct-to-chip cooling fluids, thermal management systems, and modular liquid cooling technologies for AI and high-performance computing. Niall Molloy, CEO of Echelon Data Centres, comments, “AI is changing the infrastructure requirements of data centres. As more computing power is concentrated into smaller spaces, managing the heat it generates becomes an increasingly important engineering challenge. “Liquid cooling will be an important part of meeting that challenge, but it is not simply about moving heat more efficiently; the quality, stability, and monitoring of the fluids within those systems will also be important to their long-term reliability.” John Gillard, CEO of Trinity Biotech, adds, “The rapid growth of AI is creating unprecedented demand for advanced cooling technologies capable of supporting increasingly dense and power-hungry computing environments. “By combining Trinovium’s capabilities in high-performance fluid design, precision manufacturing, and advanced analytics with Echelon’s hyperscale data centre expertise, we believe we can accelerate the development of innovative liquid cooling solutions designed specifically for the next generation of AI infrastructure.” For more from Echelon, click here.

Schneider Electric launches Easy UPS 3S Pro

Global energy technology company Schneider Electric has launched the Easy UPS 3S Pro, a three-phase uninterruptible power supply (UPS) designed for critical applications in small and medium-sized data centres, as well as for telecommunications, commercial buildings, healthcare facilities, manufacturing, and transport. Available in 10–40kVA capacities, the UPS supports internal and external battery configurations and is now available across IEC markets, including Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA). The system provides efficiency of more than 96% in double-conversion mode and up to 99% in ECO mode. It has a compact form factor and integrated breakers intended to simplify installation and commissioning. Thierry Chamayou, Vice President, Cloud & Service Providers, EMEA at Schneider Electric, says, “Today’s businesses require resilient and efficient power protection solutions that are simple to deploy and manage. “Easy UPS 3S Pro has been designed to make business continuity easy by combining reliable power protection, simplified installation, and integrated monitoring capabilities in a highly cost-effective package for customers and channel partners alike.” UPS designed for simplified maintenance The Easy UPS 3S Pro includes an Easy Loop test function, allowing UPS performance to be verified without a load bank. Front, side, and rear access is provided for maintenance. Other features include an enhanced human-machine interface, a wide operating temperature range, embedded dust filters, and conformal coating. The UPS can be operated in parallel for capacity expansion or N+1 redundancy, whilst shared battery configurations can be used across multiple units. An embedded Network Management Card enables remote monitoring and management through Schneider Electric's EcoStruxure IT software, while BACnet support allows integration with building management systems. The Secure Network Management Card is certified to IEC 62443-4-2, providing cybersecurity controls for connected infrastructure. For more from Schneider Electric, click here.