Hyperscale

Ehvert joins forces with Salas O’Brien

Ehvert Mission Critical, a global provider of engineering, construction, and operation services for complex mission-critical facilities and data centres, has announced that it has joined employee-owned engineering and technical services firm, Salas O’Brien. Through this merger, Ehvert leverages its advanced engineering services, underpinned by virtual design and construction expertise, specifically around hyperscale data centres. This will allow for seamless integration with Salas O’Brien’s electrical, mechanical, structural, architectural, renewable energy, and noise mitigation services, effectively addressing the surging requirements of AI. With experts predicting a 160% increase in data centre power demand by 2030, Ehvert says that the union provides a powerful suite of much-needed critical services to an expanding global digital infrastructure ecosystem. The unique merger also creates a combined presence of over 3,600 team members in more than 90 offices globally, enhancing service opportunities for clients and career opportunities for team members. Ehvert and Salas O’Brien share strong company values and a deep commitment to innovation and sustainability. “Vello Ehvert and his team are global leaders in their field,” says Darin Anderson, Chairman and CEO of Salas O’Brien. “Together, we are the most comprehensive provider of innovative, sustainable solutions for hyperscale data centres, addressing the pressing data challenges facing industry and society.” Ehvert is a data centre specialist that leverages advanced technologies to streamline processes from initial design to build-out, technology integration, and ongoing systems support. The company is responsible for its innovative, renowned hyperscale data centre projects across the world, and it is committed to providing the digital infrastructure industry with drastic improvements in construction efficiency and reduced timelines to meet the most demanding and exact requirements. “We are proud to join a future-focused company like Salas O’Brien, continuing the philosophy that formed the basis of Ehvert Mission Critical over 35 years ago,” notes Vello Ehvert, President of Ehvert. “We have evolved into a full engineering, construction, and innovation firm, and Salas O’Brien will enhance the energy design and planning solutions we can bring to our clients.”

TA Realty and EdgeConneX to develop DC campus in Atlanta

TA Realty, a provider of real estate investment management services, and EdgeConneX, a global provider of data centre solutions, have announced the joint development of a 324MW hyperscale data centre campus in Atlanta, Georgia. In addition to acquiring the site, TA Realty, through its dedicated hyperscale development arm TA Digital Group, will manage power procurement and secure all necessary utilities, zoning approvals, permits, and entitlements, addressing the complexities and challenges inherent in these processes. EdgeConneX will bring its comprehensive experience in designing, building and operating data centres. By combining their respective expertise, both companies will aim to ensure the successful delivery of this project with the goal of bringing the site live on time and on budget. This collaborative effort brings together the strengths of each company, in an effort to provide a comprehensive and efficient data centre development process from inception to completion that is optimised for hyperscale customer requirements. TA Realty's extensive background in real estate and its power-first approach to data centres are enhanced by its rich legacy in the Atlanta market, coupled with its broad presence in other Tier 1 markets. Positioned strategically in a key Atlanta sub-market, this location serves as a crucial element in the company's broader plan to develop large-scale data centre complexes in major metropolitan areas. This initiative also highlights TA Digital Group's dedication to sustainable development and proactive community involvement, the company says. Through that dedication, and by harnessing the existing resources and infrastructure of Atlanta, TA Realty aims to not only ensure the enduring value of its assets, but also foster a positive social impact. Leveraging a foundation of innovation, EdgeConneX drives the future of data centres by enabling customers to achieve their vision with customised, build-to-suit data centre solutions on a global scale. Headquartered in Northern Virginia, Singapore, and Amsterdam, EdgeConneX builds infrastructure solutions where, how and when customers need data centre capacity, delivering capacity for content, cloud and AI service providers. With over 80 data centres across North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and South America, EdgeConneX delivers hyperlocal to hyperscale to hyperdense data centre solutions globally and sustainably. Construction is set to commence later this year, with the first phase of the data centre campus expected to be operational by 2026. This development supports the growing demands for low latency, high-performance computing driven by advancements in AI, cloud services, and other emerging technologies. As businesses increasingly rely on these technologies, the need for resilient and scalable digital infrastructure continues to rise, making this project an essential component of the region's digital growth.

Yondr Group breaks ground on second hyperscale data centre facility

Yondr Group, a developer, owner operator and service provider of hyperscale data centres, in partnership with JK Land Holdings, has broken ground on its second 48MW data centre in Loudoun County, Northern Virginia. Two months on from energising its first 48MW data centre in Loudoun County, the 96MW two-building campus is set to deliver critical cloud capacity. Commencing the construction marks a pivotal phase of the project, which is delivering numerous socio-economic benefits in Loudoun County, including job creation, talent development and a long-term social value legacy. The data centre’s waterless design ensures zero reliance on local water supplies. Eanna Murphy, COO of Design and Construction at Yondr Group, says, “Northern Virginia remains the world’s data centre capital, and we’re delighted to commence this next phase of Loudoun County’s digital infrastructure transformation alongside a partner whose values, morals and ethics mirror our own. “Yondr’s prowess in the data centre market is underpinned by our vision to deliver critical IT capacity at pace, prioritise quality, innovation and sustainability, and spur significant social value throughout our supply chain and the communities within which we operate; with this second phase comprising some one million plus people hours from inception to completion. “Our commitment to investing $2bn in future-ready data centre infrastructure in the American region further cements our expansion, as we deliver a legacy of supporting digital resiliency, digital transformation and the continued adoption of AI and other rapid-growth technologies.” “We’re thrilled to be part of this phase two ground-breaking project that not only enhances global data centre infrastructure but also fosters sustainable growth,” says Chuck Kuhn, CEO of JK Land Holdings, and Founder and CEO of JK Moving Services. “Partnering with Yondr Group aligns perfectly with our commitment to innovation and responsible development, reflecting our shared values and dedication to driving positive change in the communities we serve.”

Vultr announces new CDN in race to be the next hyperscaler

Vultr, a privately-held cloud computing platform, has announced the launch of Vultr CDN. This content delivery service pushes content closer to the edge without compromising security. Vultr now enables global content and media caching, empowering its worldwide community with services for scaling websites and web applications. Traditional content delivery networks are incredibly complex, leaving businesses and web developers needing help to configure, manage, and optimise infrastructure cost-effectively and in a timely manner. They require immediate access to a powerful, scalable, and global content delivery network to accelerate digital content distribution and keep up with customer demand. The launch of Vultr CDN marks the next phase of the company’s growth as a leading cloud computing platform. By adding global content caching and delivery to Vultr’s existing cloud infrastructure, the service simplifies infrastructure operations with unbeatable price-to-performance starting at $10/month, with the industry’s lowest bandwidth costs. For those requiring the highest performance CPUs, Vultr also offers unique high-frequency plans powered by high clock speed CPUs and NVMe local storage, optimised for websites and content management systems. Purpose-built for performance-driven businesses, Vultr CDN delivers a network for fast, secure, and reliable content distribution and is optimised for content acceleration, API caching, image optimisation and more. Seamless integrations with Vultr Cloud Compute enable it to scale automatically and intelligently by selecting the best location for content delivery, thereby optimising user requests to save time and money.  Vultr CDN is now available for use as a beta service with a full release in February.

atNorth announces heat reuse enabled mega site in Kouvola

atNorth has announced further expansion into Finland with a new mega site planned on a 21Ha plot, in Kouvola, 139km north east of Helsinki and 52km from the city of Hamina. The site, called FIN04, aligns to atNorth’s growth strategy and will be its 10th data centre in the Nordics and its fourth campus in Finland.FIN04 will have an immediate power supply of 60MW with the first phase, ready for operation in the second half of 2025 and a path to power to several hundred megawatts when fully built. The site will cater for both colocation customers and build-to-suit projects.“This agreement is yet another hallmark moment for atNorth. Kouvola is a critical location for our next site, as we continue to expand and meet the growing demand for high performance services,” comments Eyjolfur Magnus Kristinsson, CEO, atNorth. “We are in ongoing discussions with several AI companies, hyperscalers as well as international organisations requiring high performance computing, who see the clear benefit of moving to the Nordics to decarbonise their IT workloads. True to our vision, we are leading the way in future-proofed data centre infrastructure across the Nordics.”The Kouvola region is known for its sustainability practices. The city promotes a circular economy throughout its infrastructure design and architecture, in line with the needs of local communities, businesses, and residents.“Kouvola is a sought-after, sustainable destination. We welcome business investment from responsible companies like atNorth, who see the benefit in helping to advance digitalisation in an environmentally responsible way,” states Marita Toikka, Mayor of Kouvola. “We are excited to collaborate with atNorth to bring innovation, digital competitiveness and sustainability to the forefront.” Working closely with the city of Kouvola and energy partner, KSS Energia, the new FIN04 site will be enabled with heat reuse capabilities, which will enable the recovery of excess heat from the data centre to be recycled for possible reuse within the local community.“We are excited to work with atNorth to implement a heat reuse practice that can serve as an inspiration for other businesses striving to meet sustainability targets and contribute to a better world,” states Marko Riipinen, CEO, KSS Energia.

Reliable, experience-first, multivendor: Data centre solutions for the channel

Dale Smith, Channel Director, EMEA and LATAM at Juniper Networks In the current data centre landscape, businesses grapple with many challenges in their day-to-day operations. The scarcity of qualified professionals makes it difficult for organisations to effectively manage data centres, while complex, often standalone tools and technologies can lead to inefficiencies and errors. Additionally, staying updated with emerging trends and selecting the right solutions adds another layer of complexity. These challenges can be overwhelming for data centre operators to manage alongside their day-to-day jobs. Many companies have found the task so daunting that they have shifted IT workloads from their on-premises data centres to public clouds, only to realise they greatly underestimated the costs of public cloud. Partners should be the first port of call when organisations look for a data centre solution. They can offer a helping hand to customers navigating these challenges by recommending the most appropriate technologies and the right tools based on specific requirements. With the right technologies on offer, partners can help customers transform their data centre operations and alleviate some of the pressures they currently face. Getting solutions offerings right There are numerous data centre networking solutions available on the market, so it can be challenging for partners to know which will be the best investment to ultimately meet customer needs. In reality, most solutions can be complex to learn, implement and operate for IT teams. This complexity arises from a variety of factors such as multi-layered architectures, diverse technologies and protocols, customisation needs, scale and complexity of network infrastructure, interoperability limitations and skill requirements. Integrating and configuring these solutions across different layers and components can be a huge challenge. To combat this, the key is to opt for a solution that abstracts the complexity in such a way that simplifies the networking experience through user-friendly interfaces and reliable and consistent operations, while offering multivendor support to ensure the best flexibility and ease-of-use. For vendors, the goal is to assist customers in setting up a seamless private data centre operation that they can manage effortlessly and with the same simplicity it takes to run public cloud-based infrastructure. Here are three steps for partners to consider when choosing solutions offerings for customers: Reliable data centre operations If the cloud hyperscalers have taught us anything, it is that reliability, consistency and repeatability are the foundations for speed. Solutions based on repeatable templates are a great way for partners to ensure reliability at pace for customers. By following predictable and repeatable data centre fabric designs based on industry best practices and common use cases, organisations can efficiently implement configurations with speed and reliability. Validated designs offer guardrails for customers and lead to increased productivity, reduced downtime and optimised operational performance. Organisations can design their data centre with a simple blueprint. No need to mess around with esoteric vendor syntax in a command-line interface (CLI). Once the blueprint is complete, customers can duplicate the same design every time they need to expand their data centre network, ensuring quick, reliable and easy expansion for enterprises who may need to rollout new infrastructure in minimal time with minimal downtime. Partners should consider investing in solutions with augmented automation capabilities and intuitive design, as operators can easily navigate and configure their data centre, reducing complexities and saving time. Experience-first ensures smooth operation The most innovative data centre solutions prioritise user experience and enable the user to easily implement their intent. These solutions should then take care of the "how” by the device configurations and service assurance. These continuously validate the infrastructure in operation versus the intended blueprint design that is stored in a single-source-of-truth graph database as the foundation. This means customers are no longer tied to the CLI and vendor certifications. It is also important for partners to offer data centre solutions that can integrate with other applications to offer a seamless user experience. Integration with a range of popular services and solutions enable customers to create a cohesive ecosystem across hybrid cloud environments and disparate IT infrastructure. A seamless experience means that organisations can connect their data centre infrastructure with various services, such as cloud platforms, security solutions and management tools to have full visibility. A growing number of businesses, especially those using DevOps and site reliability engineering (SRE) approaches, want more programmatic or structured ways to use data centre fabric management tools. They would like to fold their data centre automation into the same Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC) framework used for the rest of the cloud environment. These integrations enhance interoperability, improve workflow efficiency and unlock additional capabilities and features. Multivendor solutions allow flexibility Multivendor solutions allow a customer to design their data centre first and then pick the underlying fabric, offering strategic flexibility and ensuring a tailored infrastructure which meets the exact needs of the customer. Hardware selection should be one of the final steps in data centre design, not the first. Multivendor automation also expands hiring flexibility and increases efficiency. With a multivendor solution, customers are no longer constrained to find and train experts in a specific vendor’s portfolio and operating system (OS). By providing an abstraction layer, this ensures consistent operations regardless of vendor and turns each person on the team into an expert. The best protection against supply chain disruptions — or getting locked into one vendor’s pricing and product roadmap — is the ability to quickly change vendors. Multivendor solutions offer this protection. Some customers even use these solutions for what they call 'lead time arbitrage', pivoting away from an incumbent that needed many months to fill an order and swapping to a vendor who could deliver much sooner. With multivendor flow data, digital businesses gain significant advantages, including enhanced end-customer experiences, improved operational efficiency, data-driven decision-making and cost optimisation. Flow data through these systems enables complete network visibility across vendors for in-depth analysis of traffic patterns, performance optimisation, security enhancement, regulatory compliance, capacity planning and cost control. Perhaps most importantly, flow data allows operators to understand how network issues impact specific applications. Data centres exist for the applications running in them, not the underlying network. Partners can benefit greatly from offering the latest data centre technologies and having deep knowledge of how these cutting-edge solutions can enhance data centre operations for organisations. This ensures continued growth of trusted relationships with customers and increased growth for the partner’s business. As organisations grapple with their data centre operations, partners should be ready to support them on their journey to deliver the best user experience.

Colt DCS expands with third Frankfurt hyperscale data centre

Colt Data Centre Services (DCS) has commenced the construction of its third state-of-the-art data centre in Frankfurt, Germany. Recognising Germany's pivotal role as a digital business hub with essential infrastructure for seamless internet traffic across Europe and beyond, it has strategically chosen to continue to invest in the Frankfurt market in order meet customer demand.  The latest Frankfurt hyperscale data centre project is strategically situated in close proximity to Colt DCS's existing Frankfurt data centre, offering seamless connectivity to the Rhine-Main region and convenient access to Frankfurt's major financial district. Designed for a leading cloud service provider, this facility will provide 32.4MW of IT power capacity, ensuring exceptional data storage capabilities and scalability for the tenant's IT infrastructure. The facility boasts direct access to DE-CIX, one of the world's largest internet exchange points, as well as multiple dark fibre providers. Additionally, the Frankfurt data centre will maintain its status as a cloud, carrier, and IX neutral, with multiple points of entry and alternative carrier routing to ensure zero service disruptions.  At the heart of Colt DCS's commitment is sustainable scalability, evident across its 16 state-of-the-art data centre developments, with the company procuring 100% renewable energy across its entire European estate, providing robust and environmentally friendly power to the new hyperscale Tier-3 data centre. Furthermore, the facility will offer round-the-clock local language customer support and is set to achieve ISO 27001 certification post-phase delivery. Richard Wellbrock, Vice President of Real Estate at Colt DCS, says, "We understand the imperative to provide digital businesses in Germany with the data storage and scalability they need to serve their customers optimally. Our proven track record and extensive experience in constructing and operating data centres in Frankfurt has allowed us to optimise efficiency, reliability, and data security for our partners and customers. Germany's robust digital infrastructure, supported by a dependable power grid and sophisticated telecommunications network, reinforces our commitment to delivering unparalleled services in the market. Colt DCS remains steadfast in its mission to develop strategically located data centre sites that cater to our customers' needs, establishing us as the industry's most trusted and customer-centric data centre operator." Colt DCS’ design of all newly built data centre is future-proofed to accommodate liquid cooling and high-density racks layouts, with flexibility to deliver hybrid solutions (air and/or liquid cooling) depending on the customer's use case.

PowerHouse announces a strategic development site

PowerHouse Data Centers (PowerHouse) has recently begun demolition on a 43 acre plot with a significant history in the digital space. The site will soon become home to its new hyperscale-sized powered shell campus. When complete, the new campus, known as PowerHouse Pacific, will include three high performance buildings totalling approximately 1.2 million square feet and a new power substation. A subsidiary of American Real Estate Partners (AREP), PowerHouse offers turnkey site selection, powered shell, and build-to-suit data centre solutions for hyperscalers, data centre operators, and multinational companies. PowerHouse Pacific's demolition process finishes in early 2024, enabling the construction of a new power substation through summer 2024 in partnership with Dominion Energy. Construction of the first of three new buildings begins in the fall of 2024 and delivers in mid-2026. The demolition of the existing structures on the site includes two multi-story parking structures, three office buildings, one mail hub, and a long-defunct pedestrian bridge stretching across Pacific Boulevard. PowerHouse Pacific's general contractor, E.E. Reed Construction, mobilised early last month, and demolition started with the parking structures. In preparation for the demolition, the team pulled literally tons of materials from each building. This meant all ceilings, floors, and walls were stripped for any wires, pipe, and other elements that could be recycled. All recyclable building materials and metal were sent for processing, and the concrete will be processed for reuse onsite, reducing the amount of waste sent to landfills and the impact of trucking this material off-site. Usable furniture and office components were donated, as was the case with the property's kitchen equipment, which PowerHouse donated to the Dulles South Soup Kitchen in Loudoun County. Each building's final preparation step is the removal of any non-load-bearing walls and flooring.

Rise of AI to drive growth for Nordic data centre market

The data centre market in the Nordics is primed for exponential growth as a result of the acceleration of AI, according to CBRE. AI and machine learning (ML) technologies have experienced unprecedented adoption levels in 2023 and these wide-scale, digital business transformations are fuelling demand for data centre infrastructure as a result. New research from CBRE suggests that much of this demand can be satisfied in the Nordics, primarily due to the low-cost power availability and leading sustainability credentials in the region. There is an abundance of low-cost hydropower available and with the inherently cold climate, there is minimal need to use additional power to cool equipment. CBRE predicts that the Nordics will account for 8% of all colocation data centre supply in Europe by the end of 2023, a sharp year-on-year increase from 5% in 2022, with many locations in the region set to benefit from increased hyperscaler demand. According to the research, Norway’s data centre capacity is expected to more than double by the end of 2026 to 500MW, compared to the projected 210MW at the end of 2023. Furthermore, CBRE predicts that Stockholm’s data centre capacity will almost double by the end of 2026 to 136MW. Stockholm, alongside Oslo and Copenhagen, already forms part of Europe’s 20 largest data centre markets, with further growth expected as customers with large scale requirements look to the Nordics to fulfil demand. Much of the new capacity will be absorbed by the hyperscale operators, but significant opportunities exist for colocation vendors to develop new purpose-build facilities, according to the research.

Start Campus drives momentum in Portugal

Start Campus has announced that it has welcomed its first hyperscaler clients for the initial setup phase at its NEST building, the company’s first phase data hall. Highlights of this event were showcased during a visit from Portuguese Minister of Infrastructure, João Galamba, who toured the 100% sustainable campus powered by 24x7 renewable energy on September 29, 2023. In advance of the upcoming operational launch of its data centre, the onboarding process for the new hyperscalers is underway, including access to unique and diverse global network connectivity solutions. The NEST is scheduled to be fully operational by March 2024 and will deliver an initial 15MW of power, setting the stage for a capacity of 495MW across six buildings. "This moment represents a very important milestone for Start Campus and the SINES Project,” says Afonso Salema, CEO of Start Campus. “We are developing a dynamic sustainability driven ecosystem that will place Portugal at the centre of the rapidly growing international data market. We’re challenging what’s deemed possible in our industry, so we are particularly pleased with the entry of the first clients who resonate with our values, decisively reducing the carbon footprint of this industry.”