News

Nebius launches in the UK

Nebius, an AI infrastructure company, today announced the expansion of its global AI infrastructure footprint with a deployment of NVIDIA Blackwell Ultra GPUs in the UK. The deployment should enhance the UK’s national digital infrastructure and drive long-term economic growth by enabling British firms – from start-ups to enterprises – to build AI using one of the world’s most advanced compute. It should also support the UK’s world-leading academic and research communities and public services, including the NHS. Arkady Volozh, Founder and CEO of Nebius, says, “We’re pleased to be providing compute infrastructure that will support future innovation by British businesses, researchers, and the public sector. The UK is where AI is being built, tested, and deployed at scale across industries from fintech to life sciences. Being here puts us closer to the start-ups, researchers, and enterprise leaders shaping what’s next.” Nebius’ first investment in the UK is the latest milestone in its buildout of AI infrastructure to support AI innovation at scale. With the addition of the UK, Nebius will operate seven AI clusters in six countries across Europe, the US, and the Middle East, making the company one of the largest independent AI infrastructure builders globally. The deployment of thousands of NVIDIA Blackwell Ultra GPUs in the UK is expected to be operational during Q4 2025. Nebius AI Cloud leverages the NVIDIA accelerated computing platform, and the company is the first Reference Platform NVIDIA Cloud Partner headquartered in Europe. Dave Salvator, NVIDIA Director of Accelerated Computing Products, comments, “Local infrastructure gives enterprises and start-ups in every nation a foundation for building their own AI-enabled future. Nebius’ UK-based NVIDIA Blackwell Ultra infrastructure will support British innovators in developing and deploying advanced reasoning, agentic, and physical AI applications.” The GPU deployment supports a key objective laid out in the UK government’s AI Opportunities Action Plan to build up Britain’s domestic compute capacity. As well as benefiting British AI innovators and enterprises, the AI infrastructure being delivered by Nebius should contribute to supporting job creation and attracting additional investments into the UK’s AI economy. Nebius recently launched its first specialist offering with a team led out of the UK to support the healthcare, life sciences, and biotech sectors. Other British customers include companies in financial services and generative AI, as well as research institutes such as the London Institute of Mathematical Sciences. Nebius’ team in the UK also contributes to AI research, with in-house AI R&D also led out of London. For more from Nebius, click here.

UKRI invests £22 million into data spending

The UK Department for Research and Innovation (UKRI) has invested £22 million into data spending and staff over the past three years, underscoring the department's strategic commitment to data as a cornerstone of national research and innovation. Data is playing an increasingly vital role, particularly as artificial intelligence (AI) is being rolled out throughout government departments, with 70% of government bodies already piloting or planning to use AI, highlighting the urgent need for high-quality, structured, and secure data. This development marks a 70% increase in salary investment in just two years, reflecting both rising headcounts and the increasing value of data expertise in shaping the UK’s research landscape. Stuart Harvey, CEO of Datactics, comments, “Both businesses and government departments are keen to implement AI into their business functions but are overlooking the fundamental truth that AI is only as good as the data it learns from. Hiring challenges are becoming an increasing problem, but businesses should follow in the UKRI's footsteps to invest in data spending and staff, and upskill their teams in data management, governance, and quality to improve data readiness. “AI is only as effective as the data it processes and without structured, accurate, and well-governed data, businesses risk AI systems that are flawed. The rush to deploy AI without a strong data foundation is a costly mistake and, in a competitive AI landscape, only those who get their data right will be the ones who thrive.” UKRI’s investment in its data workforce reflects the growing demand for high-quality, well-managed, and accessible data that enables researchers to collaborate, innovate, and respond to global challenges. Between 2022 and 2025, UKRI’s data-related salary investment rose by 85%, from £5.35 million to £9.89 million, reflecting both growing headcounts and the escalating value of data expertise across the UK’s research ecosystem. Over the same period, the number of staff with “data” in their job titles rose from 138 in 2022 to 203 in 2025 - a 47% increase. Sachin Agrawal, Managing Director for Zoho UK, says, “As the UK continues to position itself as a global science and technology powerhouse, it is a welcome sight to see the department prioritising the investment of its data workforce for long-term commitment to data-driven research. “In an era where public trust and data ethics are paramount, building in-house expertise is essential to ensuring that data privacy, transparency, and compliance are at the heart of our national research infrastructure. This strategic investment lays the foundation for smarter and safer technology use by the UKRI."

New Kao Data campaign highlights women

Kao Data, a developer and operator of high-performance data centres, announces the launch of 'Critical Careers: Celebrating Women in Digital Infrastructure,' a new campaign that highlights the stories, careers, and contributions of women across the digital infrastructure sector. With the sector evolving at unprecedented speed to support AI, cloud, and enterprise innovation, the project brings together interviews with women from all backgrounds, geographies, ages, and disciplines. From engineering to real estate, from marketing to HR, the women featured in Critical Careers represent a wide spectrum of roles and life experiences. Many are well-known industry leaders, while others may be less familiar by name. “Critical Careers aims to celebrate the remarkable women who are thriving in digital infrastructure. We wanted to take an in-depth look at the countless, impactful contributions women from all disciplines and at all stages of their careers are making to the industry,” says Kalay Moody, Chief People Officer at Kao Data. “What we discovered is that no two stories are the same, but together they reflect the importance of diverse experiences in driving progress and innovation in mission critical infrastructure.” “Women in the data centre industry bring a balance that is essential for holistic problem-solving and innovation. By integrating different perspectives and approaches, teams can achieve more balanced and effective solutions,” comments Cláudia Alves, Strategic Negotiator, Google. “Critical Careers is showcasing all the ways women are making a difference in the data centre industry and that there’s no one way to lead, contribute, or succeed.” For more from Kao Data, click here.

Conapto and Vertical Data announce partnership

Conapto, a Swedish sustainable data centre provider, and Vertical Data, a provider of enterprise AI business solutions, have jointly announced a strategic partnership aimed at delivering scalable, secure, and environmentally sustainable AI infrastructure. With digital transformation accelerating across industries, businesses are increasingly seeking partners who can provide robust IT infrastructure while maintaining a strong commitment to sustainability. This collaboration brings together Vertical Data’s experience in provision of GPU-based AI infrastructure with Conapto’s AI-ready, climate-friendly colocation services. “We’re excited to partner with Vertical Data to meet the rising demand for AI and data-driven infrastructure,” announces Stefan Nilsson, CCO of Conapto. “This collaboration allows us to extend our value to customers by providing turnkey, AI-optimised environments that are both sustainable and performance-driven.” Vertical Data will leverage Conapto’s Stockholm-based data centres to support its growing customer base in Sweden. These facilities are powered by 100% renewable energy and incorporate heat reuse for district heating, as well as grid support to the national grid. “This partnership allows us to extend our capabilities and offer our customers reliable, high-performance infrastructure with sustainability built-in,” says Hamid Djam, CTO at Vertical Data. “Conapto’s track record and vision make them the ideal partner as we continue to scale.” For more from Conapto, click here.

LFB launches Lennox-branded fan wall

Adding to its ApX Series range of cooling infrastructure for hyperscale and edge data centres, LFB Group, a European HVAC and refrigeration company, has launched its new Fan Wall Unit (FWU) - a modular cooling product built with the aim of meeting the demands of modern computing environments. LFB Group, following its transition from Lennox EMEA in April 2025, says its Lennox-branded FWU has a scalable cooling range from 100kW to 1000kW and comes with a compact footprint. It features electronically commutated (EC) fans, advanced coil designs, and customisable configurations, with a modular architecture allowing for capacity expansion. The company believes that, despite the rise in AI and both chip and rack densities, air cooling is still of importance. Matt Evans, CEO of the Data Centre Solutions business at LFB Group, says, "Cooling has always been one of the most pressing challenges facing data centre operators. But, with the rise in demand for data centres - as well as the rise in co-location data centres - we’re entering a new era where flexibility is being required more than ever before. "Our Fan Wall Unit is designed to deliver exactly that. It combines the performance figures, scalability, and adaptability that today’s environments require, without adding unnecessary complexity. The FWU showcases experience-led system design that integrates seamlessly into a variety of data centre footprints. "Our focus has always been on listening to operators, understanding their real-world constraints, and helping them solve the challenges that slow their growth. We see this as a collaborative journey - one that doesn’t end with installation, but continues as needs change, technology advances, and workloads evolve. The introduction of this tailored Fan Wall Unit represents a meaningful step forward, and we’re excited about the role it will play in shaping the next generation of digital infrastructure as part of a broader pipeline of innovations that are on the horizon.”

Datacloud Global Congress achieves record-breaking attendance

techoraco, a provider of global digital infrastructure events, has announced that it has achieved record attendance at the 20th anniversary of Datacloud Global Congress. The flagship event, which brings together an assembly of senior leaders including C-suite executives, investors, legal advisors, owners, operators, and vendors, saw more than 4500 attendees register to network, discuss new business strategies, and secure deals in one of the world’s fastest growing technology markets. Over two days, more than 170 thought leaders — 60% comprising C-level executives or directors from global technology companies — discussed critical industry topics. These included the pervasive influence of AI, the landscape of investment, the future of energy, ESG initiatives, talent development, and overarching sustainability. Notably, this year’s show saw marked increases in sector representation, including a 15% rise in professional services, a 62% surge in telco and carrier, and a 450% growth in attendees from the finance sector. Conversations also heavily focused on how data centres are catalysing innovation on a global scale. The event featured speakers from the world’s largest technology companies including Coreweave, Digital Realty, Google, Groq, Huawei, Microsoft, Meta, NVIDIA, NTT, Oracle, Schneider Electric, and Vertiv, among others. Additionally, techoraco ensured that more than 25% of its speaker roster comprised senior female leaders. The Cannes event also demonstrated a global representation, with attendees and speakers from over 65 countries. “Datacloud is known as the industry’s cornerstone event, where new strategies are defined, and deals get done. This year’s record attendance further reinforces its position as a critical and strategic touchpoint for digital infrastructure businesses,” says Annabel Helm, Managing Director, Datacloud Global Congress. “As we celebrate its 20-year anniversary, I’m proud of our team, who remain committed to delivering a meaningful and professional experience for our valued sponsors and attendees.” “Datacloud showcases the beating heart of the sector, and the event has established a leading reputation for innovation, business growth, and elite networking,” comments Michael Winterson, Managing Director of the European Data Centre Association. “This year’s event marks a landmark moment for the company, and it’s been incredible to witness the transformative conversations taking place across the industry.” Going forwards, Datacloud Global Congress will move to a three-day format in Cannes - taking place from the 2-4 June 2026. For more from techoraco, click here.

ZTE urges industry to rethink energy efficiency

ZTE Corporation, a Chinese multinational telecommunications equipment and systems company, showcased its AI-embedded solution for data centre infrastructure at Data Centre World Frankfurt 2025. As artificial intelligence becomes deeply integrated into every layer of enterprise and cloud computing, the foundation of digital infrastructure is undergoing a fundamental transformation. Speaking at the event, Hans Neff, Senior Director of the CTO Group at ZTE, delivered a keynote address that challenged traditional efficiency metrics and static data centre models. He emphasised that in an AI-driven future, conventional benchmarks such as Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) are "no longer sufficient" to measure the performance and adaptability of modern data centres. In his address, Hans highlighted the paradox facing today's data centres: at the very moment when sustainability has become a strategic priority, AI is driving up compute intensity and energy demand at an unprecedented scale. He believes traditional benchmarks, originally designed for static, legacy systems, are no longer capable of capturing the complexity and dynamism of AI-driven workloads. "AI workloads are fundamentally different," says Hans. "They're denser, hotter, and more variable. To stay ahead, we can’t keep optimising for a world that no longer exists." ZTE says its approach, drawn from global deployments and internal R&D, envisions energy efficiency not as a fixed target, but as an evolving system. The company states that it is engineering data centres that sense, predict, and respond to changing computational demands in real time. In his keynote address, Hans also called on the industry to adopt more holistic metrics that better reflect the realities of modern data environments. He proposed a new composite framework that evaluates energy use not only by its efficiency, but also by its effectiveness in supporting intelligent operations, resiliency, and sustainability. "PUE is no longer enough," argues Hans. "We need smarter metrics that account for how power is used — not just how much." For more from ZTE, click here.

Shell launches Direct Liquid Cooling fluid

Shell, a British-Dutch multinational oil and gas company, is turning down the heat and turning up the performance in data centres with the launch of Shell DLC Fluid S3 — a Direct Liquid Cooling (DLC) fluid designed to meet the demands of high-performance computing and artificial intelligence (AI). This propylene glycol-based fluid aims to complement Shell’s existing cooling fluid portfolio and involvement in the data centre liquid cooling market. As data centers grow more powerful, traditional air-cooling struggles to keep up with the increasing heat generated by high-performance computing and AI. DLC fluids tackle this heat by targeting high heat load components to ensure densely packed server racks can continue to operate at optimal temperatures. By directly cooling high-performance components like Central Processing Units (CPUs) and Graphics Processing Units (GPUs), DLC fluids can improve Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) by up to 27% (in comparison with the PUE of air-cooling) and reduce the need for energy-consuming air conditioning. Shell DLC Fluid S3 also meets the Open Compute Project (OCP) PG25 coolant specifications, including standards for material compatibility. Some features of the Shell DLC Fluid S3 include: · Long-term corrosion protection for all DLC cooling systems, including aluminium, brass, cast iron, steel, solder, and copper. · Heat transfer performance: Particularly, according to Shell, for high-surface-area copper-based heat sinks. · Compatible with a range of materials including metals and metal alloys, elastomers, plastics, and other wetted materials as per OCP guidelines. Its 2-ethylhexyl acrylate-, borate- and silicate-free formulation intends to provide improved metal and rubber compatibilities over competitive formulations. · Extended fluid life: Expected life of 6+ years, potentially four better than conventional inorganic acid technology (IAT) based fluids. · Leak detection: Dyed fluorescent green to help identify in-service leakage. · Freeze protection: Used in servers and electronic components to provide freeze protection down to sub-zero temperatures (−10°C/14°F) and help prevent corrosion. “With Shell DLC Fluid S3, Shell now offers both direct-to-chip and full immersion cooling solutions, and we’re not just keeping data centres cool in the age of AI — we’re powering the future of digital infrastructure,” says Aysun Akik, VP New Business Development and Global Key Accounts, Shell Lubricants. “We are continuing our commitment to innovation that delivers on performance, sustainability, and reliability to support our customers’ goals.” Aysun continues, “Our growing range of advanced liquid cooling solutions is designed to meet the diverse needs of modern data centres both today and tomorrow – and are backed by the strength of Shell’s global footprint, supply chain, and five technology development hubs around the globe.” For more from Shell, click here.

Aligned debuts its Advanced Cooling Lab

Aligned Data Centers, a technology infrastructure company, has announced the launch of its new Advanced Cooling Lab. The lab is dedicated to testing and developing Aligned’s air and liquid cooling solutions for Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) and emerging AI accelerators. Aligned's Phoenix-based Advanced Cooling Lab has been designed to promote hybrid cooling environments and advance data centre infrastructure. The company's Delta Cube air-cooled system and DeltaFlow liquid-cooled system aim to ensure customers have the capacity and performance needed for AI and HPC workloads. “Aligned has been innovating data centre cooling for more than a decade,” says Michael Welch, Chief Technology Officer at Aligned Data Centers. “The Advanced Cooling Lab is a testament to our commitment to delivering cutting-edge data centre solutions and our passion for innovation. By investing in research and development, we can continue to provide our customers with the most flexible and advanced infrastructure available, capable of handling the dynamic demands of AI workloads.” For more from Aligned, click here.

Castrol launches new fluid management service

Castrol, a British multinational lubricants company owned by BP, known for its presence in the automotive industry, has launched a new fluid management service for data centre liquid cooling, addressing a critical gap as the industry transitions away from traditional air-cooling systems. Announced at the Datacloud Global Congress 2025 in Cannes, France, Castrol’s new service model aims to cover all four phases of the data centre operation lifecycle: system start-up, ongoing maintenance, break-fix support, and fluid disposal. The approach is designed to help remove operational barriers in the adoption of liquid cooling in data centres. "Data centre operators recognise the benefits of liquid cooling but need assurance around long-term fluid management," states Peter Huang, Global Vice President of Data Centre Thermal Management at Castrol. "Castrol has delivered fluid services for the automotive industry for decades – we're now bringing this proven expertise to data centres with a service model that supports optimal performance throughout the entire lifecycle.” The four-phase service includes:1. System start-up support with fluid installation, filtration, system flushing, and certificates of analysis.2. Ongoing maintenance, such as laboratory testing, dynamic monitoring, predictive maintenance, and smart dosing capabilities.3. ‘Break-fix’ service, including telephone assistance, virtual engineering support, on-site response, and spare fluid availability.4. Support with fluid collection and disposal. Castrol’s service launch comes at a time when the data centre industry faces mounting pressure to improve cooling efficiency. Recent industry research indicates that traditional air-cooling systems struggle to handle increased computing demands from AI and edge computing applications, with 74% of data centre experts believing immersion cooling is now essential to meet current power requirements. "Our aim with this new service model is to remove the operational and technical uncertainties that have slowed liquid cooling adoption," says Andrea Zunino, Global Offer Development Manager at Castrol. "Within liquid cooling systems, the fluid represents a single point of failure – degraded conditions can reduce cooling capacity and lead to equipment failure. We're going beyond just fluid supply to deliver structured support at every stage, giving data centre operators the confidence they need to embrace liquid cooling.” The new service model will be deployed globally through Castrol's partner network. All services will be delivered with third-party suppliers. The availability and rollout of certain services may vary by location and may be introduced at different times depending on regional factors. For more from Castrol, click here.