Hyperscale Data Centres: Scale, Speed & Strategy

Data centres face three key challenges in 2023

By Honeywell Senior Data Centre Director, Alpesh Saraiya Data centres play a critical role in keeping the global economy productive. Demand for data storage and processing has become insatiable worldwide, which makes it more challenging than ever to operate and scale these facilities efficiently. Managers also face mounting pressure to make their operations more energy efficient. Data centres consume about 3% of the world’s electricity - more than most countries - and produce 2% of global carbon emissions, which is about the same as the entire airline industry. Given the exponentially increasing demand, managers are often forced to do more with less, while at the same dealing with tougher internal environmental, social and governance (ESG) directives and more stringent regulatory landscapes. When preparing for 2023 and ahead, operators should factor in three significant trends: continued pressure to cut operating costs, increasing demand for more sustainable facilities, and a growing shortage of talent interested in and qualified for managing data centres. Rapid scaling with a sharp focus on managing OpEx To meet the unrelenting demand, both hyperscale and colocation data centre operators have aggressively acquired smaller firms - but this practice has created as many problems as it has solved. For one, it creates a pastiche of ‘snowflake’ designs - no two are exactly alike - which means major headaches for integrators and heftier operating expenses (OpEx) for owners. Blueprinting data centre designs to achieve commonality across facilities has thus become a key strategy for ‘doing more with less.’ While many see it as a critical step toward developing and implementing global design standards, operators must still comply with local and national building codes, financial accounting laws and security regulations. Many data centre managers are also streamlining their operations with well-defined, purpose-built workflows and operational management tools to further reduce OpEx while still protecting uptime. To this end, some are installing cross-domain, site-level monitoring and management platforms to automate as many tasks as possible, thereby easing workloads and reducing the chances of human error, which caused major outages over the last three years at 40% of organisations surveyed by the Uptime Institute. Tougher internal and external sustainability mandates Data centres face mounting pressure from governments, clients and stockholders to become more sustainable and energy efficient. A sustainability strategy is no longer simply a ‘nice to have’ item, in the future, it may determine whether an operator succeeds or fails. With financial firms at either end of the transaction - as both clients and providers of capital - operators will face an additional hurdle of expectations when seeking to fund future projects, particularly as pressure increases on private equity and real estate investors to make greener investments. Further, even clients shopping for data centre colocation service providers are now examining ESG profiles to account for upstream Scope 2 and 3 carbon footprint. As data centre operators struggle to scale up across different geographies, they face a range of ever-stricter local and national regulatory landscapes. Many of these include increasingly rigorous sustainability and ESG financial reporting standards that will phase in over this decade. Governments including Ireland, the Netherlands and Singapore are requiring owners and operators to submit a detailed sustainability plan before granting them approval to build a new facility or expand an existing one. Singapore, in fact, imposed a moratorium on new data centre projects in 2019, and kept it in place until January 2022. Applicants for new projects now must explain how they will meet tough new standards enacted to protect the nation’s land, water and renewable energy resources. Increasingly, governments are expecting data centres to measure and disclose their carbon footprint and demonstrate progress toward reductions. There are numerous ways to reduce carbon emissions - no one size fits all - but cost and new technologies usually factor into the equation. Among these, operators are evaluating a variety of energy optimisation techniques, from control loop optimisation to liquid cooling options, especially as high performance computing (HPC) and AI/ML applications become more ubiquitous and more demanding in heat dissipation requirements. Air cooling systems simply can’t keep up with the cooling needs of continually evolving, higher-density racks for these next gen workloads. Liquid cooling leverages the higher thermal transfer properties of special fluids, providing as much as 3,000 times the efficiency of air cooling. With more and more businesses integrating HPC applications driven by AI - which require tremendous computing power - operators are realising that the time has arrived to seriously incorporate liquid cooling in their architecture and roadmap. The human element: a looming talent shortage Not least among data centre challenges is a widening skills gap and the ongoing ‘great resignation.’ Some see this as a result of the industry’s ineffective efforts to actively recruit and retain talent from the vocational schools over the last two decades. The industry is also dealing with an aging workforce of subject matter experts - those qualified to teach entry-level employees - many of whom will retire within the next 10 years. Yet Gen Z workers who have the skills and aptitude to pursue such a career are not seeing careers in data centres as an attractive option. Nevertheless, there are promising initiatives in the industry to source candidates from a pool of disciplined and well-qualified military veterans. As operators develop plans for 2023, they should be considering strategies for scaling up intelligently, reining in OpEx and prioritising sustainability efforts. They should also take a hard look at how they can make the profession - and their facilities - more attractive to the next generation of talent.

Grand opening of Simplex LCA1 - the largest data centre in Cyprus

Simplex puts Cyprus on the global data centre map with a world-class facility - one of the most advanced in the region. In a ceremony in the presence of Kyriakos Kokkinos, Deputy Minister of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy, the opening of Simplex LCA1 took place in Larnaca, Cyprus on 14 December 2022. More than 100 guests including government officials, businessmen, IT managers and other industry professionals, representing the business and political community of Cyprus, gathered to celebrate what is expected to be a milestone for Cyprus’ digital transition and a true diversifier for the country’s economy. LCA1 is the largest data centre in Cyprus and one of the most advanced in the region, offering reliability, security and flexibility. Simplex is now the only neutral operator with two privately owned data centres at diverse locations. LCA1 has been operating since December 2020, however, due to the pandemic Simplex never had the opportunity to celebrate its opening and decided to do so on its second birthday/anniversary. A testament for LCA1’s qualities is the international recognition it has received during these two years. In particular, it has been awarded for Reliable and Efficient Data Centre Operation at the Impact Bite Awards, while it has also been shortlisted as a finalist for the 2021 Middle East & Africa Data Centre Development Award of the DCD Awards. The growing business community of Larnaca, sufficient distance from both Limassol (business and financial centre) and Nicosia (the capital) for disaster recovery purposes, and the convenience for international clients flying in through Larnaca International Airport, were reasons for choosing Larnaca to host this facility.  Designed and constructed with efficiency and sustainability at its core, LCA1 has adopted many green technologies and it will soon be using extensively, if not exclusively, green power from renewable sources, mainly solar. During the event, the company’s Director, Michael Omerou, announced the certification of the company’s Environmental Management System to ISO 14001, as well as the upcoming certification to EMAS, EU’s Eco-Management and Audit Scheme, becoming the first Cyprus data centre operator to receive such certifications. Michael says, “I am really proud and excited to be standing in front of such a mass gathering that inevitably demonstrates the importance of data centres in general and LCA1 in particular. Neutral, multi-tenant data centres like LCA1 consist of important, critical infrastructure and generate a huge economic potential.  “Strategically located, literally at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East, LCA1 is a truly enterprise, world-class data centre, that will serve not only domestic clients, but also regional and even international ones. Jointly with other technology companies of the island and of course, the government, we aim to establish an ecosystem that will attract international technology giants including content providers, international ISPs, cloud providers and other hyperscalers that through Cyprus will be able to serve neighbouring countries which suffer from political and financial fragility and, despite their big population/market size, do not offer reliable telecoms and electricity infrastructure. LCA1 will evolve as an investment magnet and a multiplier of economic growth for Cyprus’ economy.”

The London Fund invests with Macquarie in digital infrastructure

Local Pensions Partnership Investments (LPPI) has announced that The London Fund (the Fund) has agreed to co-invest alongside Macquarie Asset Management in its acquisition of a significant minority stake in London-based VIRTUS, a growing hyperscale data centre platform in London. VIRTUS is a pure-play data centre owner-operator, providing critical digital infrastructure which provides vital connectivity and access to online services for residents and businesses in London. The business provides intelligent solutions to improve the storage, retrieval, management and security of data across global networks. Established in 2008, VIRTUS currently comprises 11 sites in and around London, including in Enfield, Hayes, Slough and Stockley Park, with a combined capacity of more than 100MW. The business aims to build more sites in the Greater London area in line with increasing data needs, while beginning to expand its operations into Europe. The VIRTUS investment also delivers on its Positive Social Outcomes promise by supporting London’s digital ecosystem through a data centre platform which matches its electricity consumption to 100% renewable energy procurement alongside its wider commitment to net zero by 2030 and efficient water and energy usage. Richard Tomlinson, Chief Investment Officer, Local Pensions Partnership Investments, says, “Digital infrastructure has been driven by long-term tailwinds, including growing data consumption and the development of cloud computing and VIRTUS’s success is testament to this. With this investment, we’re pleased to be supporting a key global player in a rapidly growing sector, enhancing London’s digital ecosystem, whilst also proving that commercial success and a commitment to net zero can be compatible business goals.” Vanessa Shia, Head of Private Markets, London CIV, says, “We are delighted to have partnered with Macquarie in our co-investment in VIRTUS through The London Fund. This builds on our continual focus to making critical investments in London and greatly complements our existing portfolio. This is one of our first direct investments in the digital infrastructure space, and, given the essential role it plays in supporting global connectivity by offering an alternative to travel and commuting, represents a pivotal investment on behalf of our clients in their journey to net zero.” Phil Peters, Head of Macquarie Asset Management’s Client Solutions Group, says, “We are very pleased to be extending our existing partnerships with LPPI and London CIV, the collaborators of The London Fund, with this co-investment in VIRTUS Data Centres alongside our managed funds. The London Fund’s objective of investing in assets that have positive benefits for Londoners very much aligns with our responsibility and opportunity to drive positive change for all our stakeholders through our investments.”

Aggreko’s new Tananger depot set to support Nordic ‘energy hub’

To support growing energy procurement demands and increase accessibility to energy-efficient equipment, Aggreko has established a new depot in Tananger, Norway. In light of growing procurement demands from Norway’s ‘energy hub,’ the Tananger facility plans to provide the region’s industry, notably the offshore and data centre sectors, with faster responses to any power, heating or cooling needs. The depot is located at the centre of what has been labelled Norway’s ‘energy capital’ - where many of the country’s most important companies are based. Imported equipment for these from Europe will arrive at one of the two main offshore harbours in the area just 500m from the depot. Complemented by road transport links, the site allows quicker access to trading partners, meaning better service to the region’s numerous locations. “The excellent transport links of our the Tananger facility mean we can have kit on the road within minutes, rather than hours and days,” says Stig Kaspersen, Regional Service Manager, Aggreko Norway. “In light of rising demand, firms also need quick and easy access to energy-efficient, eco-friendly equipment, such as Aggreko’s Stage V generators, to ensure growth is long-lasting and offers a positive contribution to industry. Our commitment to sustainable practices is demonstrated by the green innovations we’ve put in place at this new depot.” The 4000m² site, which includes a workshop with overhead crane, an office, three work bays, wash bay and storage capacity, is purpose-built for a safer, modern and more efficient working environment. Developed for a low carbon future, the facility has solar panels on the roof, producing greener electricity to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Aggreko hosted open days for the site on 23 and 24 November. This gave visitors behind-the-scenes access to the site’s key facilities and equipment demonstrations, including the high-efficiency Stage V generators and battery systems. Visitors also had a first look at an Aggreko hydrogen power generation unit.  Recognising the benefits of hydrogen and the role it will play in a low carbon future, Aggreko has been undertaking a pilot project testing 10 trial units in customer installations across Europe. In line with Aggreko’s efforts to support growth in the Nordic region, the new facility follows the construction of a Stockholm depot which supplies temperature control, contingency power, and loadbank testing services to southern Sweden. Stig concludes, “Energy developments across the region have been accompanied by a range of difficulties, such as pressures to minimise downtime and transition to sustainable practices. In light of this, and with expected growth in demand from Norway’s energy capital, it is crucial that industry has quick access to first-class and sustainable equipment. “The practices established at the Tananger facility serve as an example to industry that to ensure Nordic industrial growth is positive - developments must have sustainable solutions at the fore.”

Prime Data Centers continues unprecedented growth story

Prime Data Centers has announced it has completed a pre-lease with a large, publicly-traded technology company. The transaction secures 12MW at Prime’s Los Angeles data centre for delivery in Q4 of 2023. The new customer will use the capacity to optimise content delivery for its growing user base in the Southern California region. “On behalf of everyone at Prime, I would like to welcome our newest customer to the Los Angeles market,” comments Nicholas Laag, Chief Executive Officer of Prime Data Centers. “Demand is strong at Prime LAX-01 thanks to its unique combination of reliable, wholesale data centre capacity and access to hundreds of local, national and global networks. This creates an ideal data centre environment for cloud providers, internet businesses, technology companies, and the content-centric enterprise.” LAX-01, Prime’s first Southern California data centre, features a three-story design, 261,000ft² and 33MW of critical IT load capacity. The data centre offers a desirable combination of available wholesale power and easy access to hundreds of networks in the capacity-constrained, downtown LA market. Prime has entered into an agreement with a national carrier to provide dark fibre services to any LAX-01 customer at low cost, wholesale rates, linking each of the five downtown LA carrier hotels and more than 300 carriers to the facility. The agreement enables hyperscale Prime customer connectivity requirements that may number in the hundreds of fibre pairs. The LAX-01 development is part of Prime’s global, expansion roadmap that projects 2.4GW upon completion with 159MW delivered in California alone. The company is supporting the initiative with a focus on talent acquisition that has yielded 163% employee growth in 2022 and projects 159% growth for 2023. Nearly 30% of Prime employees are diverse, above the US workforce average of 23%. Prime partners with digital-first organisations like cloud providers, colocation companies, internet businesses, and the tech-savvy enterprise to enhance application performance and customer experience through global data centre development and optimisation.

Stream Data Centers' newly appointed VP of Finance

Stream Data Centers has announced the newest addition to its executive leadership team: Callan Space as Vice President of Finance. In this role, Callan will spearhead the development of new financial processes, goal-supported structures and investor partner collaborations that will help the company continue to effectively scale its growth while meeting evolving data centre customer needs. The addition of Callan represents another strategic leadership addition to support the company’s accelerated growth trajectory. As a seasoned executive in the critical infrastructure industry, Callan brings crucial insight from her career building exceptionally successful teams and processes for one of the world’s largest hyperscalers. Before joining Stream, she served as the Senior Finance Manager for Amazon, where she was instrumental in leading the US East data centre region. Her deep subject-matter expertise and experience driving efficiencies at scale made her the ideal candidate to support the company’s accelerated expansion. “I am extremely excited to join Stream and help build a world-class finance organisation to continue supporting the industry’s largest and most advanced hyperscale and global enterprise customers,” comments Callan. “I’m looking forward to bringing insights and the strong business partnership experience I garnered across nearly a decade of procurement and financial process leadership for a world-renowned hyperscaler during its full-scale maturing process. Furthermore, as someone who grew up on a dairy farm in upstate New York and is accustomed to working in a 24/7 environment where everyone works hard and shows up for customers (even if they are cows), I bring an unusually colourful skillset to work.” “Stream has been growing strategically at a rapid rate to support complex and evolving customer requirements, and we believe that Callan is the right person for ensuring that our financial goals and strategies align with this commitment,” states Paul Moser, Stream’s Co-Managing Partner. “Stream leadership is excited to welcome her to our team, and we look forward to seeing her in action as we ensure customer success well into the future.”

Arista delivers next generation switching for compute and storage

Arista Networks has announced the expansion of its widely deployed 7050X4 Series, providing longevity and investment protection for enterprise compute and storage, colocation providers (colo) and managed services providers (MSPs). Complementing the new 7050X4 Series, Arista also announced an expansion of the 7060X5 Series with the addition of 800G, which doubles the capacity of hyperscale backbones while reducing space and power per gigabit. Both traditional enterprise and hyperscale cloud are in the midst of compute and storage refresh cycles, fuelling demand for higher speed networks. While these customers are transitioning from 1/10/25G to 50/100G, the hyperscale cloud is transitioning from 50/100G to 100/200/400G for demanding AI/ML workloads. Arista's expanded portfolio of 7050X4 and 7060X5 products address the specific needs of both enterprise and hyperscale cloud, enabling higher network speeds while lowering OpEx and CapEx. Investment protection with multi-generation support Rapid advances in distributed high performance and virtualised or containerised applications are driving enterprises to increase computing power, storage performance and scale, which in turn demands the underlying network to become lossless communications at higher speeds. While the majority of installed servers rely on 10/25G Network Interface Card (NIC) connectivity (based on PCIe Gen3), the latest server NICs, based on PCIe Gen4 and upcoming Gen5/6, deliver 50/100/200G server NIC connections, thereby driving a network speed upgrade between the data centre leaf and spine connections from existing 100G to 400G and 800G. The new 7050X4 and 7060X5 systems enable the co-existence of current and future requirements with four generations of investment protection. The new 7050X4 systems take industry standard, high volume SFP interfaces to the next level, with the new 100G SFP-DD and DSFP providing ‘quad-speed’ support and QSFP-DD for 40G to 400G, providing higher density and lower power at a lower cost/Gbit, with options from 10G to 400G. “Elegantly managing the transition between generations of compute resources has always posed a challenge for customers and networking vendors. Arista’s vision for multi-generational compatibility and diverse portfolio, based on Broadcom Trident and Tomahawk silicon families, align perfectly with our network adapter roadmap and offers customers excellent investment protection,” says Jas Tremblay, Vice President and General Manager of the Data Centre Solutions Group at Broadcom. Expansion for cloud, enabled with 800G Hyperscalers continue to expand their network bandwidth, driven by unprecedented increases in workloads from artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML) and SaaS applications, as well as hybrid work environments. Key challenges continue to be reducing power, increasing efficiency, guaranteeing security and meeting sustainability goals. The new 7060X5 800G systems are multi-role leaf and spine platforms that can support up to 32 ports of 800G, addressing today’s high end storage and HPC requirements as well as future generations of server connectivity. “Arista continues to accelerate customer adoption of the next generation of server NICs based on PCIe Gen4 with cost effective and power efficient products for the leaf and spine tiers. Our expanded support for 40/50/100/200/400G and new 800G systems with industry standard QSFP and OSFP satisfies customer requirements for large scale cloud networks while maintaining backwards compatibility, satisfying customers large and small,” says Anshul Sadana, COO for Arista Networks. Arista’s 800G optical modules and cables are available in the same form factors widely deployed in today’s 400G networks, OSFP and QSFP-DD. In addition, the new 800G modules provide double the bandwidth at a lower power and cost per bit compared to existing 400G modules. The new Arista 7050X4 and 7060X5 Series fixed leaf and spine switches are based on the Broadcom Trident4 and Tomahawk 4 chipsets running EOS for rich automation and visibility covering 10G to 800G speeds to meet the critical requirements of modern enterprise and hyperscale cloud networks: ● Low power consumption - 20-40% power savings ● Ubiquitous form factors - SFP and QSFP-based systems for diverse compute connectivity ● Quad-Speed Investment Protection - Backward and Forward compatibility for current and future compute and storage systems ● Density improvement - 32 ports of 800G (25.6Tbps) in 1U for AI and ML applications ● Four-generation compatibility - supporting PCIe Gen4 based compute and storage

How to prioritise efficiency without compromising on performance

By Martin James, VP EMEA at Aerospike With the energy sector in turmoil and the energy price cap now set to be in place only until April 2023, financial uncertainty is a thread that runs through all businesses, not least those that are running data centres filled with power-hungry servers. Data centre operators have, however, been addressing the issue of energy for years now. Their priority is no longer to pack in as many active servers as possible, but instead to design facilities that deliver efficient, resilient services that can minimise not only their carbon footprint, but their customers’ too. At one point the idea of reducing server count would have been seen as a bad proposition for cloud providers and data centre operators. It would decrease consumption and lower profits. But with increasing concerns about climate change, attitudes have changed. Many operators today have ESG strategies and goals and minimising the impact of escalating energy prices is just part of a broader drive towards reaching net zero carbon. Among the hyperscalers, for example, Amazon announced earlier this year that it had increased the capacity of its renewable energy portfolio by nearly 30%, bringing the total number of its projects to 310 across 19 countries. These help to power its data centres and have made Amazon the world’s largest corporate buyer of renewable energy. As internet usage grows globally, Google has also set its sights on moving to carbon-free energy by 2030. In a blog last Autumn, Google’s CEO Sundar Pichai outlined how in its newest building at its California HQ - the lumber is all responsibly sourced, and the outside is covered in solar panels, which is set to generate about 40% of the energy the building would use. Using solutions to drive down PUE While opting for greener energy sources, data centres of all sizes can also lower their carbon footprint if they reduce what is called ‘power usage effectiveness’ (PUE). This is a measure of how much energy is used by the computing equipment within the facility. TechTarget describes it as dividing the total amount of power entering a data centre by the power used to run the IT equipment within it. PUE ratings have become increasingly important, not just to data centre operators who want to be seen to be efficiently managing their facilities, but also to their customers who will benefit from this improved efficiency. With the drive towards carbon neutrality filtering through the entire ecosystem of data centres and the companies that work in partnership with them, a range of both hardware and software solutions are being used to drive down PUE. A recent IEEE paper focused on CO2 emissions efficiency as a non-functional requirement for IT systems. It compared the emissions efficiency of two databases, one of which was ours, and their costs. It concluded that their ability to reduce emissions would not only have a positive impact on the environment but would also reduce expenditure for IT decision-makers. This makes sense as efficiency starts to take priority over scaling resources to deliver performance. Adding extra servers is no longer environmentally sustainable, which is why data centres are now focused on how they can use fewer resources and achieve a lower carbon footprint without compromising on either scalability or performance. Cut server counts without a performance trade-off A proven method for doing this in data centres is by deploying real-time data platforms. These allow organisations to take advantage of billions of real-time transactions using massive parallelism and a hybrid memory model. This results in a tiny server footprint - our own database requires up to 80% less infrastructure - allowing data centres to drastically cut their server count, lower cloud costs for customers, improve energy efficiency and free up resources that can be used for additional projects. Modern real-time data platforms provide unlimited scale by ingesting and acting on streaming data at the edge. They can combine this with data from systems of record, third party sources, data warehouses, and data lakes. Our own database delivers predictable high performance at any scale, from gigabytes to petabytes of data at the lowest latency. This is why earlier this month, we announced that our latest database running on AWS Graviton2 - the processors housed in data centres that support huge cloud workloads - have been proven to deliver price-performance benefits of up to an 18% increase in throughput while maintaining up to 27% reduction in cost, not to mention vastly improved energy efficiency.  The fiercely competitive global economy demands computing capacity, speed and power, but this can no longer come at the price of our planet. The concerns for data centres are not just to combat escalating energy prices, but to turn the tide on energy usage. Meeting ESG goals means becoming more energy efficient, reducing server footprints and taking advantage of a real-time data platform to ensure performance is unaffected. Every step that data centres take towards net zero is another indicator to customers that they have not just their best interests at heart, but those of the environment too.

STACK Infrastructure and ESR expand their partnership into Japan

STACK Infrastructure and ESR Group have announced a joint venture to develop a 72MW data centre campus in Osaka. STACK and ESR will jointly develop and deliver 72MW of data centre capacity in Osaka’s eastern suburb of Keihanna. Construction of the first of three buildings will commence in Q4 2023 and will be ready for service in Q2 2025. The facility will be operated under the STACK brand and further expands STACK and ESR’s APAC partnership, which currently includes a 48MW data centre development in Incheon, Korea. The strategically located campus will feature robust access to power and network to ensure strong reliability. Available solution options, from colocation to custom build-to-suit, provide hyperscale, cloud, and large enterprise clients with the scalability to meet future growth demands. Higher rack densities and PUE, WUE, and building standards support evolving workloads while achieving sustainability targets. “Osaka is STACK’s sixth APAC market in 12 months since our entrance into the region, including the expansion of our footprint in both Japan and Australia to over 100MW each,” comments Pithambar (Preet) Gona, Chief Executive Officer of STACK APAC. "This campus further deepens our partnership with ESR, allowing us to combine our capabilities to meet our clients’ strategic requirements in existing and emerging Tier 1 data centre markets.” “ESR’s strong regional development capability in Tier 1 data centre markets ensures we are well-positioned to continue to aggressively develop data centre facilities across Asia Pacific,” says Diarmid Massey, CEO of ESR Data Centres. “Our partnership with STACK enables us to leverage our respective strengths to target hyperscale customer growth in key markets.”

JLand signs with Mitsui to develop hyperscale data centre

JLand Group has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Mitsui to jointly explore prospective business opportunities and strategic project developments in Ibrahim Technopolis (IBTEC), including Sedenak Tech Park (STeP), over the next two to three years. Within the immediate term of the MOU, JLG and Mitsui will conduct a joint feasibility study on the development of a hyperscale data centre, as well as a renewable energy (RE) facility in the form of a captive solar farm to power the data centres in STeP. Following the completion of the study, JLG and Mitsui and its co-developers will form a joint venture partnership to invest, develop and operate these projects. Syed Mohamed Syed Ibrahim, President and Chief Executive of JCorp and Chairman of JLG says, “This strategic collaboration with Mitsui is a testament to our sustainability-driven projects and dedicated focus on enabling corporations to meet their ESG goals. In an increasingly data-dependent digital economy, we are proactively identifying and implementing renewable energy sources for the future of decarbonising data centres. This initiative is one of the major milestones for JCorp’s vision of a sustainable future, while ensuring the state and country meets its decarbonisation aspirations.” Akmal Ahmad, Director, Real Estate and Infrastructure Division, JCorp says, “The MOU between JLG and Mitsui reflects the commitment displayed by responsible corporates to shift towards cleaner energy sources to power their businesses. Our strategic partnership to develop these high value sustainable projects brings together collective industry knowledge and technical expertise to further transform the energy industry. JLG is proud to reinforce our contribution to Johor’s renewable energy goals, while catering to the growing needs of industrial customers in STeP that requires green and clean energy as secondary power supply.” “The positive boom of the data centre sector over the past years has brought the importance of sustainability and renewable energy to the fore, as data centre operators explore cleaner technologies to turn operations green. We are proud to be among the pioneers in hyperscale green data centres in Johor and are excited to partner with Mitsui and RE co-developer to advance the decarbonisation of data centres through clean power procurement,” adds Akmal. Under this strategic collaboration, STeP - the flagship 700-acre data centre hub - is poised to attract the global hyperscale data centres, not only by offering future availability of RE, but also with comprehensive supporting packages including competitive green project financing from the market. This will provide excellent opportunities for regional customers seeking green data centres to meet their needs. The collaboration will also involve other industry partners as co-developers, who will contribute sector expertise and knowledge transfer throughout the project investment, design, development, and maintenance phases.