Infrastructure

Equinix to expand digital infrastructure platform in Malaysia

Equinix has planned to open its first data centre in Kuala Lumpur in Q1 2024, following its expansion announcement last year to enter Malaysia with a data centre in Johor. The company’s expansion is expected to provide greater digital infrastructure capacity in Malaysia to address rising demand from local and global companies expanding in the country. As Malaysia enters Phase 2 of its MyDIGITAL blueprint for a digital economy, demand for digital infrastructure is expected to remain robust. According to Synergy Research, Malaysia is already the third largest data centre colocation market in the ASEAN region, and is predicted to have a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 11% from 2022–2027. The company’s new facility aims to accelerate the digital vision and establish Malaysia as a hub for colocation in ASEAN and a regional digital economic powerhouse. The new facility in Kuala Lumpur, named KL1, together with the recently announced JH1 in Johor, will provide digital infrastructure that businesses need to capitalise on the country's digital economy. Jeremy Deutsch, President, Asia-Pacific, Equinix, says, "Over the past several years, we have witnessed Malaysia emerge as an increasingly strategic location for global digital infrastructure, and we believe it to be an attractive destination for data centre growth and investment. Following our initial investment in Johor, we are excited to add another data centre in Kuala Lumpur. By expanding platform Equinix in the two most strategic metros, we will enable Malaysian businesses, as well as multinationals with a presence in Malaysia, to leverage a trusted platform to bring together and interconnect the foundational infrastructure to power their success. We believe the two data centres will fuel Equinix's existing data centre momentum and support Malaysia's aspirations as a digitally driven connectivity hub." The KL1 IBX data centre will be located in Cyberjaya within Kuala Lumpur. Cyberjaya is a key part of the Multimedia Super Corridor in Malaysia, a government designated zone to promote and boost the country’s digital economy. The first phase will provide an initial capacity of 450 cabinets and colocation space of 1,300m². When fully built, it will provide a total of 900 cabinets and colocation space of 2,630m². It will enable global networks, content providers and enterprises to exchange high volumes of internet traffic via Equinix Internet Exchange. Internet service providers will have access to new digital corridors to exchange data directly with other internet service providers. KL1 and Equinix Fabric will enable customers to deploy their infrastructure to connect with cloud service providers, including Alibaba Cloud, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud and Microsoft Azure, safeguarding their business-critical data in a private and secure environment. In Asia-Pacific, Equinix currently operates 51 data centres in 13 metros across Australia, China, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Korea and Singapore, with expansions announced in Indonesia and Malaysia.

Cirion strengthens with new data centre facility in Peru

Cirion has announced that it has started construction on a new 12,000m², 20MW carrier-neutral data centre in the industrial district of Macropolis in Lurín, Peru. The new data centre is expected to open in the first quarter of 2025 and will be well-equipped to meet the needs of hyperscale cloud service providers, carriers, content providers, and enterprises that require scalable infrastructure. The facility will have access to a business-friendly environment, renewable energy, diverse metro and long-haul connectivity to major cities and tech hubs in the region, and proximity to international subsea cable networks to facilitate minimal latency between Latin America and other regions. In line with the company's Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) strategy, and its commitment to technological innovation, the new facility will be one of the energy efficient data centres in the region, with PUE (Power Usage Effectiveness). “The development of this new data centre is another important step in our journey to grow our platform of low-latency, interconnected data centres and establish a thriving digital ecosystem across Latin America,” says Facundo Castro, CEO for Cirion Technologies. “In a world where data-driven and multi-cloud technology is advancing the way we work and live, and data is the pillar for ground-breaking business decisions, it’s important for data to be properly stored, processed, assured, and analysed. The surging popularity of IoT, 5G, AI, networks, and streaming content has fuelled an unrelenting demand for capacity, and data centres are critical to keeping these services running.” The Lurín-based data centre will be directly connected through redundant fibre to Cirion’s existing ecosystem-dense data centre in Lima, located only 35km away, and integrated into the company's broader carrier-neutral platform comprising 18 data centres across Latin America.

atNorth opens sixth data centre in the Nordics

atNorth has formally announced that its third Iceland data centre, ICE03, is now fully operational with an initial capacity of 10MW, following a swift 11 month build. This brings its total number of operational data centres up to six, with one additional site, FIN02, in Finland under construction. The new site is a milestone in the company’s overarching goal to scale ahead of increasing demand for high-performance computing requirements at a time when cost-efficient sustainable infrastructure is in more demand than ever. The site is located in a strategic position. As Iceland is ranked in the top 10 markets for data centre location, atNorth’s Iceland entry recently won the ‘location’ category at the Tech Capital Global Awards, which aims to recognise a geography for its attractiveness and investor friendly climate when dealing with digital infrastructure investors. This is an ideal location for data centres, largely due to its access to a highly skilled workforce and cool climate, which is crucial for cost-effective cooling of data centre infrastructure. The country also has an energy supply run on a closed grid powered by 100% renewable hydro and geothermal energy sources. Iceland also benefits from fully redundant connectivity and now boasts multiple undersea fibre optic cables connecting the country to the UK, Ireland, North America, and mainland Scandinavia. The ICE03 site offers expansions possibilities of up to 50MW and is located 250km north of Reykjavík, where other data centres are predominantly located. This geographical separation offers advantage in terms of disaster recovery and enhanced security. By diversifying the location of its data centres, atNorth reinforces its commitment to ensuring a high level of data protection and business continuity for its clients. Additionally, the town of Akureyri is a thriving technology hub and the new centre will offer job opportunities to an already highly skilled workforce.   Iceland’s cool climate and abundance of energy sources allows businesses to tap into an infrastructure with renewable energy and great connectivity resulting in significant cost efficiencies. ICE03’s accessibility, being only 10 minutes from an international airport, presents a new joint opportunity for atNorth to deliver high-precision services to European businesses as these businesses look to decarbonise and migrate IT operations cost-efficiently.  “We are delighted to be expanding our presence in the Nordics once again with a third site in Iceland,” says Eyjólfur Magnús Kristinsson, CEO, atNorth. “With six operational sites across three Nordic countries and another in development, our commitment to meet increasing demand in the industry through continued expansion is evidenced. Furthermore, our dedication to sustainable best practice supports our goal to become the service provider of choice for eco-friendly high-performance infrastructure.”

Vertiv, a global provider of critical digital infrastructure and continuity solutions, has announced key enhancements to its dedicated offering for channel distributors and resellers. According to Omdia, Vertiv is already ranked at first place in the three-phase UPS market globally, capturing 16% of the market. With these enhancements, its highly efficient and market-leading three-phase uninterruptible power supplies (UPS) from 10 to 60kVA, including the Vertiv Liebert ITA2 and its complementary services, are now available in the Vertiv Solution Designer tool and shipping from stock in Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA). According to Omdia’s UPS Hardware Market Tracker and Analysis 2022, there is an increased demand for three-phase UPS in EMEA from markets outside of cloud, colocation, and telco. These include retail, wholesale, healthcare, manufacturing and other industries. By 2026, the three-phase UPS market in EMEA is expected to grow from $1.66 billion in 2021 to $2.07 billion, a CAGR of 5.84%. “Digitalisation is being leveraged by companies of all sizes and industries, which leads to an increased need for efficient solutions to protect small and medium sites against power outages,” says Karsten Winther, EMEA President at Vertiv. “The strategic addition of three-phase UPS to our IT channel portfolio allows partners to serve a broader market with industry leading solutions, enabling businesses to leverage the latest technologies and accelerate their digital transformation journey.” “As an official Vertiv partner and system integrator for over 30 years, we are seeing more and more opportunities for three-phase UPS systems,” says Ronald Lagerberg, Team Leader Energy Solutions at Endenburg Elektrotechniek. “The extension of Vertiv’s IT channel portfolio expands our options, enabling us to gain substantial logistical, administrative, and financial advantages while enhancing our ability to serve end-users. We look forward to integrating these cutting edge products into our offerings." The Vertiv Liebert ITA2 features a true online double conversion technology, a unity power factor and an extremely compact rack/tower design. Compared to single-phase systems, three-phase UPS allow higher power capacity and up to 99% efficiency in ECO mode. With the offering, expert support on product selection, set-up and performance optimisation throughout three-phase systems’ entire lifecycle is now available also through the channel market. In fact, the three-phase UPS offering is enhanced with customised on-site and contract services specifically designed for the channel, while also leveraging the company’s top tier service network. Having a large portfolio of UPS solutions dedicated to the channel market means that partners have access to a wide range of power protection options, including medium power solutions that allow businesses to expand their digital footprint while still working with their trusted channel partner. Vertiv provides a comprehensive range of specialised services designed to complement channel partners’ business models. The extensive service expertise offers a smooth experience for all parties involved, providing seamless support across their entire service offering, including on-site services, lifecycle services and digital services such as remote diagnostics and incident management. Moreover, partners can leverage Vertiv software solutions to empower asset management capabilities and offer the best experience to their end users. In addition to UPS systems, the company’s broader critical infrastructure portfolio is designed to operate more efficiently, increase capacity and potentially lower TCO while integrating seamlessly with the customer’s existing infrastructure, enabling partners to expand revenue streams and increase margins. With manufacturing facilities across Europe and the world, Vertiv solutions can be made available when and where they are needed. Partners can also access dedicated configuration tools linked with an ecosystem of technical and commercial support teams. Vertiv’s multi-award winning Partner Program features benefits and incentives to equip, develop and reward partner engagement. The addition of the Liebert ITA2 UPS to its IT channel portfolio also enables EMEA resellers in participating countries to earn more points through the Vertiv Incentive Programme (VIP), which allows partners to easily earn rewards without the need for any reporting. Bonus points are uploaded into the Vertiv Partner Portal monthly, and the partner only needs to log in to redeem them.

Qarbon Technologies launches platform for integration of data centre infrastructure

Qarbon Technologies has announced the official launch of its SaaS solutions, which it says is set to transform the global data centre industry. Qarbon’s founders include data centre, telecom, and technology veterans with more than a century of combined global experience. Today, almost every data centre in the world runs a unique infrastructure stack, making customers contend with a nearly endless array of data sources across their operations, including connectivity, power, water, air conditioning, monitoring, security, and inventory. Customers must employ dedicated resources to access, aggregate, clean, convert, and integrate this data into their own business systems. This highly manual workflow makes it nearly impossible for customers to monitor, manage, or automate their data centre operations in real time, thereby increasing costs, creating service challenges, and generating audit issues for their businesses. Despite huge investments in digital transformation, accessing the data in the data centre remains a highly manual process. Qarbon enables the true digital transformation of data centres, from real estate to technology platforms ready for infrastructure-as-code, by creating an open, neutral, standards-based orchestration platform for data centres and their customers. Qarbon’s Founder and CEO, Robert Davidson says, “Qarbon transforms the data centre experience for operators and customers globally, making it more efficient and secure, and enabling true, real-time automation and infrastructure-as-code. We are developing a category-creating enterprise SaaS solution that gives customers seamless access to the data they need about every data centre they use. Qarbon enables customers to use the data centre solutions they want, when they want, where they want.” Qarbon’s first product, LATTICE, is in trials with multiple industry-leading early adopters and is scheduled for a beta release in Q3 of 2023. The SaaS-based platform onboards the entire tech stack of each data centre, providing users with a single, ubiquitous interface between the operator and their business systems which eliminates the complexity, friction, cost, security, and observability issues caused by today’s predominantly manual workflows. LATTICE will launch with cross-connect order orchestration and a roadmap to automate (including integrating AI/ML) all the data generated by data centre infrastructure. This will include power, water, security, air conditioning, temperature, humidity and inventory, along with the physical connections and operating processes that tie it all together. In addition to cost-savings, automation, enhanced security, and auditability, LATTICE will also enable seamless, standardised reporting of ESG data, including Scope I and II CO2 emissions. Customers will be able to access real-time, standardised power, water, and CO2 data for their data centre related ESG reporting through a button click. Qarbon’s public launch follows the close of its $5.5 million seed funding round, led by Meta Technology Capital. Qarbon also unveiled an Industry Advisory Board of data centre and telecom industry heavyweights, welcoming as Senior Advisors Randy Brouckman, CEO of EdgeConneX; Marc Halbfinger, CEO of PCCW Global; Pieter Poll, former CTO of CenturyLink; and Tony Rossabi, Co-Founder of OCOLO and former Managing Director at Digital Realty/Telx.

i3 Solutions Group secures patents for greater data centre resiliency

i3 Solutions Group has been issued two patents by the USPTO (US Patent and Trademark Office) for its Adaptable Redundant Power (ARP) topology control solution for mission-critical electrical power systems. ARP is a hardware and software control system that overcomes the inflexibility of common data centre electrical designs, solving the service level agreement (SLA) disparity problem whereby power supply chain systems are fixed but IT load demands, and criticality are variable. At the same time, ARP addresses constraints associated with traditional static power topologies which can restrict access to available data centre power, often leaving costly stranded capacity unused and increasing end user costs. This is an acute challenge for the wholesale colocation industry, which does an admirable job securing and deploying grid power capacity, but is often unable to fully or optimally utilise it - causing energy waste and higher costs. Benefits of ARP Ed Ansett, Founder and Chairman of i3 Solutions Group, says, “Every business has low to high levels of application criticality and interdependency. Through developments such as Kubernetes, IT can be orchestrated to reflect this. However, when it comes to electricity, the power chain is fixed, wasteful and difficult to change. ARP is a way to flex the power SLA to match the IT workload SLA without the considerable expense of rewiring the entire topology design.” By enabling power service levels to be aligned with that of the IT load, ARP provides a range of benefits to both data centre operators and their IT customers. ARP enables applications and the hardware they sit on to be provisioned with varying levels of electrical power resilience. Today, it is obvious that not all IT workloads are equal - for example, a dev ops project for a marketing campaign versus live financial transactions workloads in retail or merchant bank, or a network rack compared with a super compute cluster. However, the way power is delivered using a fixed topology does not differentiate in terms of criticality, treating all workload destinations equally. ARP is different because it can automatically provide power resilience across the topology that is dynamically matched to the criticality of the IT load. ARP solves inherent redundant power challenges too Traditionally power chain designs for data centres are based on a chosen level of capacity, resilience and redundancy of N, N+1, N+2 and less commonly 2N, 2N+1 and 2(N+1). But once the topology is decided and deployed it is fixed. It is then expensive, time consuming and extremely difficult to change. ARP addresses this. ARP can also provide Inherent Redundant Power (IRP). Where some electrical designs leave ‘power pockets’ (assigned power that is unused) - IRP accesses previously trapped or stranded power and prevents it going to waste by utilising it to provide additional levels of redundancy. Power-as-a-Service offers from colocation data centres one step closer ARP offers colocation data centres the opportunity to create new business models based on their power infrastructure. One of the advantages, for example, is that ARP enables a staggered approach to infrastructure roll out which responds to end-user load and not design criteria. By treating power as a service right from the construction phase, ARP addresses many flexibility issues which have surfaced for modern data centre operators. While data centres will continue to be designed as physical buildings which are broken down into halls, ARP modules are flexible enough to provide power across multiple halls. ARP therefore enables developers to move away from traditional and capitally intense methods of infrastructure deployment - up-front design, source, pay for and roll-out the full site requirement for genset, switchgear, UPS, PDU and ancillary equipment, and then wait for the demand to arrive.

The new Schneider Electric Easy UPS 3-Phase Modular

Schneider Electric has introduced the Easy UPS 3-Phase Modular. This robust uninterruptible power supply (UPS) is designed to protect critical loads while offering third-party verified Live Swap functionality. Easy UPS 3-Phase Modular is available in 50-250kW capacity with N+1 scalable configuration and supports the EcoStruxure architecture, which offers remote monitoring services. With scalability top of mind, Easy UPS 3-Phase Modular enables you to pay as you grow, allowing you to optimise capital investment. It is a part of Schneider Electric’s Green Premium portfolio, which ensures energy efficiency, durability, recyclability, and transparency to help reduce environmental footprint. In addition, this system features advanced technology such as a high-efficiency design, intelligent battery management, real-time monitoring, and control capabilities, making it one of the most cost-effective and energy-efficient UPS solutions available in the market. “We are excited to introduce Easy UPS 3-Phase Modular to the market,” says Mustafa Demirkol, VP of Offer Management and Marketing for Data Centre Solutions. “This product provides customers with third-party certified Live Swap, modular design, and unwavering reliability in an optimised investment package. Its connectivity provides peace of mind, making it the easy choice for data centres and commercial and industrial applications.” Business continuity made easy Easy UPS 3-Phase Modular enables customers to lower their capital expenditures through an optimised capex model. In addition, scheduled downtime is significantly reduced through self-diagnosing third-party certified Live Swappable power modules and static switch, thereby increasing reliability and availability in a compact footprint. Easy UPS 3-Phase Modular is easy to select, configure, install, and maintain, which makes the deployment process seamless. Easy UPS 3-Phase Modular is part of Schneider Electric’s Easy UPS three-phase product portfolio, which focuses on core features to meet the needs of customers at a value price point. "Our new Easy UPS 3-Phase Modular provides a sustainable, scalable and best-in-class power protection solution for data centres, commercial buildings, process automation and industrial manufacturing environments," says Mark Yeeles, VP, Secure Power Division, UK and Ireland. "By leveraging its Green Premium and circular capabilities, customers can reduce their carbon footprint to meet sustainability objectives without compromise.”

Africa Data Centres deploys DCIM solution across its facilities

Africa Data Centres has announced that it has partnered with TechAccess to implement a DCIM solution.  DCIM software is used to measure, monitor and manage all of the IT equipment and supporting infrastructure housed within data centres. As the solutions integrator for the project, TechAccess is responsible for the software, hardware, integrations, project management, professional services and other project deliverables that make up the DCIM platform. These will come from two vendors. First is data centre optimisation software from EkkoSense, and next is an asset management platform from Assetspire. The solution will be deployed in Africa Data Centres' two sites in Johannesburg, and its facilities in Cape Town, Nairobi and Lagos. EkkoSense data centre optimisation will be used by Africa Data Centres According to Tesh Durvasula, CEO of Africa Data Centres, the goal of this DCIM implementation is to provide Africa Data Centres’ site administrators with a holistic view of each facility's performance to ensure that all resources, such as energy, equipment and floor space, are used as efficiently as possible. “This will assist Africa Data Centres and its partners to gain critical insights into their operations, with direct and instant access to real-time data at the click of a button. When combined with analytics, these insights will enable our customers to realise a wide range of savings in terms of time, money and increased productivity,” he adds.  “We are delighted to be working with Africa Data Centres in implementing a DCIM solution that delivers exceptional insight into its assets and operations,” says Jaxon Martin, CTO for TechAccess. Martin says that as data centres evolve over the next few years, and net zero initiatives become increasingly mainstream, they have to find ways to adapt and become more energy efficient and responsive to customers' demands. Net zero involves cutting greenhouse gas emissions to as close to zero as possible and creating a state in which greenhouse gases going into the atmosphere are balanced by their removal out of the atmosphere, by oceans or forests, for example, Martin explains. “We aim to deliver next-generation DCIM together with our partners Assetspire and Ekkosense through innovative and industry-leading analytics and machine learning, giving our customers such as Africa Data Centres a true, competitive edge.” EkkoSense's CEO, Dean Boyle, says, “Across the industry, leading data centre operators such as Africa Data Centres are under pressure to deliver escalating digital workloads while cutting energy usage and securing carbon savings at the same time. “To help them achieve this balancing act, our EkkoSoft Critical AI-powered data centre optimisation solution is helping the data centre giant to meet these challenges. We are delighted to be working with the TechAccess team on this important project for Africa Data Centres.”

Stellium Datacentres selects Schneider Electric’s Galaxy VM UPS

Stellium Datacentres has partnered with Schneider Electric to help drive data centre resilience and efficiency. Stellium selected Schneider Electric’s Galaxy VM UPS with lithium-ion (li-ion) batteries to provide energy efficient, resilient, and sustainable power protection at its data centre in Newcastle. Stellium’s location in Newcastle has emerged as a major UK connectivity hub, and the meeting place for high frequency data-transfer across local, national and international borders. CBRE, for example, recently cited its 80MW (scalable to 180MW) colocation facility, as the largest in the north of England region - offering hyperscalers and enterprises a viable, alternative wholesale location compared to operators in London and the south of England. Powered by REGO certified 100% renewable energy, Stellium provides Tier 3+ mission-critical infrastructure and diverse connectivity services for a multitude of businesses including fintech and high frequency trading, energy, healthcare and pharmaceutical research and public sector. The company also positions itself as the new Data Meridian - where east meets west in data transfer - being the UK’s only data centre landing station for the Altibox/NO-UK Nordic subsea cables and Aqua Comms North Sea Connect cable, as well as the home of the UK’s newest Internet Exchange Point NCL-IX. An international gateway One of Stellium’s clients is Aqua Comms, a provider of international undersea fibre connectivity, which provides major connectivity linking the USA with Ireland, the UK and the Nordics. The America Europe Connect 2 (AEC-2) project is a dual diverse trans-Atlantic fibre connection comprising two legs, one directly from the US to Denmark and the other passing through Ireland, the Isle of Man and England, where it terminates at the Stellium Campus before continuing to Denmark. The overriding requirement for Aqua Comms’ landing station is guaranteed, 100% uptime, reinforced by a stringent service level agreement (SLA). Several factors make the Stellium Campus a good fit, including ample utility power via the UK’s Super Grid, which provides dual 11kVA feeds into the site, as well as backup power systems that offer defence in depth. Its features include 2N levels of redundancy offered by Schneider Electric’s Galaxy VM UPS and 6MVA standby generators arranged in an N+1 configuration. Stellium selected Schneider Electric’s Galaxy VM UPS due to its high levels of reliability, strong technical and energy efficiency capabilities, and because the company’s sustainable approach to its product strategy matched Stellium’s approach to life cycle management. Galaxy VM UPS Designed to provide highly efficient data centre power continuity, Schneider Electric’s Galaxy VM is a scalable, three-phase UPS for data centres and industrial environments. Powered by lithium-ion batteries, Galaxy UPS delivers the highest levels of backup power protection in a smaller footprint, offering advantageous space saving capabilities for colocation businesses. Furthermore, Galaxy VM utilises Schneider Electric’s patented eConversion mode as standard, offering up-to 99% energy efficiency alongside Class-1 (UL certified) power protection level for critical loads, without compromising availability. “Today, businesses have come to the realisation that through high quality fibre connections and access to 100% sustainable power, it is possible to have major data centres built to Tier 3 standards, in almost any location,” says Paul Mellon, Operations Director, Stellium Datacentres. “By partnering with Schneider Electric and using its UPSs to build the highest levels of redundancy and resiliency into our Newcastle data centre, we’re safeguarding the provision of our customers critical equipment, and ensuring their applications are powered both efficiently and sustainably.” “Stellium Datacentres truly defines what it means to be a northern powerhouse and has built a campus primed to create hyperscale levels of growth in the north of England,” says Marc Garner, SVP, Secure Power Division, Schneider Electric, Europe. “We’re delighted that Stellium has selected our Galaxy VM technology to power its mission-critical workloads, and help it deliver industry-leading levels of resilience and efficiency.”

MDC boosts technology capabilities with significant investment

MDC Data Centres is pleased to announce a $3.4 million investment in upgrading its data centre infrastructure. During the past year, the company has purchased state-of-the-art equipment from Bud Griffin & Associates to upgrade its MCA2 data centre. This investment will enable MDC to offer improved quality of service to its clients, as well as stay up to date on the latest technologies and best practices in the industry. The partnership with BGA will provide MDC Data Centres with access to its expertise and resources, further enhancing the company's commitment to providing top-notch data centre services to its customers. "At MDC, our clients' satisfaction and long-term relationships are our top priorities. We believe that investing in our infrastructure with top providers such as BGA is an investment for the success of our clients. This upgrade to our MCA2 data centre will provide improved quality of service to our customers and minimise the risk of downtime, ensuring that we continue to be a trusted partner for businesses," says Ivan Eng, Strategic Planning Director at MDC. BGA recognises that in today's world there are no ‘typical’ network applications. Every company's network is critical. BGA not only has the solutions, but also the knowledge and experience to support these application needs. Whether it is a large data centre or a remote site that requires single phase power and monitoring, BGA offers the technology and support to surpass its customers' needs.