News

Pulsant set to acquire two SCC data centres

Pulsant is set to acquire two data centres from European technology solutions and services provider SCC. This strategic investment will strengthen Pulsant’s unique edge infrastructure, platformEDGE, and marks the next phase in geographical expansion, enhancing its growing network of 12 data centres across the UK.The carve out deal will include SCC’s Birmingham and Fareham data centres, as well as the transfer of a high-quality roster of colocation-only clients to Pulsant, ensuring long-term stability, development and growth for clients, team members and the facilities themselves. In addition, the companies will form a new strategic partnership for critical colocation services across the UK, which includes access to Pulsant’s national network of data centres for all SCC clients. Based in Birmingham, the Cole Valley data centre benefits from a central UK location and proximity to a city of economic importance, making it a significant addition to Pulsant’s existing data centre network. It has a power capacity of around 2MW with potential for expansion. Meanwhile, the Fareham data centre is a modern carrier-neutral facility, with a mix of exceptional corporate and service provider colocation customers with a slightly higher power capacity of around 3MW. Both sites offer 25,000ft2 of data centre white space.Pulsant has a strong history of acquiring and integrating regional data centres to expand its coverage and capabilities, and the SCC investment will further strengthen its presence in the UK market. Rob Coupland, CEO of Pulsant, comments, "With the addition of two new data centres, we’ve expanded our UK coverage, strengthening our presence near key economic hubs that have traditionally been underserved in terms of digital infrastructure - particularly Birmingham, the UK’s second city. This will enable more businesses to benefit from Pulsant’s unique network of data centres and platformEDGE to reach new markets and grow their organisations. We’re excited to welcome and support the high-quality client base transitioning to Pulsant and look forward to fostering their continued growth. “SCC has an outstanding reputation, and we’re delighted to partner with them to support clients with their future colocation requirements. We are also excited to welcome the new team members, working together to deliver high availability services." James Rigby, Co-CEO of SCC, says, “SCC has been carefully reviewing options for the future of our data centres for some time. A clear priority was to find a specialist partner that will continue to invest in and operate these facilities for the long-term and with whom we can build a strategic relationship for the provision of these services to our clients. “Ensuring continuity for our customers, opportunities for our people, and a future-proofed infrastructure was critical in our decision. Pulsant’s expertise and commitment to growing its UK data centre footprint made them the ideal choice, and we look forward to working closely with Pulsant during this transition.” The data centre engineers and operational team members from both locations will be transferred to Pulsant on completion of the deal, expected in in April 2025. Fore more from Pulsant, click here.

Industry experts react to World Backup Day

Today, 31 March, marks this year's World Backup Day, and industry experts say that it once again offers a timely reminder of how vulnerable enterprise data can be. Fred Lherault, Field CTO at Pure Storage, says that businesses cannot afford to think about backup just one day, every year, and predicts that 2025 could be a record-setting year for ransomware attacks. Commenting on the day, Fred says, “31 March marks World Backup Day, serving as an important reminder for businesses to reassess their data protection strategies in the wake of an ever-evolving, and ever-growing threat landscape. However, cyber attackers aren’t in need of a reminder, and are probing for vulnerabilities 24/7 in order to invade systems. Given the valuable and sensitive nature of data, whether it resides in the public sector, healthcare, financial services or any other industry, businesses can’t afford to think about backup just one day per year. “Malware is a leading cause of data loss, and ransomware, which locks down data with encryption rendering it useless, is among the most common forms of malware. In 2024, there were 5,414 reported global ransomware attacks, an 11% increase from 2023. Due to the sensitive nature of these kinds of breaches, it’s safe to assume that the real number is much higher. It’s therefore fair to suggest that 2025 could be a record setting year for ransomware attacks. In light of these alarming figures, there is no place for a ‘it won’t happen to me’ mindset. Businesses need to be proactive, not reactive in their plans - not only for their own peace of mind, but also in the wake of new cyber resiliency regulations laid down by international governments. “Unfortunately, while backup systems have provided an insurance policy against an attack in the past, hackers are now trying to breach these too. Once an attacker is inside an organisation’s systems, they will attempt to find credentials to immobilise backups. This will make it more difficult, time consuming and potentially expensive to restore.” Meanwhile, Dr. Thomas King, the CTO of global internet exchange operator, DE-CIX, offers his own remarks about the occasion. Thomas explains, “World Backup Day has traditionally carried a very simple yet powerful message for businesses: backup your data. A large part of this is 'data redundancy' – the idea that storing multiple copies of data in separate locations will offer greater resilience in the event of an outage or network security breach. Yet, as workloads have moved into the cloud, and AI and SaaS applications have become dominant vehicles for productivity, the concept of 'redundancy' has started to expand. Businesses not only need contingency plans for their data, but contingency plans for their connectivity. Relying on a single-lane, vendor-locked connectivity pathway is a bit like only backing your data up in one place – once that solution fails, it’s game over. “In 2025, roughly 85% of software used by the average business is SaaS-based, with a typical organisation using 112 apps in their day-to-day operations. These cloud-based applications are wholly dependent on connectivity to function, and even minor slow-downs caused by congestion or packet loss on the network can kill productivity. This is even more true of AI-driven workloads, where businesses depend on low-latency, high-performance connectivity to generate real-time or near real-time calculations. “Over the years, we have been programmed to believe that faster connectivity equals better connectivity, but the reality is far more nuanced. IT decision-makers frequently chase faster connections to improve their SaaS or AI performance, but 82% severely underestimate the impact of packet loss and the general performance of their connectivity. This is what some refer to as the 'Application Performance Trap' – expecting a single, lightning-fast connection to solve all performance issues. But what happens if that connectivity pathway becomes congested, or worse, fails entirely? “This is why 'redundant' connectivity is essential. The main principle of redundancy in this context is that there should always be at least two paths leading to a destination – if one fails, the other can be used. This can be achieved by using a carrier-neutral Internet Exchange or IX, which facilitates direct peer-to-peer connectivity between businesses and their cloud-based workloads, essentially bypassing the public Internet. While IXs in the US were traditionally vendor-locked to a single carrier or data centre, neutral IXs allow businesses to establish multiple connections with different providers – sometimes to serve a particular use-case, but often in the interests of redundancy. Our research has shown that more than 80% of IXs in the US are now data centre and carrier neutral, presenting a perfect opportunity for businesses to not only back up their data, but also back up their connectivity this World Backup Day.” To read more about World Backup Day, visit its official website by clicking here. For more from Pure Storage, click here. For more from DE-CIX, click here.

EXFO introduces new line of 'always-on' testers

EXFO, a network test, monitoring, and analytics expert, has introduced a new series of always mobile-connected testers designed to increase field efficiency, compliance, and collaboration when deploying and maintaining fibre networks. The FTB Lite 700 series of OTDRs (optical time domain reflectometers), with seamless connectivity to EXFO’s Exchange cloud-based solution, was revealed at the FTTH Conference 2025 in Amsterdam earlier this week. “EXFO’s innovative FTB Lite 700 series is not just another test platform - it’s a game-changing tool built to enhance efficiency and performance in the field,” says Etienne Gagnon, Senior Vice President, Test & Measurement at EXFO. “Given the expansive growth in fibre networks as well as data centre proliferation, driven by AI applications, it’s imperative for deployments to be completed right the first time, and operators can now see their entire operation unfold in real time.” Automated access to comprehensive live data enabled by EXFO Exchange means being able to perform analytics and extract insights for better informed decision-making and planning, EXFO says, which in turn can accelerate project timelines. Real-time job tracking and reporting ensures that methods of procedure are adhered to for compliance with testing standards, while reducing errors and administrative time. Collaboration is enhanced given ease of connecting with team members in the office, on the road, or on-site in the field. Real-time data sharing, automated uploads, and cloud-based reporting all contribute to seamless and efficient teamwork. EXFO is an expert in OTDRs, and whether technicians are experienced or new to the role, EXFO believes they can excel at their jobs with user-friendly FTB Lite 700 series OTDRs for faster task completion and faster time to payment.

Keysight and Coherent to enhance data transfer rates

Keysight Technologies and Coherent Corp have collaborated on a 200G multimode technology demonstration that will be showcased for the first time at the OFC Conference in San Francisco, California. The 200G per lane vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) technology provides higher data transfer rates and addresses industry demand for higher bandwidth in data centres. It will enable the industry to deliver AI/ML services while reducing power consumption and capital expense of short-reach data interconnects. AI/ML deployment is driving extreme growth in the amount of data transfer in data centres. The cost of optical interconnects is an ever-growing portion of the Capex of the data centre, while the power consumption of the optical interconnects is an ever-growing portion of Opex. 200G multimode VCSELs revolutionise data transfer and network efficiency, offering the following benefits compared to single-mode transmission: · Increased bandwidth: 200 Gbps/lane doubles the data throughput of the current highest speed multimode interconnects.· Power efficiency: Significantly lower power-per-bit relative to single-mode alternatives driving down electrical power operational expense and helping large-scale data centres minimise their environmental impact.· Cost efficiency: Multimode VCSELs are less costly to manufacture than single-mode technologies, providing lower capital outlay for short-reach data links.· Compatible network architecture: AI pods and clusters require many high-speed, short-reach interconnects to share data amongst GPUs, aligning well with the strength of 200G multimode VCSELs. The 200G multimode demonstration consists of Keysight’s new wideband multimode sampling oscilloscope technology, Keysight’s M8199B 256 GSa/s Arbitrary Waveform Generator (AWG) and Coherent’s 200G multimode VCSEL. The M8199B AWG drives a 106.25 GBaud PAM4 electrical signal into the Coherent VCSEL, and the PAM4 optical signal output from the VCSEL is measured on wideband multimode scope displaying the eye diagram. The demo showcases the feasibility and capability of Coherent’s new VCSEL technology, as well as Keysight’s ability to characterise and validate this technology. Lee Xu, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Datacom Business Unit at Coherent, says, “Keysight has been a trusted partner and a leader in test instrumentation technology, providing advanced test solutions to us. We rely on Keysight products, such as the M8199B Arbitrary Waveform Generator, to validate our latest transceiver designs. We look forward to continuing our collaboration as we push the boundaries of optical communications with products based on 200G VCSEL, silicon photonics, and Electro-Absorption Modulated Laser (EML).” Dr. Joachim Peerlings, Vice President and General Manager of Keysight’s Network and Data Centre Solutions Group, adds, “We are pleased with the progress the industry is making in bringing 200G multimode technology to market. Our close collaboration with Coherent enabled another milestone in high-speed connectivity. The industry will benefit from a more efficient and cost-effective technology to address their business-critical AI/ML infrastructure deployment in the data centre.” Join Keysight experts at OFC, taking place 1-3 April in San Francisco, California, at Keysight's booth (stand 1301) for live demos on coherent optical innovations. For more from Keysight Technologies, click here.

Kao Data secures new customer contract from 20i

Kao Data, a specialist developer and operator of data centres engineered for AI and advanced computing, has secured a new customer contract with 20i, one of the UK's leading cloud, reseller, and web hosting companies. Founded in 2016, 20i has become renowned for its managed hosting services. It offers a unique, auto-scaling platform that ensures consistent and optimal customer website performance, regardless of user demand. 20i’s approach enables agencies, freelancers, businesses and resellers to deliver fast, reliable and scalable services to their clients. By working with Kao Data, 20i will be able to further optimise its service offerings, which include its 20i Managed Cloud Services, by leveraging a data centre environment that provides maximum levels of security, reliability, and diverse connectivity options, with on-ramps to all major hyperscale cloud platforms. Further, Kao Data’s Harlow campus is well-known for its data centre architecture (which is engineered for Artificial Intelligence (AI) and advanced computing workloads), its record for 100% uptime, and its security credentials. By hosting its infrastructure at Kao Data, 20i guarantees faster load times, enhanced reliability, and greater security for its customers, while delivering high standards of operational excellence. "At 20i, we’re dedicated to continuously improving our services, and we’re glad to partner with Kao Data, whose data centres will allow us to meet and exceed demands for security, performance and sustainability," says Lloyd Cobb, Director at 20i. "By collocating at Kao Data, we’re not only providing our customers with an enhanced digital platform that meets strict performance and data sovereignty requirements, but one that offers greater resiliency and, importantly, reinforces our companies’ environmental commitments." 20i’s commitment to sustainability is reflected in its use of 100% renewable energy to power its cloud and hosting services, its collaboration with data centres that have low Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) ratings and providing an ultra-energy efficient hosting platform. By deploying at Kao Data, 20i strengthens its green hosting credentials, aligning itself with one of the UK’s most sustainable data centres. Kao Data’s BREEAM-certified Harlow campus, powered entirely by 100% certified renewable energy and utilising hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) for backup generators, further supports this commitment and delivers an SLA-backed PUE of <1.2, even at partial loads. Spencer Lamb, Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) at Kao Data, adds, "We’re delighted to welcome 20i to our Harlow campus, and their decision to join Kao Data is a clear example of our capabilities as one of the UK’s leading providers of high-performance colocation services for AI, cloud and enterprise. Our partnership also highlights the growing trend of compute workloads migrating from the West of London to the North and East, and we are proud to power its cloud hosting platform sustainably from the heart of the UK Innovation Corridor.” 20i’s deployment follows Kao Data’s recent news announcing KLON-03 – its new, 17.6MW high performance data centre, purpose-built to accommodate hybrid-cooling technology. KLON-03 enables AI and cloud customers to deploy multi-megawatts (MWs) of direct-to-chip, liquid cooled infrastructure alongside traditional air-cooled servers, and demonstrates continued demand for high-density colocation capacity at Kao Data’s Harlow campus. For more from Kao Data, click here.

HireHigher and CyrusOne drive data centre awareness

As part of HireHigher’s continued partnership with CyrusOne, a global data centre developer and operator, to address the ongoing skills shortage in the data centre industry, they recently brought together 90 sixth-form students from St Mark’s Catholic, Gunnersbury Catholic and Logic Studio Schools in West London, for the largest student-facing digital infrastructure conference in the UK. The event was hosted by the London Heathrow Marriott Hotel ahead of today’s International Data Centre Day. It also marked three years of HireHigher and CyrusOne’s partnership to help broaden awareness of the integral role data centres play in society and the job opportunities they generate, particularly amongst the Gen Z age group. Data centres provide the digital infrastructure that underpins almost every aspect of our daily lives, enabling a vast range of economic, scientific, and social activities. A recent independent survey commissioned by CyrusOne, titled 'Listening to Communities', explored how the public perceives data centres in Europe, and found that those aged 16-24 years were least likely to know that data centres play a role in enabling digital applications such as WhatsApp (35%). HireHigher states that it's not surprising that today's digitally dependent generation, which represents the future workforce, is unaware of the significance of data centres in our lives. However, the company believes that this highlights the need for the industry to engage with younger generations through events such as this to help them understand the importance of data centres, their crucial role in modern society, and the impressive range of career opportunities they offer. Adelle Desouza, Founder of HireHigher, says, “It’s a testament to CyrusOne’s commitment to attracting the best talent to the industry that they have once again joined us to host an event for sixth formers. If the industry wants to attract top talent, we need to ignite more passion in the young workforce of the future, ensuring they are well informed and inspired and understand what options there are for them in the industry.” Emma Fryer, Director Public Policy Europe at CyrusOne, adds, “We’re delighted to have partnered with HireHigher once again to deliver an outstanding event. In-person engagement is essential if we are to forge meaningful connections with the next generation of talent and show students first hand how important, relevant and exciting our industry is. My favourite part of the day was tasking the students to design a community-oriented data centre. By encouraging our students to work collaboratively and to think about meeting the specific needs of host communities, from sustainability to social equity, we brought to life the challenges that our own teams work on every day and gave them the chance to work things out for themselves.” With the additional support of Virtus Data Centres, the annual event forms an important part of HireHigher’s aim to improve careers advice in schools and partner with organisations that will help create real action within the industry. Events such as these help to attract new talent and contribute to the current skills shortage the industry faces in a positive way. As part of the day’s agenda, the students heard from a panel of graduates and apprentices from CyrusOne and HireHigher’s Rising Star Programme, who discussed their jobs and routes into the industry. Students also had the opportunity to visit one of CyrusOne’s or VIRTUS’ data centres. Vlad Tipu, Computer Science teacher at Logic School, comments, “Students have had a great opportunity to engage with professionals in a well-established sector. This will provide them with excellent perspectives and potential career paths they can pursue for their futures.” For more from CyrusOne, click here.

Digital Realty to boost global connectivity

Digital Realty, a global provider of cloud- and carrier-neutral data centre, colocation, and interconnection services, and Console Connect, PCCW Global’s on-demand platform and automated network for intelligent data movement, have announced a significant expansion of their strategic collaboration, which will extend the reach of ServiceFabric to several new markets globally. This latest move builds on the collaboration initially established in 2022 and will provide enterprises with enhanced options to connect to businesses and partners globally, across any location, at any time. Through a seamless API integration with the Console Connect platform, users of Digital Realty’s ServiceFabric gain access to on-demand connectivity to more than 100 new third-party data centres, including many located in key metros across the Middle East and Africa, where demand for connectivity from enterprises is growing. Additionally, the partnership will provide access to more than 75 new cloud on-ramps, further enriching the global connectivity options available to enterprises across PlatformDIGITAL. With the addition of these new sites, Digital Realty’s orchestration platform ServiceFabric is now accessible at more than 600 data centres globally, providing a myriad of interconnection opportunities and supporting the growing demands of digital businesses, including private connections for AI applications and joint expansion of respective AI Exchange ecosystems. “Our expanded collaboration with Console Connect underscores our commitment to providing seamless, scalable, and secure interconnection solutions for enterprises worldwide,” says Scott Mills, Senior Vice President, Product and Engineering, Digital Realty. “By leveraging Console Connect’s platform and the robust PCCW Global network, we’re enabling more customers to accelerate their digital transformation, drive AI adoption, and connect to a broader ecosystem of partners and services across diverse geographies including growing markets in Africa and the Middle East.” “With our extended collaboration, Digital Realty customers can enjoy the performance, speed and security offered by Console Connect’s privately managed network more easily than ever,” adds Michael Glynn, Senior Vice President of Digital Automated Innovation, PCCW Global. “Meanwhile, the broader availability of our on-demand services offers enterprises greater choice, flexibility and control over their global connections.” This expanded partnership strengthens Digital Realty and Console Connect’s leadership in data centre, NaaS (Network-as-a-Service), and AI Exchange solutions, empowering businesses to thrive in an increasingly digital and interconnected world. The deeper integration has already driven joint customer success, providing on-demand access to a vast ecosystem of networks, partners, and services. According to Kenny Wong, Technical Consultant at Azonne, a provider of customisable business-class Hosted PBX phone service and unified communications services based in Hong Kong, "Console Connect and Digital Realty offered Azonne a seamless, one-stop solution for our networking needs. Setting up Console Connect via a ServiceFabric port at our existing data centre location was incredibly easy, and this collaboration has enabled us to interconnect effortlessly with other data centre locations, internet exchanges, and office sites across Asia." For more from Digital Realty, click here.

ZTE showcasing FTTx innovations at FTTH Conference 2025

ZTE Corporation, a global provider of integrated information and communication technology products, is showcasing its full lifecycle FTTx innovation at the FTTH Conference 2025. The FTTx innovation indicates that the entire FTTx construction and O&M process has entered the 'zero era', including four features: Zero-touch planning: Cutting-edge AI identification technologies are used for planning and design, and project survey results are output with only one click, greatly improving planning efficiency.Zero construction threshold: The end-to-end full-stack FTTx innovation allows for full-scenario coverage, laying a foundation for smooth upgrade and continuous evolution in the future. ZTE offers a comprehensive series of ODN products in the industry to accurately meet the diversified requirements of different markets.Zero fault blind spot: The system provides the active early warning function for potential faults, and works with the end-to-end digital and intelligent network management and O&M to ensure network operation without fault dead spots.Zero idle resources: The system dynamically perceives the link status and automatically updates it in a timely manner so that the ODN end-to-end resource accuracy is 100% and idle ports are activated to avoid resource waste. The precise resource management ensures zero errors in one-time deployment, without the need for revisit. In home area, ZTE builds 'one smart home, one-key control, and AI-enabled quality life', and reconstructs a new ecosystem of digital home life through the AIoT technology. One smart home: ZTE builds a full-scenario home ecosystem. XGS-PON and Wi-Fi 7 are integrated to offer ultra-broadband access capability and ultra-gigabit network coverage in the whole home. In the Wi-Fi Mesh and all-optical FTTR three-dimensional network architecture, the topology structure of 'one master, three slaves, N extensions' is constructed, the signal coverage is increased by 300%, and the roaming handover duration is as low as 10ms. In business innovation, the 4K/8K set-top boxes (STB) are used to create smart home screens. The AI-based intelligent security components of IP cameras (IPC) are employed to build a home security butler, and the distributed NAS storage matrix is utilised to construct a home data bank. One-click control: ZTE seeks to deliver a better home experience. Its home all-terminal management platform, ZENIC ONE, supports seamless interconnection of over 200 smart devices and empowerment based on large AI models to achieve AI O&M hubs and intelligent diagnosis. The large-model-based Wi-Fi self-optimisation system reduces complaint rate by 28%. In predictive maintenance, AI evaluation of device health promotes O&M efficiency by 74%. Facing the new experience of smart life in the future, the AI FTTR 6.0 integrates sensing, computing, storage and display, creating an entrance to a smart home. AI STBs support viewing, AI fitness, AI gaming, computing, and communication, serving as a gateway for home services. The Light PON solution supports lightweight and fast deployment. The lightweight OLT is light in weight and small in size. The outdoor design supports single-person single-site installation, greatly eliminating the dependence on large equipment rooms. The equipment room rental cost drops by 90%. Efficient and lightweight ODN breaks professional limitations, so that ordinary workers can quickly lay out it as needed and operate it easily, cutting cabling costs by 50%. Intelligent and lightweight management and O&M enables on-site device plug-and-play and zero configuration, greatly decreasing O&M load and human error risks and ensuring stable network operation. The cost-effective and easy-to-maintain transport network product is also showcased. Designed to help operators and ISP customers optimise network deployment and operations, this end-to-end lightweight transport network features compact, low-power, and easy-to-maintain box-type products. By streamlining infrastructure and reducing operational complexity, the solution minimises space requirements and power consumption, significantly lowering the total cost of ownership while ensuring efficient, reliable, and scalable network performance. ZTE says that it has achieved outstanding performance in the fierce competition in the global communications field. It ranks second in global market share of FTTx in the industry, and has carried out deep cooperation with over 300 operators across more than 100 countries. ZTE takes the lead in 50G PON, and has cooperated with over 50 operators. The ODN network covers more than 30 million users worldwide, and has been successfully deployed in more than 100 turnkey projects. In 2024, the total shipment of home terminals exceeded 100 million, and PON ONT/IP STB ranked number one in market share. For more from ZTE, click here.

JLL appoints new Director of Data Centres

Yassine Rifai has joined JLL in a newly created role as Director of Data Centres, France, Belgium and Luxembourg, within the firm’s EMEA Project & Development Services business. The appointment is set to accelerate JLL’s development in the sector and strengthen its positioning in key European markets by reinforcing the firm’s senior project management capabilities. With nearly 20 years of experience within real estate, engineering, and data centres, Yassine will provide clients with strategic support, implementing and delivering key projects within his specific geographies. Yassine will assist clients in navigating French administrative procedures and local urban planning regulations, across the entire project lifecycle. Based in Paris, Yassine reports to Maxime Michaux, Head of Engineering, France. “We are excited to welcome Yassine to the business,” says Jonathan Kinsey, EMEA Lead and Global Chair, Data Centre Solutions, JLL. “His appointment brings essential expertise to our team and will help us to grow our presence in the key French-speaking markets as the sector continues its upwards trajectory.” Analysis by JLL highlights the extent of the surge in data centre demand across EMEA, estimating that 742MW of hyperscale self-build is currently under construction in the region, with a further 2,661MW worth of land banked. Based on this current pace of under construction and planned developments, the EMEA market will likely expand at a baseline 25% CAGR through 2027, compared with projected global growth of 15%. A graduate of the prestigious Skema Business School in France, Rifai has held engineering and project management roles in Morocco, Middle East and France, where he specialised in data centres. His last role before joining JLL was with Turner & Townsend in Paris, where he served as Data Centre Project Director. “France continues to be a core European market, with some specific challenges related to administrative issues and land availability,” Jonathan explains. “Yassine’s unique skillset will help us create a genuine local centre of expertise to support our clients as the sector continues to evolve. His in-depth knowledge of the local construction market and experience delivering major projects in the region will be a major asset to our team.” For more from JLL, click here.

Digital Realty announces opening of Frankfurt data centre

Digital Realty, a global provider of cloud- and carrier-neutral data centre, colocation, and interconnection solutions, has announced the opening of FRA18, Germany’s first data centre housed within a historically preserved building. The facility, located in the landmark former Neckermann headquarters, is the third data centre within Digital Realty’s Digital Park Fechenheim campus and represents a unique fusion of innovation, sustainability, and architectural heritage. FRA18 offers 8,200 square metres of colocation space and a total IT capacity of 16 megawatts (MW), designed to support high-performance computing (HPC) and artificial intelligence (AI) workloads. The facility launches with an initial capacity of 6.4MW in phase one, with an additional 9.6MW expected to come online in later phases. Optimised for AI and HPC applications, FRA18 is equipped with state-of-the-art infrastructure, including advanced liquid cooling technology that maximises efficiency and performance. Moreover, with the integration of ServiceFabric, Digital Realty enhances FRA18’s robust data security and connectivity capabilities, giving customers seamless access to SCION (Scalability, Control, and Isolation On Next-Generation Networks) - a next-generation secure internet protocol essential for industries like finance and pharmaceuticals. “Our vision for Digital Park Fechenheim is innovation at every level,” says Volker Ludwig, Senior Vice President and Managing Director, DACH, at Digital Realty. “We are committed to preserving the historic significance of the site while delivering cutting-edge technology solutions that empower our customers and enhance data security.” The repurposing of the Egon Eiermann-designed building underscores Digital Realty’s commitment to sustainability and architectural preservation. The iconic building, complete with its signature staircases, balconies, and rainwater management system, remains intact, while former distribution floors have been transformed into high-performance data halls. Sustainability is a key pillar of the Digital Park Fechenheim development. In collaboration with environmental authorities, Digital Realty is implementing a comprehensive renaturation strategy, creating extensive green spaces and restoring 10,000 square metres of land to enhance biodiversity and groundwater regeneration. Additionally, the site will incorporate an innovative heat reuse system, repurposing residual heat from the facility. “This milestone reinforces our commitment to responsible development and sustainable innovation,” Volker adds. “By working closely with the City of Frankfurt and the State of Hesse, we have developed a concept that fully aligns with heritage preservation requirements while emphasising Digital’s commitment to energy efficiency and environmental stewardship.” For more from Digital Realty, click here.