Hyperscale Data Centres: Scale, Speed & Strategy

Accelevation acquires Instor Solutions

Accelevation Holdings has acquired Instor Solutions to integrate Instor’s data centre white space installation and project management expertise with its data centre containment and caging solutions business, Conatech, to form the Accelevation Data Centre Business Unit. The acquisition has established a new, vertically integrated data centre business unit comprising both brands to create a single, customer-facing entity and forming the USA’s large integrated data centre services solutions provider. Together, the Accelevation Data Centre Business Unit will solve key challenges for hyperscale, colocation and enterprise customers, including faster product design, manufacturing and supply chain capabilities, with dedicated white space integration, services and project management expertise. By combining both leading brands, it has created the only organisation within the US market capable of providing fully integrated, data centre infrastructure product manufacturing, with self-performing, fit-up solutions design and project delivery. This comprehensive services offering will propel hyperscale, colocation and enterprise data centre operators to benefit from speed and efficiency, offering enhanced value throughout the entire lifecycle and delivering data centre environments at accelerated pace and scale. Through its integrated sales, manufacturing and operations teams, for example, Conatech’s customers now have immediate access to the data centre white space design, build and integration services. In turn, Instor has secured access to the vertically integrated manufacturing capabilities used by Accelevation to produce its Conatech data centre products. Accelevation President and CEO, Michael Rubiera, says, “We are thrilled to welcome Instor to the Accelevation portfolio of innovative companies. Combining Instor’s 40+ sales and project management professionals to our Accelevation portfolio creates one of the most comprehensive and all-encompassing solution providers of data centre products and installations in the world. We couldn’t be more excited about the possibilities and growth this acquisition provides.” Click here for latest data centre news.

CtrlS and EECO plan Thailand's hyperscale data centre

CtrlS has signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) with EECO (Eastern Economic Corridor Office) to lease a 10ac land parcel for 50 years, located in Chonburi province. The land will be used to build a 150MW data centre in the Greenfield campus and mark its first international market expansion and hyperscale data centre in Thailand.   At a time when digitalisation across Thailand, deployment of 5G, and improved connectivity with highly efficient submarine cables, with countries such as USA, China, Japan, Singapore and Taiwan, is making the country an attractive hub for digital infrastructure, the data centre development in the EECO will attract both international and domestic hyperscale and enterprise customers. Speaking on the MoA, Sridhar Pinnapureddy, Chairman, CtrlS Datacenters, says, “Through this collaboration, we aim to serve customers’ needs for digital services, both domestic and international. The data centre is designed to meet hyperscalers’ needs in addition to serving high end IT/compute needs of domestic enterprises.” He adds, “We see this data centre as a unique opportunity to contribute towards development of Thailand’s eastern region and offer a robust diverse option for international customers and partners for establishing their footprint in the country and region. Thailand is strategically well positioned at the centre of Southeast Asia and we strive to bring investments and international customers to the country through our data centre.”        The site also offers proximity to submarine cable landing stations for AAG (Asia America Gateway) and ADC (Asia Direct Cable) systems, making this data centre a point of connection equipped with submarine and terrestrial cable networks to connect to other data centres and industrial estates. It is also close to the EECO startup incubator and is elevated relative to flood prone areas, with mean sea level > 40m. The EECO is geographically diverse from Bangkok and is at the intersection of multiple fibre paths north and south.

NTT launches hyperscale data centre campus in Chennai

NTT has announced the launch of its latest hyperscale data centre campus, Chennai 2, and the arrival of its subsea cable system, MIST, in the city. The campus, located in Ambattur and spread across 6 acres, is a project with a total planned capacity of 34.8MW critical IT load from two data centre buildings. The first facility has a 17.4MW IT load capacity. MIST subsea cable, constructed by consortium members including NTT Communications India Network Service and Orient Link, is the first cable system for the company to directly provide connectivity to and from India. It spans an impressive 8,100km and will connect Malaysia, India, Singapore and Thailand, offering cutting-edge connectivity capabilities. The system also represents India's first cable landing of a 12 fibre pair capacity, capable of carrying more than 200TBPS of data.Chennai’s location has opened three distinct opportunities for these projects. The first is addressing the demand for high quality data centre infrastructure driven by its digital ecosystem that includes traditional and new economy businesses; the second is positioning the state as a disaster recovery (DR) site for enterprises with primary IT infrastructure in other cities; and third is leveraging global connectivity to offer data centre capacity to markets in South East Asia, where capacity is in short supply. These capabilities will transform it into the digital gateway connecting the country to the world.Adding further, Shekhar Sharma, CEO and Managing Director, NTT Global Data Centres & Cloud Infrastructure and NTT Communications, says, “The launch of the state-of-the-art data centre campus along with the MIST cable system in Chennai mark major milestones in our journey in India. These projects are perfect examples of Japanese design quality and global expertise, tailored to the Indian market. They have reinforced our position as the leader for data centre services in India and helped transform Chennai into the new destination for data centres in South East Asia. We’re glad to be able to play a part in making Chennai the gateway connecting digital businesses across India, South East Asia, and the world. With our capabilities, we’re eager to help our clients unlock greater value from their digital transformation efforts.”

BDC expands data centre in Kuala Lumpur

Bridge Data Centres (BDC) has announced that it will expand its hyperscale data centre campus, MY03, located at MRANTI Park, Kuala Lumpur. This expansion provides an additional 48MW of IT power to hyperscalers and enterprises in Malaysia and Asia Pacific.   BDC has signed an agreement with Malaysian Research Accelerator for Technology & Innovation (MRANTI) to develop three buildings and a 132kV substation. With the expansion, MY03 will offer a total IT power capacity of 64MW. The expansion project comprises two phases. Phase one is planned to be ready for service with 16MW by Q3, 2025. Phase two is scheduled to begin operations by Q4, 2027. BDC and MRANTI held a signing ceremony in Kuala Lumpur which was witnessed by Dzuleira Abu Bakar, Chief Executive Officer of MRANTI; Khairil Anuar Sadat Salleh, Chief Commercial Officer of MRANTI; and Dz Shing Lim, President, Bridge Data Centres. The establishment of the data centre campus entrenches Malaysia as a desired destination for data centre investment in the Asia Pacific region. Located strategically in the vicinity of central Kuala Lumpur, the park spans across a vast area of 686ac and supports the entire innovation process with a focus on driving the commercialisation of ‘impact technologies’ in key industry sectors to foster sustainable development. “Last year, we introduced a comprehensive and integrated approach to transform MRANTI Park from a property-focused sector into a leading 4IR hub in Malaysia. This master plan aims to achieve a gross development value of RM20bn, land leases worth RM2.8bn, and the creation of 8,000 jobs by 2027,” says Dzuleira Abu Bakar, CEO of MRANTI. “We recently launched the country’s national testbed for 5G through the government-led MRANTI 5G Experience Centre to fast-track new innovations in a more enriching data-driven future. Today, we are excited to announce the expansion of Bridge Data Centres within MRANTI Park, aligning perfectly with MRANTI Park’s expansion strategy,” says Dzuleira.

Cologix announces a new data centre in Northern Virginia

Cologix has announced the completion and pre-lease of its new 120MW Scalelogix data centre in Northern Virginia. Built within seven months, from permitting to commissioning, the three-story, 455,000ft2 Scalelogix ASH1 data centre, located in Ashburn, Virginia, is designed for hyperscalers’ massive capacity and edge traffic demands from the ground up. This facility has been pre-leased by a major global technology company and went into service in May 2023. “We are aggressively expanding our hyperscale edge portfolio across North America in response to growing demand from major global cloud providers and large digital enterprises,” says Chris Heinrich, Chief Revenue Officer, Cologix. “With their massive scale and top-tier performance, our data centres provide high-speed, ultra-low latency and highly secure access to fixed, 5G and public cloud networks that today’s businesses require for success.” The Scalelogix ASH1 facility is located in a global corridor known as ‘Data Center Alley.’ The city of Ashburn is an interconnection hub for the eastern US and a gateway to Europe with the concentration of cloud computing infrastructure. Colocation and connectivity in this area provide a strategic advantage to customers who want easy and secure access to a critical global data corridor. ASH1 is one of three new Scalelogix data centres to be launched in the next year, including facilities planned in Columbus, Ohio and Montrèal, Canada.  “Many positive factors contributed to the project’s successful and efficient timeline, including transparent partnerships and communications with all parties involved every step of the way,” says Cologix’s Chief Development Officer, Nathan Hazelwood. “I am so proud and appreciative of the entire team, our invaluable partners and vendors, as we’ve built a superior facility that will provide exceptional capabilities for our customers doing business at the digital edge.” The company’s new facility is designed with the following features: The cooling system is designed for maximum energy efficiency complete with free cooling capability designed and built-in day one. It also includes hot aisle containment with up to 35 cabinets per row. The facility provides Ashburn Meet-Me-Rooms (MMRs) designed for hyperscalers and customers. It is also part of its interconnection ecosystem of 700+ network providers, 350+ cloud providers, 30+ public cloud onramps and six internet exchanges. It includes multiple physically separated, diverse and secure MMRs while offering multiple diverse fibre entrance vaults to the campus. Its security office includes an anti-intrusion system, CCTV system, biometric scanners and badge access. 30% of the building is programmed for customers’ needs inclusive of dedicated office space, storage and other amenities. It is built with MERs, which are prefabricated modular assemblies built out with electrical infrastructure that can be rapidly deployed at a data centre facility. MERs support a wide range of equipment with varying contents dependent on customer needs and electrical topography. The facility will have several EV charging stations available for all customers, employees, vendors and partners to use while at the data centre. The majority of copper, steel, refrigerants and concrete from the prior structure that was in place while constructing ASH1 has been recycled, reducing the use of new materials and disposing of other materials in an environmentally conscience way. 

Cirion strengthens with new data centre facility in Peru

Cirion has announced that it has started construction on a new 12,000m², 20MW carrier-neutral data centre in the industrial district of Macropolis in Lurín, Peru. The new data centre is expected to open in the first quarter of 2025 and will be well-equipped to meet the needs of hyperscale cloud service providers, carriers, content providers, and enterprises that require scalable infrastructure. The facility will have access to a business-friendly environment, renewable energy, diverse metro and long-haul connectivity to major cities and tech hubs in the region, and proximity to international subsea cable networks to facilitate minimal latency between Latin America and other regions. In line with the company's Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) strategy, and its commitment to technological innovation, the new facility will be one of the energy efficient data centres in the region, with PUE (Power Usage Effectiveness). “The development of this new data centre is another important step in our journey to grow our platform of low-latency, interconnected data centres and establish a thriving digital ecosystem across Latin America,” says Facundo Castro, CEO for Cirion Technologies. “In a world where data-driven and multi-cloud technology is advancing the way we work and live, and data is the pillar for ground-breaking business decisions, it’s important for data to be properly stored, processed, assured, and analysed. The surging popularity of IoT, 5G, AI, networks, and streaming content has fuelled an unrelenting demand for capacity, and data centres are critical to keeping these services running.” The Lurín-based data centre will be directly connected through redundant fibre to Cirion’s existing ecosystem-dense data centre in Lima, located only 35km away, and integrated into the company's broader carrier-neutral platform comprising 18 data centres across Latin America.

evroc reveals plans to build Europe's first sovereign hyperscale cloud

evroc has presented its plans to build Europe’s first secure, sovereign, and sustainable hyperscale cloud. It recently closed a seed funding round to build its launch team. The company now plans to raise and invest three billion euros over the next couple of years to develop and operate two hyperscale data centres, one in Northern Europe and one in Southern Europe. By 2028, it aims to establish eight hyperscale data centres, as well as three software development hubs, across the continent, employing over 3,000 people in total. “The lack of home-grown hyperscale cloud providers poses a serious challenge for Europe. Not only because our citizens’ data is placed under foreign ownership by companies operating under laws that conflict with European privacy legislation. It is also a real threat to our long-term competitiveness in a digital world where others are advancing much faster. Europe’s digital economy must be built on a European foundation,” says Mattias Åström, Founder and CEO, evroc. Cloud services play a key role in critical digital infrastructure. Between 2017 and 2022, the European cloud market grew five-fold. During the same time, the market share of European cloud players fell from 27% to 13%. A competitive European hyperscale cloud is critical to enable the continent’s digital economy, keeping investments, job creation, technology development and intellectual property rights within its borders. It will also give Europe digital sovereignty that is compliant with European privacy legislation, settling a long-standing problem. “evroc has spotted an exciting opportunity to make Europe a leader in cloud technologies by bringing together the continent’s brightest minds, ambitious thinkers, and experienced entrepreneurs. We believe the next generation of European tech companies will be built on evroc’s cloud services,” says Ted Persson, Partner at EQT Ventures. Data centres until now have had a significant environmental footprint, consuming about 3% of the global electricity supply, and accounting for 2% of global greenhouse gas emissions. evroc will build a clean cloud by leveraging energy-efficient technologies to maximise its sustainability impact, including a proprietary eco load balancer solution. The eco load balancer enables data to flow seamlessly and securely between evroc’s data centres based on where renewable energy is most readily available and affordable. “The data centre industry is on par with the airline industry in terms of greenhouse gas emissions. Data processing will continue to grow substantially over the coming decades, causing significant emissions and damage to our climate, unless we change direction. evroc’s holistic strategy for clean energy usage, combined with the implementation of state-of-the-art energy efficiency technology, could set the standard for the entire industry,” says Tove Larsson, Partner at Norrsken VC.

RO technology to cut water and energy consumption

The SAM50 RO system is now available to data centres. Manufactured by Te-Tech Process Solutions, the SAM50 delivers significant advantages over competing RO technologies, says the maker. Data centres have seen a steady shift away from air cooling to more efficient liquid immersion technology. However, rejecting the heat from the coolant into a recirculatory cooling system with an evaporative cooling tower consumes a lot of water, typically about 1.8L/kWh. In hyperscale data centres this could be as much as 2,000m³ per day. Now signatories to the EU’s Climate Neutral Data Centre Pact will prioritise water conservation with an aim of a maximum usage of 0.4L/kWh by 2030. One way of minimising water consumption in recirculatory cooling systems is by increasing the concentration factor, which is limited by water chemistry. Treating the cooling tower make-up water by RO allows concentration factors to be increased by up to 10 times, reducing blowdown and helping to minimise scale, corrosion and microbiological problems. But RO is traditionally energy hungry and, increasingly, expensive to operate.  SAM50 was developed by University of Birmingham spin out, Salinity Solutions. It is a batch RO system with a unique energy recovery pressure exchanger and in comparison to conventional RO systems; it can reduce energy consumption by up to 50% as well as reduce wastewater by up to 80%. The small footprint, modular units use standard 8in RO membranes and feature plug-and-play installation. “The SAM50 RO system, with proven technology, delivers unparalleled energy efficiency,” says Mike Froom, Te-Tech’s Business Development Director. “The modular and scalable system allows for easy installation and maintenance, while its high water recovery capabilities make it an environmentally-friendly and sustainable solution for companies looking to reduce their impact on the planet.”

Kohler announces new efficiency white paper for data centres

Data centre managers and users looking to find out more about energy efficiency can now download a free white paper produced by Kohler Uninterruptible Power. The free white paper is downloadable here and has been created to give an overview of the considerations that factor into a data centre improving and reducing its Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE). With a wealth of experience in providing power protection installations in data centres, Kohler’s clients range from enterprises running their own in-house systems, through modular and medium-sized colocation data centres, right up to large and hyperscale facilities. The products and systems offered by the company are highly configurable, scalable and efficient, enabling clients to buy for immediate requirements and easily grow their systems later. Advanced technologies such as Kohler’s XTRA VFI mode enable certain modular systems to put spare modules into standby mode when not required to support the load, but always maintain the required level of active redundancy. Alex Emms, Operations Director at KUP, says, “A 2022 global survey found the average data centre achieves a PUE of 1.55. In the UK, a PUE of less than 1.5 can be expected, but the lower the better. Newer, larger data centres tend to be more efficient but there is still a need for older data centres to be aware of the changes they can make that will influence their critical power support and their energy efficiency, particularly as they replace legacy systems. “This white paper is packed full of information about how newer modular systems can improve a data centre’s efficiency, some information on best practice, what’s meant by managing the load and ensuring that critical power is covered - along with built in redundancy. We’ve created it because there is a lot of inconsistency in material that references different modes - particularly with reference to energy efficiency. And newer technology means more efficient design and operation in our experience. We thought a handy white paper which informs and challenges customers’ thinking about what’s possible now would be useful. “Our team has extensive experience in understanding system architecture, regulations and what a system can achieve. We also offer consultancy to help customers and prospects calculate their energy efficiency. Downloading the white paper will be a good first step if you are looking to find out the latest information.”

Princeton Digital Group to develop data centre campus in Malaysia

Princeton Digital Group (PDG) has entered into a definitive agreement with JLand Group (JLG) for the acquisition of 31 acres of land in Sedenak Tech Park (STeP), Johor, to build a 150MW hyperscale campus. With an investment of RM 2 billion, the first phase of 60MW is planned to be ready for commencement of operations by Q2 2024. The project marks PDG’s entry into Malaysia, its sixth country after Singapore, China, Indonesia, India, and Japan. Named JH1, the data centre will be one of the largest DC campuses in Southeast Asia to serve the infrastructure needs of customers across the region. “At this point, the focus for JLG is expanding data centre opportunities as investors and operators are prioritising the sector’s fast-growing prospects. Through our integrated offerings at Sedenak Tech Park (STeP), we remain committed to strengthening Johor’s position as a regional data centre hub given its capability to meet the accelerating demand. PDG’s entry into Johor and STeP is a strong validation of JLG’s strategy and offerings,” says Datuk Syed Mohamed, President and Chief Executive of Johor Corporation and Chairman of JLG. “With more companies and communities to introduce next-gen digital tools and strategies, the demand for reliable, smart, and resilient data storage will grow exponentially. Therefore, the drive is on for us to improve the sustainability performance of data centres through Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) platforms, energy and power monitoring, and innovative cooling technologies,” adds Datuk. “Our entry into Malaysia adds to PDG’s growing footprint in Asia, further strengthening our presence as the pan-Asia digital infrastructure leader,” says Rangu Salgame, Chairman and CEO of Princeton Digital Group. Asher Ling, Chief Technology Officer, and Managing Director of PDG, Singapore, further adds, “We have a deep understanding of hyperscale needs as they expand their presence in Southeast Asia while requiring access to best in class digital infrastructure. Sedenak Tech Park, with its strong power and connectivity infrastructure and other enabling factors, is the ideal site for our hyperscale development and campus. Our data centre will utilise next-generation, cutting-edge sustainable technology solutions. We are also actively collaborating with local partners and regulators to integrate renewable energy initiatives for powering our facility.”