DataVita earns UK’s first ‘gold standard’ OCP status

Author: Carly Weller

DataVita has become the first data centre operator in the UK to achieve an industry-leading accreditation – Open Compute Project’s (OCP) Ready for Hyperscale certification – recognising the capabilities of its DV1 facility in supporting high-density workloads and AI.

So far, this certification has only been awarded to three other companies in Europe and is one of the sector’s most recognised and sought-after accreditations.

The initiative is designed to give recognition to multi-tenant data centres that can accommodate the larger scale, higher density and more advanced infrastructure requirements of hyperscale operations – including the ability to provide liquid cooling.

A rigorous assessment included elements such as logistics, site access, foundational building infrastructure and network connectivity, as well as DataVita’s commitment to innovation, efficiency and sustainability at its DV1 facility located in Chapelhall, North Lanarkshire.

Underpinned by its focus on infrastructure for high-performance computing (HPC) and AI, the company recently announced plans to grow data centre capacity to 1GW in central Scotland over the next five years, powered by independent renewable energy sources.

Danny Quinn, Managing Director of DataVita, says, “Achieving what is widely considered one of the gold standards in industry accreditations solidifies our position as a market-leader and confirms the expertise we have for handling high-density levels of computing. AI has huge growth potential for the future and has quickly become a core focus for the business, and we have invested heavily in making sure we can support the infrastructure that it requires.

“Scotland’s mix of renewable energy – with the lowest carbon intensity compared to anywhere else in the UK – and a naturally cooler climate means we can also offer significant sustainability benefits for global customers. Only a few facilities have liquid cooling capability, for example, but we can do it with a lower carbon footprint.

“Our goal is to ensure that AI adoption does not come at the expense of the environment. The OCP status reflects that, and we hope it will open up new conversations with existing and potential clients considering locating in Scotland.”