News

Subzero Engineering opens new Vietnam facility

Subzero Engineering, a provider of data centre containment systems, has expanded its global operations with a new facility in Ho Chi Minh City, strengthening its position in the Asia-Pacific market and supporting growing regional demand for data centre infrastructure. The site will act as a central hub for APAC activities, reinforcing the company’s long-term presence in the region and improving proximity to partners and supply chains. Midge Pan, General Manager, APAC, Subzero Engineering, comments, “This expansion is about more than infrastructure; it’s about proximity to our partners, agility in the supply chain, and speed to market. “Vietnam offers a unique combination of talent, resilience, and strategic location that enables us to meet APAC’s growing demand for cutting-edge digital infrastructure.” 'Centre of excellence' for design and manufacturing The Ho Chi Minh City facility will serve as a "centre of excellence" supporting global engineering teams. It will accommodate manufacturing, design, and research and development functions, and will produce Subzero’s containment systems, modular enclosures, aisle frames, and airflow management equipment. Dedicated research and development space will also support the creation of technologies tailored to APAC’s fast-changing data centre market, including approaches aimed at AI, high-density computing, and sustainability. Shane Kilfoil, President of Subzero Engineering, explains, “This new facility is a strategic cornerstone in Subzero’s global vision, designed to integrate localised innovation with global scale. “By establishing a centre of excellence in Vietnam, we’re not just expanding our footprint; we’re embedding agility, resilience, and sustainability into the core of our operations.” The company expects the site to create more than 50 skilled roles across engineering and technical disciplines. Subzero also plans to form partnerships with local universities and technical institutions to support training and internship programmes. The facility has been developed within a building designed with sustainability features, including on-site solar generation, energy-efficient systems, and low-carbon construction methods. Subzero says these measures reflect its wider environmental commitments and its focus on reducing operational impact. With established operations across North America and Europe, the addition of the Vietnam site aims to strengthen the company’s global network. It also allows Subzero to offer more responsive support to regional customers as demand for new data centre capacity increases. For more from Subzero Engineering, click here.

Pure DC secures approval for Madrid data centre

Pure Data Centres Group (Pure DC), a digital infrastructure organisation, has received final planning approval for the first phase of its €400 million Madrid data centre development, including a private substation. The campus has a planned capacity of 70MW, with Phase 1 comprising a substation and a 30MW facility. The project is expected to support digital demand across the region and strengthen local energy resilience. More than 400 construction roles will be created, with an emphasis on employing local firms. Once operational, the site will provide more than 50 permanent technical and support positions and contribute to improvements in nearby power and telecommunications infrastructure. Work is expected to begin this month, with early activity focused on connecting high-voltage lines from the Iberdrola power substation and constructing the new private substation. Substation and modular data hall development The private substation will use environmentally focused gas-insulated switchgear from Siemens. This equipment replaces traditional insulating gases with alternatives that avoid greenhouse gas emissions and toxic by-products. Pure DC notes that the site will be among the first in Spain to use this type of switchgear. The company anticipates completing the substation by early 2027, followed by phased construction of modular data halls. These halls will support high-density deployments and can be configured for either air or liquid cooling. Both cooling approaches use closed-loop systems with zero operational water consumption. Pedro L. Sanz, Mayor of Meco Municipality, comments, “This licence approval highlights the constructive dialogue and collaboration between Pure DC and our City Council. "The project not only reinforces our city's position as a technology hub, but marks a mutual achievement that will boost employment and the digital future of our region.” Dame Dawn Childs, CEO at Pure Data Centres, notes, “Like many major European cities, Madrid’s demand for digital infrastructure far out-strips the supply coming online. “Pure DC’s ability to bring on new low-latency, high-quality capacity in such supply constrained locations demonstrates our capability to deliver compelling partnerships for local authorities, potential customers, and our supply chain.” Pure DC also plans to work with nearby communities, mirroring programmes in place at its other sites. These include partnerships with schools and universities, training and careers initiatives, community outreach, and collaborations with local organisations on environmental projects. For more from Pure DC, click here.

Schneider joins OpenUSD alliance to advance digital twins

Global energy technology company Schneider Electric, alongside AVEVA and ETAP, has joined the Alliance for OpenUSD (AOUSD) to accelerate the development of interoperable digital twins and simulation-ready 3D assets for industrial environments. The three companies join existing contributors such as NVIDIA, Pixar, Adobe, and Autodesk. The announcement was made during Schneider Electric’s Innovation Summit North America in Las Vegas, which brought together more than 2,500 industry leaders to discuss the future of resilient and intelligent energy systems. OpenUSD is an extensible framework designed to improve interoperability between software tools and data formats used to build virtual environments and industrial digital twins. By joining the alliance, the three companies aim to advance open standards that support industrial simulation, collaborative design, and large-scale AI infrastructure planning. Supporting next-generation digital twins The collaboration aligns the companies more closely with NVIDIA’s vision for real-time, physically accurate digital twins that can model buildings, data centres, factories, and emerging AI infrastructure. Many organisations now use NVIDIA Omniverse libraries to develop digital twin applications that optimise design, performance, and sustainability. By adopting OpenUSD as a shared foundation, Schneider Electric, AVEVA, and ETAP aim to support new capabilities across: • SimReady asset development, enabling interoperable models of physical infrastructure such as power and cooling systems for use in Omniverse-based simulations. • Digital twin collaboration, allowing integrated views of complex systems, including data centres, energy networks, and industrial facilities built on platforms such as EcoStruxure, AVEVA, and ETAP. • AI infrastructure planning, using tools including the NVIDIA Omniverse DSX Blueprint to support the co-design of gigawatt-scale AI factories. These capabilities are intended to support more accurate modelling of thermal behaviour, power distribution, airflow, and other operational variables within data centres and industrial sites. Jim Simonelli, Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer for Data Centres at Schneider Electric, comments, “Joining the Alliance allows us to contribute to a shared digital language that empowers collaboration, simulation, and innovation across the AI ecosystem.” Rev Lebaredian, Vice President of Omniverse and Simulation Technology at NVIDIA, notes, “To efficiently design and operate complex systems like AI factories, industries need a robust, simulation-ready foundation. "Schneider Electric’s expertise in energy management, hardware, and software, combined with NVIDIA Omniverse libraries, will accelerate the creation of the AI factories and intelligent grids of the future.” Expanding long-term collaboration The three companies have an established partnership with NVIDIA across digital twin development and AI infrastructure design. They are co-developing reference architectures and integrated hardware and software approaches to support power, cooling, and energy management for next-generation AI factories. At the recent GTC DC event, Schneider Electric was named as a power, cooling, and energy technology partner for the NVIDIA AI Factory Research Center, which is powered by the NVIDIA Vera Rubin platform. The facility serves as a foundation for the Omniverse DSX Blueprint and supports research in generative AI, scientific computing, and advanced manufacturing. In March 2025, ETAP by Schneider Electric released a new digital twin tool capable of accurately modelling the power requirements of AI factories. For more from Schneider Electric, click here.

atNorth expands team to meet AI demand

atNorth, an Icelandic operator of sustainable Nordic data centres, has established a new director-level structure within its development organisation, appointing four country leads to support the delivery of new high-density, AI-ready data centres across the Nordics. The roles include one internal promotion and are intended to strengthen operational development as the company expands its regional footprint and continues to grow its portfolio of high-performance facilities, driven by rising demand for AI-focused infrastructure. The new directors will oversee project delivery in Iceland, Finland, Denmark, and Sweden, ensuring consistency across design, construction, and commissioning activities. The appointments Hallgrímur Örn Arngrímsson has been appointed Director of Delivery for Iceland, responsible for end-to-end project execution. He brings more than 15 years of experience in civil engineering and infrastructure, including geotechnical engineering and large-scale civil works. His previous roles include senior positions at Verkís Consulting Engineers and Sweco Norge. Toni Germano becomes Director of Delivery for Finland. With over 25 years of experience in digital transformation and infrastructure strategy, he will manage delivery operations across the country. He previously held leadership roles at Cisco, including serving as CTO for SP EMEAR North. Dave O’Brien has been named Director of Delivery for Denmark. He has more than a decade of experience in data centre construction and engineering, including project management and electrical systems delivery. Before joining atNorth, he worked at Mercury, leading retrofit and new-build projects in Denmark. Daniel Kolm, promoted internally, is the new Director of Delivery for Sweden. He joined atNorth in 2022 and has a background in mechanical engineering and energy systems. His previous experience includes roles at CBRE and DigiPlex, where he led multidisciplinary projects from initial study to commissioning. Strengthening Nordic delivery capabilities Together, the four directors support atNorth’s pan-Nordic delivery model, combining local market knowledge with regional coordination. Their remit spans feasibility assessments, site acquisition, design, deployment, and operational readiness, supporting customers in hyperscale, enterprise, and AI-focused sectors. Anna Kristín Pálsdóttir, Chief Development Officer at atNorth, comments, “We are pleased to welcome such a talented group of development professionals at this crucial time of accelerated growth. “Their combined expertise ensures we are fully equipped to meet the demands of today’s compute-intensive workloads, whilst delivering projects with the speed, scalability, and quality that our customers expect.” For more from atNorth, click here.

SPP Pumps brings fire and cooling experience to DCs

SPP Pumps, a manufacturer of centrifugal pumps and systems, and its subsidiary, SyncroFlo, have combined their fire protection and cooling capabilities to support the expanding data centre sector. The companies aim to offer an integrated approach to pumping, fire suppression, and liquid cooling as operators and contractors face rising demand for large-scale, high-density facilities. The combined portfolio draws on SPP’s nearly 150 years of engineering experience and SyncroFlo’s long history in pre-packaged pump system manufacturing. With modern co-location and hyperscale facilities requiring hundreds of pumps on a single site, the companies state that the joint approach is intended to streamline procurement and project coordination for contractors, consultants, developers, and OEMs. SPP’s offering spans pump equipment for liquid-cooled systems, cooling towers, chillers, CRAC and CRAH systems, water treatment, transformer cooling, heat recovery, and fire suppression. Its fire pump equipment is currently deployed across regulated markets, with SPP and SyncroFlo packages available to meet NFPA 20 requirements. Integrated pump systems for construction efficiency The company says its portfolio also includes pre-packaged pump systems that are modular and tailored to each project. These factory-tested units are designed to reduce installation time and simplify on-site coordination, helping to address construction schedules and cost pressures. Tom Salmon, Group Business Development Manager for Data Centres at SPP and SyncroFlo, comments, “Both organisations have established strong credentials independently, with over 75 data centre projects delivered for the world’s largest operators. "We’re now combining our group’s extensive fire suppression, HVAC, and cooling capabilities. By bringing together our complementary capabilities from SPP, SyncroFlo, and other companies in our group, we can now offer comprehensive solutions that cover an entire data centre's pumping requirements.” John Santi, Vice President of Commercial Sales at SyncroFlo, adds, “Design consultants and contractors tell us lead time is critical. They cannot afford schedule delays. Our pre-packaged systems are factory-tested and ready for immediate commissioning. "With our project delivery experience and expertise across fire suppression, cooling, and heat transfer combined under one roof, we eliminate the coordination headaches of managing multiple suppliers across different disciplines.” Tom continues, “In many growth markets, data centres are now classified as critical national infrastructure, and rightly so. These facilities cannot afford downtime, and our experience with critical infrastructure positions us to best serve this market."

Verne, Nscale planning 15MW AI deployment in the Nordics

Verne, a provider of low-carbon high-performance data centres across the Nordics, has agreed a 15MW AI infrastructure deployment with hyperscaler Nscale, expanding high-density, renewable-powered computing capacity across its Icelandic campus. The project centres on liquid-cooled GPU infrastructure and is set to run throughout 2026. The installation will comprise around 4,600 NVIDIA Blackwell Ultra GPUs, with an 85% liquid-cooled and 15% air-cooled configuration designed to maximise efficiency within Verne’s existing facilities. It is one of the region’s largest liquid-cooled GPU projects and is expected to support lower energy use and reduced environmental impact. Iceland’s renewable electricity and natural free-cooling conditions position it as a suitable location for high-density AI workloads. Nscale selected Verne based on its experience in renewable-powered data centres and its ability to support large-scale training and inference environments. Large-scale renewable AI capacity across the region “The pace of change in AI infrastructure is extraordinary," notes Dominic Ward, CEO of Verne. "As the demand for GPU capacity accelerates, availability of clean, renewable power has become as important as raw performance. "Partnering with Nscale, whose expertise is redefining how AI infrastructure is delivered responsibly at scale, demonstrates how the Nordics are fast becoming a strategic hub for sustainable AI growth.” Philippe Sachs, Chief Business Officer and President of EMEA at Nscale, adds, “As compute demand grows, we’ve worked with partners throughout the world and the Nordic region to deliver sustainable solutions to meet that demand. "The Nordics offer a uniquely sustainable foundation: abundant renewable energy and natural cooling. With our existing operations in Norway, we’ve seen first-hand how the region powers low-carbon, sovereign-grade AI infrastructure." David Hogan, Vice President Enterprise at NVIDIA, comments, “The collaboration between Verne and Nscale showcases how NVIDIA technology can enable high-performance AI factories with a focus on energy efficiency and sustainability. "Deployments like this reflect how organisations are scaling the next generation of AI workloads responsibly, using innovative cooling and renewable-powered data centres.” The agreement aligns with Verne’s wider European expansion, which includes new campuses planned in Finland and early-stage development activity in France. The companies state that these projects contribute to the Nordics’ growing role as a centre for renewable-powered AI infrastructure. For more from Verne, click here.

TRG Datacenters breaks ground on 24 MW Houston DC

TRG Datacenters, a developer and operator of digital infrastructure, has begun construction of HOU2, the second facility on its Spring, Texas campus. Backed by Tallvine Partners, the developer aims to add 24MW of utility capacity to address continued demand from existing and new customers. The purpose-built 110,000ft² (10,219m²) site is expected to offer ready-to-occupy IT capacity from Q4 2026. HOU1, delivered in 2018, has reportedly recorded 100% uptime and now supports more than 160 customers, including several Fortune 500 organisations. TRG states that HOU2 follows the same design principles, with distributed-redundant infrastructure and flexible data halls to accommodate enterprise, hosting, cloud, and AI deployments. Focus on capacity growth in a constrained market Christopher Hinkle, CEO of TRG Datacenters, comments, “TRG’s strong track record of delivering high-quality infrastructure and customer service has brought us to an inflection point, with HOU1 nearly fully subscribed and HOU2 construction underway. “With secured power capacity on an entitled, operational site that hosts 16 carriers and more than 160 existing clients, the HOU2 expansion provides a level of certainty our existing and prospective customers can rely on in an otherwise supply-constrained US data centre market.” The groundbreaking took place on 14 November 2025, attended by industry partners including CenterPoint Energy, Walker Engineering, HTS, Thomas Craig Construction, and Encore Concrete Construction. Mark Clark, Partner at Tallvine Partners, says, “This expansion is fully aligned with Tallvine’s organic growth strategy for the TRG platform and follows accelerating customer demand across the business. “We look forward to supporting TRG’s continued growth in both existing and new markets in the years ahead.” Bob West, Head of Revenue at TRG Datacenters, adds, “TRG Datacenters thanks the sponsors, speakers, and local leaders who joined us in celebrating this important milestone. “We also extend our appreciation to our customers, vendors, CenterPoint, and Tallvine, and we remain committed to delivering exceptional service and partnership with HOU2.” For more from TRG Datacenters, click here.

R&M introduces radio-based access control for racks

R&M, a Swiss developer and provider of infrastructure for data and communications networks, is introducing radio-based access control for data centres. The core product is an electromechanical door handle for the racks of the BladeShelter and Freenet families from R&M. Technicians can only open the door handles with authorised transponder cards, while administrators can control them remotely via encrypted radio connections and data networks. R&M says it is thus integrating high-security digital protection into its "holistic infrastructure solutions" for data centres. Package details One installation comprises up to 1,200 door handles for server and network racks, as well as radio and control modules for computer rooms. The door handles do not require any wiring in the racks. Their electronics are powered by batteries whose power is sufficient for three years of operation or 30,000 locking cycles. The personalised transponder cards communicate with the door handles via RFID antennas. In addition, there is software to manage users, access rights, the transponder cards, and racks. The software creates protocols, visualises alarm states, and supports other functions. It can be operated remotely and integrated into superordinate systems such as data centre infrastructure management (DCIM). The new offer is the result of the collaboration with German manufacturer EMKA, being based on the company's 'Agent E', an intelligent locking system. The R&M offering aims to integrate complementary systems from selected manufacturers into infrastructure for data centres. In Europe, R&M notes it is already working with several independent partner companies that pursue comparable medium-sized business models and sustainability goals. For more from R&M, click here.

ABB supplies power tech for Applied Digital's AI factory

ABB, a multinational corporation specialising in industrial automation and electrification products, has expanded its collaboration with Applied Digital, an operator of high-performance data centres, to supply power infrastructure for the company’s second AI factory campus in North Dakota, USA. The latest order, booked in late 2025, covers new medium-voltage electrical architecture designed to support the rising power demands of AI workloads. Financial terms have not been disclosed. Powering the AI factory Applied Digital’s Polaris Forge 2 campus, located near Harwood, North Dakota, is planned to deliver 300 MW of capacity across two buildings due to enter operation in 2026 and 2027. The site is being developed with scope for further expansion. ABB will provide both low- and medium-voltage electrical systems intended to help the facility achieve high efficiency levels and a low projected PUE. Todd Gale, Chief Development Officer at Applied Digital, says, “Our partnership with ABB reflects Applied Digital’s commitment to redefining what is possible in data centre scale and performance. “Polaris Forge 2 represents the next evolution of our AI factory model - beginning with two 150-megawatt buildings with the ability to scale - solidifying our position as a leader in delivering high-performance, energy-efficient AI infrastructure.” ABB Smart Power President Massimiliano Cifalitti comments, “As AI reshapes data centres, ABB is working with leading digital infrastructure innovators to introduce a new generation of advanced power system solutions. “The medium voltage architecture developed with Applied Digital is a big step forward for large-scale AI facilities. Working together closely from the start enabled both teams to identify opportunities to drive higher efficiency, performance, and reliability, along with lower costs and faster time to market.” Applied Digital has reported that the first 200 MW of capacity at Polaris Forge 2 will be leased to a US-based hyperscaler. The companies’ partnership began in June 2025 with the development of Applied Digital’s first 400 MW AI campus, Polaris Forge 1, in Ellendale, North Dakota. Both campuses use ABB’s HiPerGuard medium-voltage UPS and medium-voltage switchgear. Moving power distribution to medium voltage using this approach is intended to increase power density, improve efficiency, and support scaling in larger blocks, while also reducing cabling requirements. For more from ABB, click here.

BAC releases upgraded immersion cooling tanks

Baltimore Aircoil Company (BAC), a provider of data centre cooling equipment, has introduced an updated immersion cooling tank for high-performance data centres, incorporating its CorTex technology to improve reliability, efficiency, and support for high-density computing environments. The company says the latest tank has been engineered to provide consistent performance with minimal maintenance, noting its sealed design has no penetrations below the fluid level, helping maintain fluid integrity and reduce leakage risks. Dual pumps are included for redundancy and the filter-free configuration removes the need for routine filter replacement. Design improvements for reliability and ease of operation The tanks are available in four sizes - 16RU, 32RU, 38RU, and 48RU - allowing operators to accommodate a range of immersion-ready servers. Air-cooled servers can also be adapted for immersion use. Each unit supports server widths of 19 and 21 inches (~48 cm and ~53 cm) and depths up to 1,200 mm, enabling higher rack densities within a smaller footprint than traditional air-cooled systems. BAC states that the design can support power usage effectiveness levels of up to 1.05, depending on the wider installation. The system uses dielectric fluid to transfer heat from servers to the internal heat exchanger, while external circuits can run on water or water-glycol mixtures. Cable entry points, the lid, and heat-exchanger connections are fluid-tight to help prevent contamination. The immersion tank forms the indoor component of BAC’s Cobalt system, which combines indoor and outdoor cooling technologies for high-density computing. The system can be paired with BAC’s evaporative, hybrid, adiabatic, or dry outdoor equipment to create a complete cooling configuration for data centres managing higher-powered servers and AI-driven workloads. For more from BAC, click here.