News

'EU’s shift on climate targets echoes industry reality'

According to a report from Aggreko, a British multinational temporary power generation and temperature control company, the European Union’s move to consider more flexible climate targets reflects a broader shift already underway, as highlighted in earlier research showing businesses adjusting net zero plans in response to rising energy costs. According to EU diplomats, the European Commission is set to propose a new bloc-wide climate target to cut net greenhouse gas emissions by 90% from 1990 levels, while allowing flexibility for domestic industries and use of international carbon credits. This shift mirrors recent findings from Aggreko’s surveying of CEOs across Europe, which revealed that high energy costs are prompting many businesses to reassess their decarbonisation timelines to ensure a commercially viable transition. The company’s recent report, Rebalancing the Energy Transition, based on a survey of 400 CEOs across the UK, Germany, France, and Italy, found that 95% of large businesses have already adjusted their net zero strategies in response to energy supply and pricing pressures. These findings suggest the EU’s proposed shift reflects what is already happening on the ground in energy-intensive sectors subject to rising costs and grid issues. “The EU’s shift towards more flexible climate targets recognises the need for practical pathways to net zero that we’re seeing across industry,” says Robert Wells, Aggreko’s Europe President. “Our research shows that while the intention to invest in the energy transition remains strong, companies are evolving their strategies to ensure operational resilience while also driving environmental progress.” According to Aggreko’s research, while 12% of CEOs currently rank the speed of decarbonisation as their top priority, the vast majority remain committed to climate action. Approximately 80% plan to increase investment in energy transition initiatives over the next year, demonstrating that businesses are still committed to sustainable practices, even as they navigate cost and competitiveness challenges. With this in mind, Aggreko is urging businesses to look beyond timelines and focus on practical, scalable solutions that can reduce emissions while improving energy resilience. Central to this is the role of decentralised energy systems and supply chain collaboration, which Rebalancing the Energy Transition identifies as key to reducing energy costs and accelerating progress toward net zero. “In a volatile energy market, decentralised and flexible power solutions have moved from optional to essential,” Robert adds. “By working with supply chain partners to deploy renewable technologies and alternative power agreements, businesses can reduce emissions and costs simultaneously.” Aggreko’s sustainability framework, Energising Change, aims to support this approach by helping sectors such as manufacturing, construction, data centres, utilities, and petrochemicals to implement decentralised energy solutions that are both commercially and environmentally sustainable. Robert concludes, “The EU’s evolving stance is a recognition of the complex and multifaceted priorities businesses face. Our report provides a roadmap for navigating these challenges, showing that with the right strategies, it is possible to stay competitive and committed to climate goals. I would encourage all stakeholders involved in energy equipment procurement to seek it out and read it.” For more from Aggreko, click here.

EDGNEX announces $2.3 billion data centre in Jakarta

EDGNEX Data Centers by DAMAC, a global digital infrastructure company backed by a global conglomerate headquartered in Dubai, today announced the development of a 'next-generation,' AI-powered data centre in Jakarta, Indonesia - its second in the market. This project marks one of Southeast Asia’s largest AI-dedicated developments, with a future projected capacity of 144 MW and a total investment of $2.3 billion. Following the land acquisition completed in March 2025 by DAMAC, the site has entered early construction phases, with the facility’s phase one expected to be ready for service by December 2026. The Jakarta facility will deploy high-density AI racks and is hoped to be a factor in accelerating the country’s transition from an analogue base to an AI-powered digital economy. Indonesia remains a high-potential Southeast Asian market, yet faces digital infrastructure gaps, limited hyperscale readiness, and rising latency challenges. With AI adoption accelerating across sectors, this project seeks to respond to the nation’s growing demand for scalable, energy-efficient infrastructure. “This is our second project in Indonesia, and this development reinforces our commitment to bridging the digital divide in fast-growing markets across Southeast Asia (SEA), such as Indonesia,” says Hussain Sajwani, Founder of DAMAC Group. “We are proud to build what will become one of Southeast Asia’s most advanced, sustainable data centres to power the next wave of innovation and digital growth. The scale of AI workloads demands a new class of infrastructure. This project is part of our broader push across SEA, where we have committed over $3 billion in digital infrastructure investments to date.” The new facility will target a Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) of 1.32, and builds on EDGNEX’s growing presence in Thailand, Malaysia, and other key SEA markets. In 2024, the company announced its first data centre in Indonesia, a planned 19.2 WM data centre to be built at MT Haryono in Jakarta. It aims to address the growing demand for cloud service providers, edge nodes, and potential artificial intelligence deployments. The first phase is scheduled for completion in the third quarter of 2026. The regional goal for Edgnex in SEA is 300+ MW of operational capacity by 2026. For more from EDGNEX, click here.

Huber+Suhner opens new POLATIS production site

Huber+Suhner has opened its new advanced manufacturing site in Pisary, Poland, dedicated to the large-scale production of POLATIS optical circuit switches (OCS) for AI and hyperscale data centres. Production capacity is planned to increase at least fivefold over the next two years. Reflecting the surge in demand for OCS solutions, the company is increasing the speed of manufacturing of the POLATIS OCS portfolio with the intention to help ensure hyperscale operators have the technology required to enhance the performance and energy efficiency of data centre architectures and AI compute clusters. “The opening of our new Pisary facility is a major milestone that aligns with our commitment to innovation and operational excellence in optical networking,” claims Jürgen Walter, Chief Operating Officer, Communication Segment at Huber+Suhner. “Our POLATIS OCS solutions deliver transparent, software-defined, dynamic optical connectivity within energy-efficient hyperscale data centres to meet the low loss and latency demands of high-performance AI workloads.” Rising demand for OCS solutions stems from the rapid growth of hyperscale data centre infrastructure across the globe, driven by cloud computing and the increased use of AI. AI workloads are hosted on clusters of thousands of graphical processor units (GPUs) interconnected by optical fibres carrying data at hundreds of gigabits per second. An OCS enables on-demand reconfiguration of optical-layer connectivity and can route large volumes of high-speed traffic with minimal latency. By maintaining data in the optical domain and eliminating the need for optical-electrical-optical conversions, POLATIS OCS solutions hope to reduce power consumption and operating expenditure for hyperscale data centres, enabling new data centre architectures and allowing AI workloads to run more efficiently and at lower cost. With approximately 3,000m², the Pisary site will add to the existing Krzeszowice facility nearby, which is currently being operated at its full capacity. “The Pisary site will enhance our supply of OCS solutions while reflecting our mission for sustainable operations,” says Robert Smith, Managing Director, POLATIS at Huber+Suhner. “The facilities include a photovoltaic installation with a capacity of 150 kilowatt peak (kWp), a mechanical ventilation with heat recovery, and a biological waste treatment plant. A new building management system has also been implemented to support a low carbon footprint." For more from Huber+Suhner, click here.

Prysmian launches pre-terminated cable assemblies into UK

Prysmian, best known for its manufacture of power and data cable, used the Data Centre World exhibition in London to launch its wrap-around offer for digital communication within data centres. The product attracting the most attention was the company’s promise of bespoke, pre-terminated fibre assemblies, supplied to UK sites within days. This turnaround is reportedly down to the location and capacity of both cable and termination manufacturing sites in Europe. The offer is based on the G657 BendBright bend insensitive optical fibre, utilised in a variety of pre-terminated assemblies. Prysmian FlexRibbon fibre configuration provides Base 12 and Base 16 terminations onto MTP, SN, and MMC/MDC connectors. Pre-terminated assemblies using US Conec-certified MTP/MPO connectors are also available on short lead times. The Prysmian service team, based in the UK, says it is able to take specifications for bespoke cable assemblies using a range of single-mode and multi-mode optical fibres to service high bandwidth requirements. All products come with a 25-year manufacturer’s warranty. For more from Prysmian, click here.

ST Telemedia achieves 78% renewable energy usage

ST Telemedia Global Data Centres (STT GDC), a data centre service provider headquartered in Singapore, today published its 2024 Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) report. The report details STT's progress towards its ESG targets, as well as its three main ESG pillars: carbon-neutral data centre operations by 2030; a safe, secure, diverse and inclusive workplace; and ethical and responsible business. With the growing demand for digital infrastructure, sustainability has become a critical priority for organisations worldwide. Bruno Lopez, President and Group Chief Executive Officer, ST Telemedia Global Data Centres, says, “As the digital economy accelerates, our responsibility as infrastructure providers extends beyond simply supporting growth—we must lead with purpose and innovation. In 2024, STT GDC made remarkable progress on our sustainability journey, from securing S$500 million in sustainability-linked financing to implementing initiatives such as AI-driven cooling optimisation and pioneering the use of hydrotreated vegetable oil in Singapore. These achievements reflect our unwavering commitment to achieving carbon neutrality by 2030 while delivering the resilient, efficient infrastructure that powers our digital world. Sustainability is not just a corporate objective for us—it is the foundation upon which we are building the future of digital infrastructure.” Some highlights of the 2024 ESG report include: • Achieved 78.5% renewable energy usage. • Achieved a 22.9% year-on-year reduction in carbon emissions across the group. • Issued S$500 million of Sustainability- Linked Perpetual (SLP) securities. • Enhanced Sustainability-Linked Financing Framework — setting further targets, including increasing the use of renewable energy to 85% by 2028 and achieving a 70% reduction in carbon intensity from a 2021 baseline by 2028. • First data centre operator in Singapore to deploy HVO for backup generators. • First data centre operator in Asia to pilot AI-based autonomous control system for optimising data centre cooling in STT GDC’s facilities in Singapore. • Achieved a 66.2% reduction in carbon intensity from the 2021 baseline. • Improved power usage effectiveness (PUE) by 11.2% from the 2020 baseline. • Realised a 34.5% improvement in water usage effectiveness (WUE) from the 2020 baseline. • Achieved zero work-related serious injuries or fatalities since 2020, with a Total Recordable Incident Rate (TRIR) of 0.1 earned across more than 25 million hours worked in its construction and operations program. • Invested an average of 23.5 training hours per employee in the growth and development of its workforce. • In 2024, its team at STT GDC Indonesia partnered with a local conservation enabler to plant 1,000 mangrove trees at Dusun Tangkolak, Karawang, West Java. • 100% of employees have received anti-corruption training, with zero incidents of corruption. STT GDC's ESG Report is based on a full year’s data from 1 January to 31 December 2024, focusing primarily on STT GDC’s operating entities (data centres and offices) during the year. For more from ST Telemedia, click here.

‘Businesses sleepwalking into cyber catastrophe’

Security leaders have warned that ‘businesses are sleepwalking into a cyber catastrophe’ due to the rapid adoption of AI tools, alongside lacking privacy and ethics controls, amid a wave of recent high-profile cyber-attacks and data leaks. Arkadiy Ukolov, Co-Founder and CEO of Ulla Technology, a global HR platform, cautioned that many businesses are putting their data at risk by rushing off to use third-party AI tools as the main system to streamline operations. The ongoing fallout from the M&S cyber-attack, alongside other major hits against Co-op, Dior, and Harrods, has highlighted the severity of data risks and how data is protected, forcing security teams to re-evaluate their protocols. Speaking from the Viva Technology event in Paris, Arkadiy says, “Data breaches and cyber threats are relentless so it’s vital that industries such as HR, law, government, and beyond are securing every aspect of their technology stack to protect their data. Unfortunately, the speed of AI adoption means that many businesses are sleepwalking into a cyber catastrophe, leaving critical gaps in their data protection processes and putting both sensitive internal and customer data at risk. “Even in an area such as meeting transcripts, there are sensitive conversations around company financials or workplace policy updates that cannot be exposed, requiring privacy-first collection and storage methods for data to protect against a breach. Understanding the risks and putting in place enterprise-grade security and data privacy can help businesses better guard against these risks, even with the added exposure from AI.” Viva Technology, hosted this year between 11 and 14 June in Paris, is Europe’s largest startups and technology event, attracting over 150,000 attendees and 11,000 startups each year. Key themes this year include the pace of AI innovation, regulation, the importance of human control, vertical industry applications for AI, and data security.

Aruba boosts connectivity with new EXA Infrastructure PoP

Aruba - a provider in the data centre, cloud, and digital services sector - has announced the activation of a new Point of Presence (PoP) in partnership with EXA Infrastructure, one of Europe’s largest dedicated digital infrastructure platforms. The new PoP is located at Aruba’s Hyper Cloud Data Centre (IT4) in Rome, Italy. The announcement was made this week at NAM 2025 - the annual event organised by Namex, the main Internet Exchange Point (IXP) in Central Italy. As a result of this new PoP, Aruba’s IT4 data centre campus in Rome is now directly integrated into EXA Infrastructure’s global network via two fibre optic links. This dual-route architecture aims to ensure maximum security, operational continuity, and resilience. The connections, capable of reaching speeds of up to 400Gbps, are designed to support advanced connectivity needs. Aruba's IT4 campus, located in the capital, covers an area of 74,000m². Once fully operational, the campus will be able to host up to five independent data centres. The site is designed to deliver a total IT capacity of 30MW, with redundancy levels of up to 2N or higher. The campus' first data centre, DC-A, is already operational and has obtained the ANSI/TIA-942-C Rating 4 Constructed Facility certification. The entire site is connected to the Aruba data centres in Arezzo (IT1 and IT2) and Bergamo (IT3) via a modern backbone network. EXA Infrastructure, headquartered in London, is an international operator that owns and manages over 155,000km of fibre network in 37 countries, including six transatlantic cables connecting Europe and North America. "The activation of EXA Infrastructure's new Point of Presence is a key step in building an increasingly connected, resilient, and high-performance digital ecosystem," comments Andrea Colangelo, Director of Network Infrastructure at Aruba. "This type of integration between data centre infrastructure and next-generation networks is essential for attracting international companies and enabling innovative services in the region, strengthening Rome's role as a technological hub in the Mediterranean." For more from Aruba, click here.

CyrusOne plans new London facility

CyrusOne, a global data centre developer and operator, has announced plans for a brand-new data centre facility on the outskirts of London, with sustainability, community, and biodiversity at its core. As the company's sixth location in the UK, LON6 is set to deliver 90 megawatts of IT capacity. Located in Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, the LON6 data centre will deliver IT capacity to 30,000m² of technical space across four double-storey and two single-storey data halls. The development is expected to break ground in Q3 2026. With initial power due to arrive mid 2027, the first capacity is expected to be delivered in early 2028. “This development marks an important step in our European growth journey,” says Matt Pullen, EVP and Managing Director, Europe, CyrusOne. “We’re thrilled to be announcing our plans for this new facility and continuing our growth in London. As demand for digital services continues to accelerate, larger facilities are necessary to provide the economies of scale that customers need, while also ensuring maximum functionality and mitigated risk of downtime. The UK market enables us to respond to these requirements, and we look forward to continuing our expansion and supporting the Government to establish the UK as a centre of excellence in digital services for technology innovation.” Secretary of State for Science Peter Kyle comments, “This fantastic new facility will help to power many of our online tasks, from navigating with online maps, to messaging and shopping online and we are committed to growing this vital infrastructure and giving the UK the opportunity to thrive in the 21st century. “Through our AI Opportunities Action Plan, we promised to transform these digital powerhouses into platforms for progress, creating jobs and unlocking breakthroughs that will benefit people across the country. As a result of this new facility in Buckinghamshire, local people will benefit from the creation of 540 long-term new jobs, including roles in engineering, sustainability, and security, and over 30 apprenticeship opportunities for young people – turbocharging economic growth in the area and helping us deliver on our Plan for Change.” Set into the ground, with green roofs and planted walls, the facility is designed to be integrated into the landscape. It aims to deliver a 71% Biodiversity Net Gain for local habitats – seven times higher than the 10% required by government regulation – alongside other community benefits. The data centre is designed to achieve a BREEAM “Excellent” certification and will provide on-site photovoltaic panels to deliver 64% of the regulated office energy demand. Powered from Iver Grid Supply Point, the design uses 100% certified renewable electricity provided by SSEN. The project has the expressed aim to "restore and reconnect the landscape," seeking to improve the site’s biodiversity through the creation of an ecologically rich parkland and new habitats, "enhancing the quality" of the Colne Valley Regional Park. Extensive landscaping plans include the planting of 670 trees (including 145 fruit trees) over 7,000m² of woodland and 90,600m² of mixed meadow and acid grassland. 72,800m² of the newly-created green biodiverse space will be accessible to the public, with an edible landscape, a biodiverse lake, woodland walks, and a cycle path for the local community. CyrusOne has also committed to a long-term Landscape Ecological Management Plan which aims to ensure maintenance and continued public access to the space for a minimum of 25 years. A ‘hidden valley’ will provide an access road around the building, with landscaped terraces providing daylight, fresh air, and views from the exposed timber framed customer and employee offices. Rainwater collection is to be treated and reused within the site, alongside free air cooling from ambient air whenever possible, and half of the designated parking spaces will provide on-site charging hubs for electric cars. The proposal, the company says, is responsive to the needs of the local community and provides a range of benefits, encapsulated in a total investment of more than £1.2 billion into the local and national economy. The campus is set to include a stone gabion clad training centre with industry-specific facilities for employees and students sitting within the campus, yet outside of the secure perimeter for easy access. It is estimated that over 580 full time equivalent (FTE) construction jobs will be created over the development phase and a further 540 FTE skilled employees will be required by CyrusOne and its customers to maintain and run the facility once fully operational. “We’ve been working hand-in-hand with Apt, Atelier Ten, Cameo Landscape Architects, HDR, Ramboll, Cratus, Montagu Evans, and Radcliffes Environmental on the proposals and designs, alongside Longcross Land, who provided investment guidance,” continues Matt. “It’s been a fantastic experience collaborating with industry-leading firms aligned to our sustainability- and community-focused vision, and we look forward to seeing the plans come to life. Additionally, we’ve received support from HM Treasury, the UK Department of Business & Trade (DBT), Department for Science, Innovation & Technology (DSIT), and the Office for Investment (OFI) which has been critical in progressing with the project and reaching this important milestone.” For more from CyrusOne, click here.

AI summit warns of ‘skills cliff edge’

Industry leaders gathered during London Tech Week at the House of Lords this week for a high-level summit on the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on the jobs market and wider UK economy, with speakers warning of the "skills cliff edge." Chaired by Steven George-Hilley of Centropy PR, the debate saw experts from leading law firms, financial services, and tech startups discuss how AI is reshaping the workforce and the risks and talent pipeline required to maximise its economic benefits. Cyber expert Achi Lewis-Dhaliwal, AVP UK, EMEA & India, Absolute Security, says, “The financial services industry houses vast quantities of sensitive data that is constantly subject to threats from malicious cyber actors, especially with the rise of AI-powered attacks. These House of Lords discussions should be grounded in the understanding of cyber risks against the UK’s most important industries, and the cyber resilience postures that can ensure they remain operational.” Leigh Allen, Strategic Advisor, Cellebrite, comments, “AI is a critical enabler in unlocking digital evidence and significantly reducing investigation times, greatly aiding police forces and combating national security threats. At Cellebrite, we combine ethical access to digital evidence alongside artificial intelligence to equip agencies to respond and counteract digital threats to make our society a safer place.” James Tuttiett, Sales Director UK & EMEA at FDM Group, adds, “There’s a lack of a united vision and strategy across all industries when it comes to AI. We’re seeing that most organisations are still in the experimental phase, testing the ways that AI can influence and improve their business functions while driving greater efficiency. Whilst there is not a one size fits all approach being adapted, what is clear is that the integration of AI is immanent and creating an AI-literate workforce for the future is vital. “As we look to the impact that AI will have on future jobs, more emphasis needs to be placed on our understanding of the questions we ask of AI and not just the answers it gives. Embracing AI, and understanding how prompt engineering can improve all of our careers, is essential.” Tech expert Arkadiy Ukolov, Founder of Ulla Technology, argues, “Privacy and data security must remain a critical focus as AI adoption continues to skyrocket, especially as [the] most popular AI tools send data to third-party AI providers which often use client data to train models. When it comes to sensitive meeting discussions, for example, it creates a significant risk of data leaks, so placing ethics at the centre of House of Lords discussions is vital as AI develops.” Stuart Harvey, CEO of Datactics, notes, “In the rush to adopt AI tools, we must first recognise the importance of data quality and readiness to underpin high-performing AI. Many organisations still operate in fragmented data environments, risking inaccurate model outputs and unreliable responses. Without data readiness, AI cannot be successful.” Chris Davison, CEO of NavLive, concludes, “AI is at the forefront of the UK’s growth, [including] transformative applications such as 2D and 3D building modelling in real-time to help expedite developments and facilitate sustainable building practices. By creating accurate real-time spatial data across the lifecycle of a building, architects, engineers, and construction professionals can save significant time and money.”

ABB and Applied Digital announce partnership

Applied Digital, a builder and operator of data centres, has launched an infrastructure partnership with ABB, a multinational corporation specialising in industrial automation and electrification products, at the company’s greenfield 400 MW campus in North Dakota, United States. The collaboration aims to innovate energy-efficient solutions to meet the needs of rapidly advancing artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities. As part of this long-term partnership, the first orders were booked in Q4 2024 and Q1 2025. Further financial details of the partnership were not disclosed. Central to the partnership is a new medium voltage power architecture using ABB’s HiPerGuard Medium Voltage Static Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS). The HiPerGuard technology seeks to help AI data centres increase power density while compressing electrical plant footprints and increasing energy efficiency. The partnership covers the complete design and development of the site’s electrical infrastructure. Conventional data centres use low voltage power distribution and UPS systems. Switching to medium voltage for the UPS system and power distribution should enable data centres to scale more efficiently, expanding in 25 MW blocks. With fewer parts and cabling, installation should be simpler and reliability higher. "What we are building with ABB is going to completely change the way our industry designs large-scale data centres. By leveraging ABB's cutting-edge technology and global reach, we are able to redefine the electrical infrastructure landscape and meet the growing demands to support large-scale AI Factories,” claims Todd Gale, Chief Development Officer, Applied Digital. Massimiliano Cifalitti, Smart Power President, ABB Electrification, comments, "Partnerships like this are accelerating the timeline for AI-ready data centres with more competitive, resilient power infrastructures. ABB’s technology is designed for peak performance with dedicated capacity across our global production network and industry-leading innovation. ABB teams are ready to deliver at scale and at speed.” For more from ABB, click here.