Infrastructure & Hardware

Mission Critical Group acquires DVM Power + Control

Mission Critical Group (MCG), a provider of innovative products specialising in design, manufacturing, delivery and service of electrical system solutions, has announced that it has acquired DVM Manufacturing (DVM Power + Control), a manufacturer of low- and medium-voltage electrical distribution equipment. The acquisition significantly expands MCG’s manufacturing footprint and service capabilities in electrical systems for data centres, industrial facilities and other mission critical applications. With 350,000 square feet of production space in Pennsylvania, Georgia, and Connecticut, DVM expands MCG’s footprint to over one million square feet of manufacturing capacity. The acquisition also strengthens MCG’s field services, drives innovation, and enhances technical expertise by adding DVM’s skilled workforce, providing customers with more solutions and stronger support. DVM designs and produces low- and medium-voltage electrical distribution equipment, including switchboards, switchgear, relay panels, power distribution units (PDUs), bypasses, power/cooling module 'skid' manufacturing and control systems. Its Naugatuck, Connecticut facility specialises in retrofits, breaker rebuilds and switchgear modernisation, further bolstering MCG’s services and power offerings. “DVM’s expertise advances MCG’s manufacturing and aftermarket services, driving growth and customer satisfaction for our innovative, high-quality solutions,” says Jeff Drees, CEO of Mission Critical Group. “With DVM’s added capacity and technical strengths, we are also expanding our geographic reach, boosting product development and optimising power service offerings to better support data centres and other mission critical environments.” Robert Ricci, CEO of DVM Power + Control, adds, “This partnership is a natural fit, built on a shared commitment to innovation, excellence and customer value. Having worked with MCG’s leadership for 30 years, I can attest to their deep industry knowledge and strategic expertise. This collaboration expands our resources, enhances engineering capabilities and improves career growth, ensuring a stronger future for our team.” DVM will operate as a Mission Critical Group Company alongside JTS and Point Eight Power, continuing to elevate MCG’s leadership in electrical system solutions. As part of the transition, Ricci will continue to lead DVM as its President and oversee MCG’s low- and medium-voltage electrical equipment manufacturing. With five acquisitions in two years, MCG says that this latest addition marks another milestone in its rapid growth, while reinforcing its commitment to innovation and excellence in mission critical solutions. For more from Mission Critical Group, click here.

iGenius launches large sovereign AI data centre

Vertiv, a global provider of critical digital infrastructure, has announced a collaboration with NVIDIA and renowned AI pioneer, iGenius, to deploy Colosseum, one of the world’s largest NVIDIA DGX AI supercomputers with NVIDIA Grace Blackwell Superchips. Set to deploy in 2025 in Italy, Colosseum will redefine the digital landscape through a first-of-its-kind sovereign AI data centre for regulated workloads. Designed to address the demands of highly regulated industries such as finance, healthcare and public administration, Colosseum will embody a fusion of transformative computational power, energy efficiency and data sovereignty, while balancing stringent data security requirements. Colosseum, a NVIDIA DGXPOD, is the latest advancement in a long-standing collaboration between Vertiv and NVIDIA. It is strategically positioned in southern Italy to address regional government requirements, marking a significant milestone in Europe’s AI landscape. “Harnessing the power of NVIDIA's cutting-edge accelerated computing and Vertiv's innovative infrastructure expertise, Colosseum stands as a testament to the transformative potential of sovereign AI,” says Uljan Sharka, CEO of iGenius. “We’re demonstrating how modular systems and software-specific infrastructure enable a new era of mission-critical AI.” Colosseum combines Vertiv's infrastructure management expertise, NVIDIA accelerated computing, and the NVIDIA Omniverse Blueprint for AI factory design and operations. The deployment will leverage Vertiv’s 360AI reference architecture infrastructure platform for data centre power and cooling that is designed for the NVIDIA GB200 NVL72, which was co-developed with NVIDIA and released in late 2024. This modular and scalable system positions iGenius to deploy one of the fastest hyperscale AI supercomputers, and one of the largest to support sovereign AI.Vertiv has also extended its reference design library on its AI Hub with the co-developed data centre power and cooling design for NVIDIA GB300 NVL72. By staying one GPU generation ahead, Vertiv enables customers to plan infrastructure before silicon lands, with deployment-ready designs that anticipate increased rack power densities and repeatable templates for AI factories at scale. “The unit of compute is no longer the chip - it’s the system, the AI Factory,” comments Karsten Winther, President of Vertiv, EMEA. “Through our collaboration with NVIDIA and visionary AI player iGenius, we are proving the efficiency and system-level maturity of delivering the data centre as a unit of compute, unlocking rapid adoption of AI-native power and cooling infrastructure as a catalyst for AI at scale.” “AI is reshaping the data centre landscape, demanding new levels of scale, efficiency and adaptability for global AI factories,” adds Charlie Boyle, Vice President of DGX platforms at NVIDIA. “With physically-based digital twins enabled by NVIDIA Omniverse technologies and Vertiv’s modular design for the iGenius DGX SuperPOD data centre, Colosseum sets a new standard for building supercomputers for the era of AI.” Colosseum was co-designed as a physically accurate digital twin developed with NVIDIA Omniverse technologies, enabling real-time collaboration between Vertiv, iGenius and NVIDIA, to accelerate system-level decisions and compress the design-to-deploy cycle. The Omniverse Blueprint enables real-time simulations, allowing engineers to test and refine designs instantly, rather than waiting for lengthy simulation processes, reducing simulation times from months to hours. Vertiv manufacturing and factory integration processes reduce deployment time by up to 50% compared to traditional data centre builds. This collaborative 3D design process validated the entire infrastructure stack, enabling predictive modelling of thermal load, electrical flow, and site layout - for 132kW liquid-cooled racks to modular power systems - before a single module was built. Vertiv’s AI-ready prefabricated modular data centre solution is designed, manufactured, delivered, installed and commissioned by Vertiv. It includes power, cooling, management, monitoring, service and maintenance offerings, with power and cooling capacity supporting up to 132kW/rack initially, with an ability to scale up as required for future designs. The building shell integrates prefabricated white space inside while deploying full modular grey space outside. This approach offers exceptional scalability and energy efficiency, transforming the way data centres are built and deployed. Colosseum will leverage NVIDIA Mission Control for data centre operations and orchestration and Vertiv Unify to simplify and synchronise building management for AI factories. Vertiv Unify provides: • Real-time orchestration across power, cooling, and compute• Digital twin synchronisation for closed-loop optimisation• AI-ready capabilities that support autonomous decision-making Through its integration of NVIDIA Omniverse technologies, Vertiv Unify enables real-time updates between physical systems and digital models - allowing predictive maintenance, what-if simulations, and scenario testing before operational risk occurs. Colosseum is described as "more than a data centre", and is the template for scalable, repeatable, sovereign AI factories. By combining cloud-scale density, local data control, and modular deployment, it signals the next phase of AI: where inference must be secure, fast, compliant, and distributed. iGenius is building a blueprint with Colosseum designed to be repeated globally, with Vertiv and NVIDIA aligned on future platform support, including DGX GB300 systems and beyond. For more from Vertiv, click here.

Aligned Data Centers breaks ground on Glendale facility

Aligned Data Centers, a technology infrastructure company offering innovative, sustainable and adaptive scale data centres and build-to-scale solutions for global hyperscale and enterprise customers, has broken ground on its PHX-13 facility. The Glendale campus spans 100 acres and represents a significant expansion of Aligned's data centre footprint, the company tells us. At the heart of this development is PHX-13 - one of four planned facilities for the site. To support the campus’s energy needs, the project will incorporate a new 230 kV transmission line provided by Arizona Public Service (APS). “I am excited to see PHX-13 break ground,” says Glendale Mayor, Jerry P. Weiers. “In 2025, data centres are essential to the US economy and future growth. This project and all the benefits it will bring are exciting for our Glendale community.” Aligned says that is committed to sustainability and operational efficiency. The company’s Delta³ air cooling arrays will be utilised in PHX-13 to capture and remove heat at the source, rather than pushing cold air into the data hall like legacy facilities. The data centre will also feature Aligned's patent-pending DeltaFlow liquid cooling system, which delivers excellent performance for AI workloads and supports virtually any density and GPU cloud requirement. Additionally, Aligned will use its closed-loop cooling system, recycling water to significantly reduce water consumption. All of Aligned’s power comes from renewable sources, actively progressing toward the goal of achieving zero-carbon hosting by 2040. In line with this commitment, the Glendale campus is a model of sustainable redevelopment. The site, once a rose farm, has been transformed into a state-of-the-art data centre campus, resulting in a more than 73% reduction in annual water use. Aligned retained the site's unused well rights, allowing groundwater to remain on-site and supporting local ecological balance. This facility, like all of Aligned’s data centres, will leverage its Adaptive Modular Infrastructure (AMI), compared to traditional, stick-built methods. By prefabricating components offsite and delivering them to the site as required, Aligned is enhancing safety, quality, sustainability, and speed. This modular design and construction methodology provides exceptional flexibility, ensuring the longevity of Aligned asset's and delivering lasting benefits to the Glendale community. For more from Aligned Data Centers, click here.

Vertiv announces launch of prefabricated infrastructure portfolio

Vertiv, a global provider of critical digital infrastructure and continuity solutions, has announced the launch of Vertiv SmartRun. Vertiv SmartRun is a modular prefabricated overhead infrastructure system designed to integrate high-density power distribution busbar, liquid cooling piping network, hot-aisle containment, and network infrastructure into a single, scalable solution, supporting an accelerated data centre fit-out. This all-in-one solution is designed to reduce complexity and accelerate deployment times of cloud and AI training applications for greenfield and retrofit colocation and hyperscale data centres. Deploying Vertiv SmartRun delivers significant advantages in scalability and efficiency, Vertiv states, providing end-to-end speed and adaptable configurations to meet various design requirements. With prefabricated assembly, plug-and-play design, and a simplified one-lift installation process, Vertiv SmartRun can deploy up to 85% faster on-site than traditional stick-build methods, enabling data centre installations greater than 1MW per day with just a single crew. The pre-designed system reduces labour needs for engineering review and installation of busway, piping, network cabling, and hot-aisle containment systems, offering a streamlined approach to integrating overhead infrastructure. The system also addresses the whitespace challenges of incorporating new heat removal technologies into AI data centres, by integrating a secondary fluid network into the Vertiv SmartRun design. Prefabricated stainless steel piping systems mitigate complexity of design, fabrication, and start-up, providing a single source for end-to-end data centre liquid cooling support. “As digital infrastructure demands evolve, organisations require solutions that accelerate growth without adding complexity,” says Viktor Petik, Senior Vice President, Infrastructure Solutions at Vertiv. “Vertiv SmartRun is a strategic investment in high-density, prefabricated infrastructure that brings operational agility and enables seamless expansion to support the future of high-density computing.” Vertiv SmartRun is backed by Vertiv Liquid Cooling Services and Vertiv Services, a global network of trained experts available to provide comprehensive support for the installation, maintenance, and optimisation of liquid cooled infrastructure, supporting efficient thermal management and long-term reliability in high-density environments. For more from Vertiv, click here.

Cyber attacks drop by nearly 10%

Four in 10 (43%) of UK businesses and 30% of charities experienced cyber attacks or data breaches in the last 12 months, according to the latest Cyber Security Breaches Survey. While this marks a slight decrease from last year’s 50%, the threat level for medium and large businesses remains alarmingly high.  The average cost of the most disruptive breach was estimated at £1,600 for businesses and £3,240 for charities. The drop in incidents is attributed mainly to fewer small businesses reporting breaches – but government officials warn against complacency. With cyber threats increasingly targeting critical infrastructure, the UK Government is introducing the Cyber Security and Resilience Bill, compelling organisations to strengthen their digital defences. The survey found that 70% of large businesses now have a formal cyber strategy in place, compared to just 57% of medium-sized firms – exposing a potential gap in preparedness among mid-sized enterprises. There has been a notable improvement in cyber hygiene practices among smaller businesses, with rising adoption of risk assessments, cyber insurance, formal cyber security policies and continuity planning.  These steps are seen as essential in building digital resilience across the UK economy. However, the number of high-income charities implementing best practices such as risk assessments has declined. Insights suggest this may be linked to budgetary pressures, limiting their ability to invest in adequate cyber security measures. Sawan Joshi, Group Director of Information Security at FDM Group, comments, “Keeping banking systems online is becoming more challenging, and technology alone isn’t enough. Skilled IT teams are crucial for spotting risks early and responding quickly to prevent disruptions. Organisations need to invest in ongoing training so their staff can strengthen system defences and recover fast when issues arise. A mix of advanced monitoring, backup systems, and a well-trained workforce is key to keeping services running and maintaining customer trust.'" The Government has also confirmed that UK data centres are now officially designated as critical national infrastructure. This means they will receive the same priority in the event of a major incident - such as a cyber attack - as essential services like water and energy.

Juniper and Google Cloud enhance branch deployments

Juniper Networks has announced its collaboration with Google Cloud to accelerate new enterprise campus and branch deployments and optimise user experiences. With just a few clicks in the Google Cloud Marketplace, customers can subscribe to Google’s Cloud WAN solution alongside Juniper Mist wired, wireless, NAC, firewalls and secure SD-WAN solutions. Unveiled at Google Cloud Next 25, the solution is designed to simply, securely and reliably connect users to critical applications and AI workloads whether on the internet, across clouds or within data centres. “At Google Cloud, we’re committed to providing our customers with the most advanced and innovative networking solutions. Our expanded collaboration with Juniper Networks and the integration of its AI-native networking capabilities with Google’s Cloud WAN represent a significant step forward,” says Muninder Singh Sambi, VP/GM, Networking, Google Cloud. “By combining the power of Google Cloud’s global infrastructure with Juniper’s expertise in AI for networking, we’re empowering enterprises to build more agile, secure and automated networks that can meet the demands of today’s dynamic business environment.” AIOps key to GenAI application growth As the cloud expands and GenAI applications grow, reliable connectivity, enhanced application performance and low latency are paramount. Businesses are turning to cloud-based network services to meet these demands. However, many face challenges with operational complexity, high costs, security gaps and inconsistent application performance. Assuring the best user experience through AI-native operations (AIOps) is essential to overcoming these challenges and maximising efficiency.  Powered by Juniper’s Mist AI-Native Networking platform, Google’s Cloud WAN, a new solution from Google Cloud, delivers a fully managed, reliable and secure enterprise backbone for branch transformation. Mist is purpose-built to leverage AIOps for optimised campus and branch experiences, assuring that connections are reliable, measurable and secure for every device, user, application and asset. “Mist has become synonymous with AI and cloud-native operations that optimise user experiences while minimising operator costs,” says Sujai Hajela, EVP, Campus and Branch, Juniper Networks. “Juniper’s AI-Native Networking Platform is a perfect complement to Google’s Cloud WAN solution, enabling enterprises to overcome campus and branch management complexity and optimise application performance through low latency connectivity, self-driving automation and proactive insights.” Google’s Cloud WAN delivers high-performance connections for campus and branch The campus and branch services on Google’s Cloud WAN driven by Mist provide a single, secure and high-performance connection point for all branch traffic. A variety of wired, wireless, NAC and WAN services can be hosted on Google Cloud Platform, enabling businesses to eliminate on-premises hardware, dramatically simplifying branch operations and reducing operational costs. By natively integrating Juniper and other strategic partners with Google Cloud, Google’s Cloud WAN solution enhances agility, enabling rapid deployment of new branches and services, while improving security through consistent policies and cloud-delivered threat protection. 

Compu Dynamics launches AI and HPC Services unit

Compu Dynamics has announced the launch of its full lifecycle AI and High-Performance Computing (HPC) Services unit, showcasing the company’s end to end capabilities. The expanded portfolio encompasses the entire spectrum of data centre needs, from initial design and procurement to construction, operation and ongoing maintenance, with a particular emphasis on cutting-edge liquid cooling technologies for AI and HPC environments. Compu Dynamics’ new AI and HPC service offerings build on the company’s expertise in white space deployment, including advanced liquid cooling and post-installation services. As a vendor-neutral solutions provider, the company is uniquely positioned to support equipment from virtually every manufacturer with no geographical limitations, ensuring clients receive unbiased recommendations and optimal solutions tailored to their specific requirements. "Our advanced AI and HPC service offerings represent a significant evolution in data centre services," says Steve Altizer, President and CEO of Compu Dynamics. “We have created this team to respond to the accelerating demand for highly-qualified technical support for high-density AI data centre infrastructure. By working with a variety of OEM partners and offering true end-to-end solutions, we are empowering our clients to focus on their core business while we handle the complexities of their modern critical infrastructure." The company’s holistic solutions portfolio addresses the growing need for specialised support in high-density computing environments. Compu Dynamics’ innovative liquid cooling solutions are said to offer superior efficiency and reduced energy consumption, making them essential for future-ready data centres. Key highlights of these service offerings include: · Equipment evaluation, design consultation and procurement. · Power distribution and liquid cooling system installation, startup, commissioning and quality assurance/quality control. · Flexible maintenance service options designed for seamless, worry-free support including comprehensive fluid management, coolant sampling and contamination and corrosion prevention. · Onsite staffing for day-to-day technical operations. · Dedicated customer success manager. · 24x7 emergency response team for technical issues and repair services. "As AI and HPC workloads drive unprecedented demand on data centre infrastructure, our liquid cooling expertise has become increasingly crucial,” says Scott Hegquist, Director of AI/HPC Services at Compu Dynamics. “We're committed to helping our clients navigate these challenges, providing cutting-edge solutions that optimise performance, efficiency and sustainability."

2025 ESG Report: Data centre environmental impact

Structure Research has released its latest 2025 Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Report, providing an in-depth look at the environmental footprint of data centre providers and hyperscale platforms. The report captures sustainability metrics from 26 data centre operators and nine hyperscale cloud platforms, offering a unique snapshot into carbon emissions, energy consumption and water usage across the global infrastructure ecosystem. The 2025 ESG Report finds that while data centre energy usage continues to rise - now accounting for more than 1.1% of global energy consumption - average carbon emissions per unit of energy consumed are trending downwards, driven by the growing adoption of renewable and carbon-free energy sources. Total energy usage increased from 178.5TWh in 2019 to 310.6TWh in 2024, while emissions intensity fell from 366.9mtCO2e/GWh to 312.7mtCO2e/GWh over the same period. “Data centres are foundational to the modern digital economy, and that means they carry a growing environmental responsibility,” says Philbert Shih, Managing Director of Structure Research. “What this report shows is that while energy consumption continues to climb, providers are making meaningful progress in efficiency and renewable adoption. The industry is clearly moving in the right direction - but transparency and accountability will be critical as sustainability expectations evolve.” Key findings from the report Sustainability progress amid rising demand · Energy usage by ESG Leaders grew 17.9% over the last five years, while renewable energy consumption increased by 27.9%. · Hyperscalers now use renewable sources for approximately 91% of their total energy needs; data centre providers reached 62%. · Carbon-free energy, including nuclear, is emerging as a key part of the data centre energy mix as power constraints grow in Tier 1 markets. PUE and water efficiency improvements · Average Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) for data centre providers declined from 1.44 in 2019 to 1.38 in 2024, while hyperscale PUEs remained at an industry-leading 1.22. · Data centre water consumption increased by 9.6% over five years, driven by demand for liquid cooling to support AI workloads and higher rack densities. The report introduces the Structure Research Sustainability Quadrant (SRSQ), a benchmark framework ranking providers based on transparency, operational efficiency and renewable energy usage. The SRSQ aims to encourage better reporting standards and highlight leaders in environmental performance. Structure Research’s analysis found that ESG reporting across the sector is becoming more common, though significant variation remains in the scope and depth of disclosures. The report emphasises the importance of transparency in environmental reporting and urges providers to include more granular, region-specific data in future disclosures. The 2025 ESG Report is a tool for hyperscalers, colocation providers, enterprises and policymakers seeking to understand the environmental implications of data centre growth and how industry leaders are responding.

Schneider unveils enhanced GenieEvo with 31.5kA fault rating

Schneider Electric has announced the launch of GenieEvo 31.5kA in the UK and Ireland.  GenieEvo is an air insulated medium voltage switchgear offering, with resilience, safety and reliability at its core.  Its higher fault current protection of 31.5kA, up from 25kA in previous iterations, means it reduces the risk of power outages by minimisig the dangers of equipment damage in the event of power overloads or short circuits  GenieEvo is digital in design and comes with Schneider Electric’s EcoCare membership services plan. It incorporates smart Internet of Things (IoT) sensors which transmit data, in real-time, to experts at Schneider Electric’s Connected Services Hub for monitoring and analysis. This enables condition-based monitoring and predictive maintenance which can cut the number of unplanned outages and ensure a more efficient approach to maintaining equipment.  It is particularly suited to those with heavy-duty electrical distribution needs such as Distribution Network Operators (DNOs), data centres and medium to large sites with significant energy requirements. These include industries such as oil and gas, mining and manufacturing, as well as large buildings including airports and hospitals.  GenieEvo key features include:  · A pure air design vacuum switchgear with a high fault current rating of 31.5kA for enhanced resilience, safety and reliability.   · Newly designed C-type bushings which are easy to install offering improved insulation, durability and thermal management.  · Innovative 2000A Busbar CTs ensuring high accuracy in metering and monitoring.  · A-FL switchgear front and side protection for users for Internal Arc Compliance (IAC).  · IoT sensors monitoring thermal, environmental and partial discharge data, 24/7, enabling condition-based and predictive maintenance.  · A compact design which can reduce space requirements by up to 40%. It comes with pre-engineered panels to meet individual requirements and can scale to meet future needs.  “To enable the energy transition, we need to integrate more energy sources to the distribution network, and this creates challenges, particularly for those with significant electricity demands,” says David Hall, Schneider Electric’s Vice President of Power Systems UK&I. “Organisations can’t afford power outages and must take control when it comes to resilience, safety and reliability. They should look at their switchgear as a priority. GenieEvo has been developed in response to market demands, allowing them to do just this.” Schneider Electric will manufacture the GenieEvo at its Leeds site. 

Vertiv upgrades SmartAisle for efficient edge computing in EMEA

Vertiv has announced a significant upgrade to its Vertiv SmartAisle solution, designed specifically for edge computing applications up to 180kW. Now available across Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA), this complete pre-engineered system combines power, cooling, racks and advanced management and monitoring capabilities in a single integrated unit, designed to simplify and quicken edge computing deployments. In line with the European Union Energy Efficiency Directive (EED) the system provides energy efficient operation and includes power usage effectiveness (PUE) monitoring to help organisations track operations alongside their responsible business goals.  "The upgraded Vertiv SmartAisle really changes the game when it comes to effective and successful edge deployments", says Giuseppe Leto, Senior Director IT Systems Business at Vertiv in EMEA. "We've made it easier, faster and more cost-effective for businesses to scale and grow their IT operations. The pre-engineered system eliminates the traditional challenges of planning of multiple equipment installations and logistics while providing customers with a complete, reliable end-to-end solution that allows data centre operators to monitor energy efficiency requirements following the latest EU regulations.” The embedded Vertiv RDU501 intelligent infrastructure management appliance allows data centre operators to control system operations in real-time 24/7, offering a consolidated and easy to use monitoring and management platform. In addition, the Vertiv approach to pre-engineered, edge smart solutions helps organisations reduce planning, design and site preparation time by up to 80% while lowering deployment costs by up to 30% compared to a brick-and-mortar alternative, while the integration of all components is designed to achieve up to 20% higher energy efficiency compared to industry averages.  Vertiv SmartAisle is part of Vertiv’s growing portfolio of flexible, fully pre-engineered modular solutions. The system is available as standard in four different reference designs, with the ability to scale up to 180kW IT load and features N+1 redundancy for both power and cooling systems.  Key features and benefits include: · Advanced 24/7 monitoring of energy consumption and capacity management  · Precise environmental monitoring with six sensors per server rack · High efficiency, modular uninterruptible power supply (UPS) systems  · Power distribution through power bars or floor-mounted PDUs · Integrated power monitoring via rack-mounted power distribution units (rPDU) · Adaptive direct expansion cooling system with 20-100% modulating capacity · Enhanced thermal efficiency through cold aisle containment · Advanced physical security with e-handles and IP cameras · Scalable architecture enabling standardised deployment across multiple edge sites