News

Pure Data Centres to integrate world's largest 'living wall'

Planning permission has been granted in London for the world’s biggest ‘living wall’. Pure Data Centres, backed by funds managed by Oaktree Capital Management, will be integrating the wall into the second building on its campus in Brent Cross, North London. Pure DC’s living wall, being installed by specialist firm Viritopia, will cover an area of 7,400 square metres, making it the largest in the world. The current title is held by The Khalifa Avenue in Qatar, which is 7,000 square metres. The largest living wall on a building is One Assembly in Singapore, which is 5,300 square metres. Work has already begun on the site, adjacent to Pure DC’s existing London data centre, which will take overall capacity at the London campus to over 90MW, with capacity to expand further – helping to satisfy the increasing demand for cloud services and AI processing. The living wall will envelop the new structure and will contain more than 750,000 individual plants which will be installed using a modular system. Key functions of the plants are to absorb noise and to help filter out air pollution. The extensive planting area will also enhance the site’s biodiversity by creating important habitats for birds and insects. It will also provide a protective outer layer to the building, helping to reduce solar gain and improve the microclimate. Demand for data centres is at an all-time high, especially in London, which accounts for 80% of the UK’s data centre market. The data centre market in the UK is projected to grow by over 60% by 2029. Dame Dawn Childs, CEO of Pure DC, comments, “The data centre industry is facing a critical challenge of building the digital infrastructure needed to support the demands of global data growth in a way that also takes care of the local environment. Gaining planning permission for the living wall is an exciting step in our effort to meet this challenge head-on. “Alongside our subsidiary, A Healthier Earth, which plays a significant role in helping us to accelerate nature-positive projects like this, Pure is committed to researching and developing innovative solutions which support long-term biodiversity projects and ensure our data centres make a positive impact in the areas where we work.” The project is the latest innovation from Pure DC, which develops and operates data centres that incorporate innovative design features to be as sustainable as possible, using modern and innovative building materials and effective decarbonisation processes. Pure DC conducts Life Cycle Assessments (LCA) on every development to understand its construction and operational carbon footprint. It aims to send zero waste to landfill and remove water usage in operation via closed-loop cooling systems and rainwater harvesting, where possible. Pure has replaced diesel in standby generators with Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) wherever it can be sustainably sourced, reducing CO2 emissions by up to 90% for Scope 1. Pure DC’s research and development subsidiary, A Healthier Earth, will oversee the construction of the living wall. This climate-tech catalyst develops, delivers, and operates planet-positive projects. The development of the ‘living’ wall is part of A Healthier Earth’s wider research and development work, through which Pure is placing an emphasis on forward thinking developments and sustainable approaches to decarbonise digital infrastructure. For more from Pure Data Centres, click here.

Submarine Networks EMEA 2025 to take place in London

This year's Submarine Networks EMEA event is to take place on 18-19 February 2025 at the Business Design Centre in London. Submarine Networks EMEA is a must-attend event for network innovators, operators, and enterprises across the region. This two-day conference and exhibition will dive into the latest advancements in data centres, network architecture, cloud networking, automation, and the future of connectivity for businesses and communities alike. Why Attend? • Gain insights from 120+ global industry leaders through keynotes, panel discussions, and technical workshops• Discover the latest innovations in the exhibition hall• Network with over 1,000 senior decision-makers in networking, cloud, and IT infrastructure• Discuss strategies to drive efficiency, scalability, and security in next-generation networks You can register now by clicking here. For an exclusive 15% discount on your ticket, use the code: DCNN15. For more information, click here.

e& and DE-CIX partner to create SmartHub Internet Exchange

e& Carrier & Wholesale, a leading carrier which operates multiple geo-redundant SmartHub data centres across the Middle East - providing cutting-edge SmartHub IX services within these state-of-the-art facilities - has partnered with DE-CIX, a provider of premium interconnection services and an operator of carrier and data centre-neutral Internet Exchanges (IX). DE-CIX’s global presence spans nearly 60 locations across Europe, the Middle East, North and South America, Asia, and Africa. This collaboration will enhance the Middle East’s IX ecosystem, driving the digital economy forward by expanding SmartHub IX’s reach through direct connections to DE-CIX’s global network and international Internet Exchanges. Nabil Baccouche, Group Chief Carrier & Wholesale Officer, e&, says, “We are thrilled to partner with DE-CIX to boost the operations of SmartHub IX; this ground-breaking advancement will significantly enhance the digital landscape in the UAE and the wider region. This strategic collaboration aligns perfectly with our vision of building a dynamic and interconnected digital infrastructure. By leveraging DE-CIX’s global expertise and extensive network, we continue to deliver exceptional value to our customers and foster innovation across various industries. With low-latency connectivity, SmartHub IX will ensure that information is transmitted and processed with minimal delay, enabling a more agile and efficient digital ecosystem.” SmartHub IX has introduced a remote peering service in collaboration with multiple Internet Exchanges in the region and is working to scale it to a global level, aimed at enhancing the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of network operations for businesses and service providers. This service promises to deliver substantial cost savings, expand network reach, provide scalability, improve performance, and offer greater flexibility. e&'s Remote Peering Service positions SmartHub IX as a strategic gateway to global markets, providing customers with seamless cross-border connectivity and enhanced data exchange. Ivo Ivanov, Chief Executive Officer, DE-CIX (pictured above), adds, “We are honoured to have been chosen by our valued partner, e&, to drive SmartHub IX powered by DE-CIX forward. This is an exciting day for digital infrastructure in the UAE. Our common goal is not only to provide the digital economy in the Gulf region with the infrastructure it needs to forge closer local, regional, and international ties, but also to strengthen the entire Middle Eastern interconnection ecosystem. “In addition, direct connectivity between SmartHub IX powered by DE-CIX and DE-CIX’s IXs in India unites two highly valuable markets and connects the UAE even more strongly with global interconnection ecosystems. Together with UAE-IX, also powered by DE-CIX, the Middle East will benefit from the best IX ecosystem in the area. This agreement positions the UAE as the hotspot of interconnection for the entire region, taking the Middle East to the next level.” SmartHub IX in Fujairah hosts the largest submarine cable landing station in the region, interconnecting global customers, content providers, and Internet service providers. The new locations in Dubai will keep the IX business on a steady growth trajectory. SmartHub IX offers a world-class infrastructure and environment to customers seeking to interconnect with local, regional and international networks ensuring exceptional performance and reliability. For more from DE-CIX, click here.

RWO wins ‘next generation’ data centre work

North East engineer, RWO, has won work to support the development of the first of a new generation of data centres, strengthening its position as a growing provider of services to the sector. The Newcastle-based firm is providing an undisclosed package of civil, structural and geo environmental engineering services for the Latos Data Centres hyperscale data centre in Cardiff, a Tier III asset designed to meet the needs of the most demanding global technology companies. The move follows the Stockton-based IT services and consulting specialists’ announcement to deliver 40 new data centres across the UK by 2030. Cardiff will be the first of its data centres to go fully live later this year, and it's set to offer a total of 90MVA across 50,400 square metres of floor space. Power for the site will come from a 100% renewable energy supply from the National Grid, supported with a backup feed from the neighbouring 1000MW Tremorfa Energy Park - which is one of the world’s largest battery energy storage facilities. RWO’s work, which is being undertaken in conjunction with Teesside architect, Create Architecture, sees the provision of engineering expertise to bring forward state-of-the-art facilities to meet strong demand for domestic data processing and storage capabilities. The data centre market is poised for significant growth in the coming years, with forecasts indicating a substantial increase in demand, particularly when it comes to Artificial Intelligence (AI) - with the European AI market expected to grow by 25.9% in 2024, with annual growth of 15.9% until 2030. The Cardiff project comes as RWO continues to expand operations beyond its traditional North of England heartland. Ross Oakley, Managing Director of RWO, says, “Securing this work is another big step forward for us as we continue to grow our presence in the burgeoning data centre design and build sector. Our involvement through the planning and pre-construction phase, coupled with our in-depth knowledge of highly-specialist industrial and temperature-controlled facilities such as this, has enabled us to bring forward an effective programme of engineering to deliver the project.” Latos plans to open its purpose-built data centres across the UK by 2030 as part of a mission to enable UK businesses to capitalise on the power of advanced computing, including AI. For more from Latos Data Centres, click here.

DeepCoolAI and Sanmina partner to scale AI infrastructure

DeepCoolAI, an expert in AI infrastructure (including liquid cooling and high density solutions), and Sanmina Corporation, a specialist in advanced manufacturing, have announced a strategic partnership that seeks to revolutionise AI-driven data centres. Together, the companies are striving to set new standards in efficiency, flexibility and sustainability, catering to the ever-growing demands of AI-driven, high-performance computing environments. “Our partnership with Sanmina amplifies DeepCoolAI’s mission to pioneer cooling innovations for AI-driven data centres,” says Kris Holla, Founder and CEO of DeepCoolAI. “By integrating our technology, innovation and AI customised solutions with Sanmina’s global footprint and manufacturing expertise, we empower customers to achieve greater efficiency, unparalleled performance and high availability at scale. Together, we are building a future filled with unparalleled possibilities." Hari Pillai, President, Technology Components Group at Sanmina, comments, “Leveraging Sanmina’s state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities around the world, as well as the depth and experience of our design and manufacturing teams that have successfully brought multiple Open Compute Project (OCP) rack and power solutions to market, this partnership ensures rapid deployment of reliable, high-quality AI solutions tailored to each customer's unique needs. “From liquid-to-liquid and liquid-to-air Coolant Distribution Units (CDUs) to prefabricated modular high density solutions, DeepCoolAI and Sanmina are equipping data centres with the tools to exceed operational goals. The portfolio also emphasises seamless rack level integration with liquid cooling and high density power, enabling customers to deploy cooling systems with high availability and flexibility at scale.” “Our strategic alliance with DeepCoolAI brings an unprecedented combination of innovation and scalability to the data centre market. Together, we’re delivering future-proof AI infrastructure solutions that optimise efficiency and sustainability for the next generation of AI driven workloads. We are committed to the fast-growing data centre market with unprecedented scalability and manufacturing capacity to help our customers to turn on data centres faster.” Innovation to set a new benchmark AI-powered precision: Innovative liquid cooling and high density technology for sustainability and rapid scalability. High availability and sustainability at the core: Solutions are designed to meet high availability, stringent environmental standards, aligning with global carbon neutrality goals. Global reach, local support: Sanmina’s robust supply chain ensures consistent delivery of solutions worldwide, backed by regional expertise and customer support.

Healthcare organisation reduces storage costs with DS3 platform

Cubbit, a geo-distributed cloud storage expert, has announced that ASL CN1 Cuneo, a North Italian healthcare public service organisation, has reduced its storage costs by 50% thanks to Cubbit’s fully-managed S3 cloud object storage, DS3. ASL CN1 Cuneo now stores all of its 110 TB of backup data on Cubbit as part of its 3-2-1-1-0 backup strategy orchestrated via Veeam. DS3 delivers exceptional resilience against client-and server-side ransomware attacks and disasters, ensuring top-tier security (NIS2 standard), GDPR compliance, and adherence to regional public sector regulations while allowing the company to choose the exact geographical perimeter of data storage. By adopting Cubbit, ASL CN1 Cuneo has avoided the hidden costs typically associated with S3 - such as egress fees, API calls, deletion, and bucket replication fees. ASL CN1 Cuneo manages healthcare services across 173 municipalities and employs over 3,500 staff members. As most of its data is health-related (80%), it is therefore classified as “critical” by the Italian National Cybersecurity Agency (ACN). Thus, compliance with stringent GDPR and NIS2 data sovereignty and security guidelines and ACN certification (Italian public sector requirement) was non-negotiable. Prior to selecting Cubbit, ASL CN1 Cuneo had considered various other storage platforms. The healthcare company previously relied on hyperscaler services, but found that egress costs and API call fees were inflating expenses. On-premises solutions offered control and compliance but carried high upfront costs, demanded heavy IT resources, and proved challenging to maintain - difficulties especially significant for a public healthcare entity with limited IT resources regarding employees and budget. Since the adoption of Cubbit’s technology, ASL CN1 Cuneo has reaped the benefits of an S3 cloud object storage that meets national and European sovereign requirements, keeps data within Italian borders, and ensures full regulatory compliance. With Cubbit fully-managed object storage, fixed storage costs include all the main S3 APIs, together with the geo-distribution capacity, enabling ASL CN1 Cuneo to save 50% on its previous storage costs for equivalent configurations, while enhancing data resilience and security. Additionally, achieving the comprehensive security and compliance standards enabled by Cubbit’s DS3 solution aids in mitigating the risk of non-compliance fines to GDPR and NIS2, which can reach up to €10m (£8.5m) or 2% of the global annual revenue, whichever is higher. The cost efficiencies enabled by Cubbit allow ASL CN1 Cuneo to reinvest savings into its core mission of delivering quality healthcare services. “Finding a storage solution that met our strict compliance needs, elevated our security to NIS2 standards, and cut costs was no easy task,” says Andrea Saglietti, Head of Innovation and Information Security at ASL CN1 Cuneo. “We’ve used US-based cloud storage providers for a long time, but they didn’t offer the sovereignty, resilience, or economic advantages that can be achieved with Cubbit. This has enabled us to generate 50% savings on previous costs for the equivalent configuration. The speed of deployment and ease of use make Cubbit’s DS3 far more manageable than complex on-prem systems, while maintaining sovereignty and giving us full control over our data. Today, we have greater peace of mind knowing our data is stored securely, compliantly, and cost-effectively.” Alessandro Cillario, Co-CEO and Co-founder of Cubbit, adds, “Healthcare organisations in Europe must navigate a dense framework of regulatory requirements while grappling with surging data volumes and sophisticated cyber-threats. With Cubbit, ASL CN1 Cuneo can ensure that its critical healthcare data is safeguarded, compliant, and cost-efficient - without the unpredictability of hidden fees or the burdens of on-prem infrastructure. We’re proud to support ASL CN1 Cuneo and European healthcare and public sector organisations in evolving their storage strategy.” For more from Cubbit, click here.

Poor data quality the top obstacle to AI success, report says

The Ataccama Data Trust Report 2025 has identified poor data quality as a critical obstacle to AI adoption. The report states that despite AI's transformative potential, its success depends on trusted, reliable data. A lofty 68% of Chief Data Officers (CDOs) cite data quality as their top challenge, with only 33% of organisations making meaningful progress in AI adoption. Conducted by Hanover Research with insights from 300 senior data leaders, the report underscores the urgency of addressing systemic issues like fragmented systems and governance gaps. Without resolution, businesses risk stalled innovation, wasted resources, and diminished returns on AI investments. Other key findings • 41% of organisations struggle to maintain consistent data quality, directly hindering AI outcomes.• Knowledge gaps around data trust and governance slow progress; education is critical to closing these gaps.• Trusted data drives AI success: High-quality data accelerates decision-making, enhances customer experiences, and delivers competitive advantages. Policy implications As the UK accelerates its AI strategy with the newly unveiled AI Opportunities Action Plan, the report highlights a foundational gap organisations must address: data trust. When data is accurate, reliable, and trustworthy, users can be confident in making informed decisions that drive improved outcomes and reduce risk. • National standards for data quality: The report emphasises the need for unified benchmarks to guide businesses in building AI-ready ecosystems. Creating a National Data Library is a core goal within the UK plan for homegrown AI and regulatory principles - safety, transparency, and fairness - could be operationalised through national data governance benchmarks. These standards would ensure clear compliance guidelines while supporting the UK’s pro-innovation regulatory goals.• Infrastructure modernisation: Legacy systems remain a bottleneck to AI scalability, unable to handle real-time, high-volume data demands. With the commitment to sufficient, secure, and sustainable infrastructure, the UK’s investment in supercomputing and AI growth zones enables continuous data quality monitoring and governance. These advancements create scalable, efficient systems tailored to advanced AI technologies.• Data trust in AI regulation: Embedding governance and automated validation practices into data workflows is crucial for compliance, reliability, and long-term growth. Aligning the UK’s ethical AI initiatives with data trust requirements would ensure AI systems both operate reliably and adhere to safety and transparency principles. “The report makes one thing clear: enterprise AI initiatives rely on a foundation of trusted data,” says Jay Limburn, Chief Product Officer at Ataccama. “Without addressing systemic data quality challenges, organisations risk stalling progress. The UK’s approach to AI regulation shows how aligning data trust principles with national standards and infrastructure modernisation can deliver tangible results.” Data trust as the foundation of global AI leadership The UK’s regulatory progress presents an opportunity to lead in AI innovation. However, even the most ambitious policies risk falling short without prioritising data trust. The Ataccama Data Trust Report 2025 offers a roadmap to embed data trust into the UK’s AI agenda, ensuring ethical, effective initiatives that drive measurable outcomes, including increased AI adoption, enhanced compliance, and competitive advantages. To download the report in full, click here.

CtrlS announces 40-acre Datacenter Park near Hyderabad

CtrlS Datacenters has announced plans to set up a new Datacenter Park on a 40-acre land parcel at the upcoming Chandanvelly Industrial Park near Hyderabad in India. This expansion will significantly enhance the company's capacity and capabilities in the region.  The 40-acre campus, with a potential IT load capacity of over 600MW, represents a substantial investment in Hyderabad's data centre landscape, which presently has an estimated 52MW operational capacity.  According to various analyst reports, India's data centre industry is experiencing unprecedented growth, with capacity expected to cross 1,300MW by the end of 2024 and reach 1,800MW by 2026. This growth is driven by rapid digital transformation, AI and cloud adoption, and data localisation requirements.   The CtrlS Chandanvelly Datacenter Park will feature multiple high density, ultra-high density along with AI-ready, interconnected data centre buildings with a potential capacity of over 600MW IT load when fully developed. The buildings will be engineered for flexible ultra-high density rack configurations supporting up to 135KW per rack and immersion cooling up to 300KW per rack and equipped with state-of-the-art cooling technologies.   In phase-1, the facility has secured 250MW of sanctioned power capacity and plans to have a dedicated Gas Insulated Substation (GIS), expandable up to 900MW, ensuring redundant power availability for uninterrupted operations. The facility will also house mission-critical operation centres, administrative offices and collaboration spaces for customers.   The facility will utilise advanced cooling systems like free air-cooling, direct liquid cooling, immersion cooling for achieving an annual Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) between 1.12 and 1.32, with potential for even greater efficiency through free cooling solutions. The buildings will feature solar module facades on both western and southern elevations, offering multiple benefits including thermal regulation, generating green power and aesthetic appeal.  Sridhar Pinnapureddy, Chairman, CtrlS Datacenters Ltd, says, "Telangana is rapidly emerging as an economic powerhouse in India, making it strategic for CtrlS Datacenters' expansion. Our new data centre park will catalyse the growth of data-driven and technology businesses in the region.   He further adds, "Given the government's strong support for the ICT sector and accelerating digital transformation, CtrlS Datacenters is proud to contribute to Hyderabad's digital ecosystem through this state-of-the-art facility. We are grateful to the Telangana government for their support and for fostering an environment conducive to establishing our Datacenter Park."  

Palo Alto Networks partners with air transport expert

SITA, a specialist in air transport technology, has reached a significant agreement to partner with Palo Alto Networks, a global cyber security expert, to deliver comprehensive cyber security protection for mission-critical airports applications. As part of the agreement, Palo Alto Networks’ AI-powered cyber security platforms will be added into SITA’s CyberSecurity portfolio. SITA will provide the management and operation from its CyberSOC. The platform will safeguard access from remote sites, mobile workforce and airport assets such as check-in workstations, self-service kiosks, tablets, smartphones and baggage scanners, enabling smooth passenger flows whilst also avoiding downtimes and reducing turnaround times where efficiency of operations is a key priority. The partnership will focus on delivering advanced cyber security solutions (including Palo Alto Networks' Next Generation Firewalls (NGFW), Prisma SD-WAN Instant-On Network (ION) Devices, and Palo Alto Networks Prisma Access) to provide comprehensive network security, connectivity and cloud-based protection, all managed by SITA. This innovative development, called SITA Managed Security Service Edge (SSE) and consisting of Palo Alto Networks technologies, offers a complete suite of network security services (such as Secure Web Gateways, intrusion detection, threat intelligence, next generation antivirus or WildFire, DNS protection, SSL decryption and data loss prevention), all seamlessly delivered from Palo Alto Networks’ dedicated cloud platform. As a specialised subset within SITA’s Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) framework, SSE delivers robust and innovative world-leading security measures to protect digital infrastructure and implements the kind of advanced protection demanded by all CISOs and compliance authorities - including the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and ISO 27000. Martin Smillie, SITA Senior Vice President for Communications and Data Exchange (CDE), says, “The need to protect vital digital applications within the transportation industry has never been more acute, given the ever-evolving threat from cyber attacks. This agreement delivers industry-leading cyber security protection for our airport, airline and other customers, in mission critical areas of their operation. Managed by SITA CyberSOC, this combines Palo Alto Networks' best-in-class AI-powered, cloud native endpoint and application protection, all optimised and future-proofed to combat cyber threats.” Patricia Murphy, VP EMEA & LATAM Ecosystems at Palo Alto Networks, adds, “SITA has provided innovative answers for communications and data exchange to the aviation industry for the past 75 years, and is now expanding into other areas of transportation also. This partnership will begin a transformation of cyber security in the air transport industry, helping ensure that critical systems are protected with the most advanced cyber security platforms available - fostering a safer and more efficient environment for air travel worldwide.” Palo Alto Networks will help to provide the current and next generation of cyber security protection and software for SITA Secure Service Edge at mission-critical areas of aviation and other areas of transport. Palo Alto Networks leverages its Precision AI proprietary AI system to detect and outpace potential cyber threats, providing next-generation cyber security to thousands of customers globally across all industry sectors. Its platforms and services are supported by cutting-edge threat intelligence and state-of-the-art automation. For more from Palo Alto Networks, click here.

EXA Infrastructure to acquire Aqua Comms

EXA Infrastructure has announced that it has signed binding agreements to acquire Aqua Comms – a specialist operator of transatlantic and intra-European subsea infrastructure. EXA Infrastructure, a London-based portfolio company of I Squared Capital - an independent global infrastructure investment manager - operates over 150,000km of digital infrastructure across 37 countries, including 20 cable landing stations that provide critical connectivity to subsea systems. Aqua Comms is an Ireland-based service provider specialising in operating submarine cable systems and supplying fibre pairs, spectrum and wholesale network capacity to the global content, cloud, carrier and enterprise markets. It is the owner/operator of America Europe Connect-1 (AEC-1), America Europe Connect-2 (AEC-2), CeltixConnect-1 (CC-1) and CeltixConnect-2 (CC-2) and is part of a consortium that owns and operates the Amitié cable system (AEC-3). Speaking on the deal, Jim Fagan, Chief Executive of EXA Infrastructure, comments, “The acquisition of Aqua Comms demonstrates EXA Infrastructure’s commitment to build a modern and diverse transatlantic platform to fully serve AI, cloud and content demand, now and in the future. The combination will offer our customers more routes, more capacity and increased diversity, all on a scaled platform.” The planned transaction is expected to complete in approximately 12 months, subject to customary closing conditions. Akur Capital and RBC Capital Markets are acting as financial advisors to EXA Infrastructure in connection with the transaction and Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison is serving as legal M&A advisor to EXA Infrastructure. Goldman Sachs is acting as financial advisor to D9 in connection with the transaction and Shoosmiths is serving as legal advisor to D9. For more from EXA Infrastructure, click here.