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Author: Zoe Towlson

Azora to Invest €2 billion in Zaragoza Data Centre

Posted on by Zoe Towlson
  • The project has secured a transmission grid connection of 150 MW, expandable up to 300 MW.
  • The installation minimises water consumption and will be powered 100% by renewable energy.
  • The government of Aragon has granted a Declaration of General Interest (DIGA) for the project, paving the way to start construction in 2026.
  • This initiative marks another step in Azora’s data centre investment strategy, launched in 2023 with the creation of Quetta Data Centres.


Zaragoza, 13 March 2025 – Azora, a leading international alternative investment management platform, through its subsidiary platform, Tillion Data Centres, has announced the development of a new Data Centre (DC) in Zaragoza, located in the region of Aragon, Spain. With an initial capacity of 150 MW, expandable up to 300 MW, Azora plans to invest up to €2 billion in the project.

An additional €5 billion of investment will be made by end users for computing equipment for the DC. The facility is set to become a key driver in the region’s digital transformation.

Azora’s positioning of the DC in Zaragoza (Aragon), a leading data centre hub alongside FLAP-D markets (Frankfurt, London, Amsterdam, Paris, and Dublin), represents the region’s growing prominence as a key hub for digital infrastructure and data processing in Europe. With a powerful combination of energy availability and connectivity, Aragon has attracted major industry players, further cementing its role as a critical epicentre for large-scale data centre development.

Strategically located in the vicinity of Villamayor de Gállego, less than three kilometres from the transmission substation, the close proximity of the DC minimises the environmental and logistical impact by reducing energy losses and enhancing efficiency.

The project’s initial 150 MW concession was approved by Red Eléctrica in 2024 and has already undergone technical validation by Azora. The project has also been approved by Government of Aragon, granting the DC as a Declaration of General Interest (DIGA), with construction expected to begin in 2026.

Reinforcing its commitment to sustainability, Azora’s DC has been designed to maximise energy efficiency while significantly reducing water consumption. The facility will integrate advanced closedloop cooling technologies, limiting annual water usage to under 2,500 cubic metres, equivalent to the consumption of just 25 homes. In addition, the DC will be powered entirely by 100% renewable energy,
sourced either through self-consumption or long-term Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) contracts with renewable energy producers.

The first phase of 150 MW will see an investment of €1.1 billion, creating an average of over 1,000 new jobs per year and contributing 5.5 billion euros to regional GDP. With the expansion to 300 MW, Azora’s investment would reach €1.95 billion, creating an average of over 1,800 new jobs per year and contributing over €9 billion to Aragon’s GDP, impacting the economy significantly.

This initiative underscores Azora’s commitment to the development of digital infrastructure and builds upon the launch of Quetta Data Centres in 2023, a platform designed to offer low latency solutions for data processing and transmission, which has started the construction of two data centres in Madrid and Barcelona, and aims to create a network of six ‘Edge’ data centres in Iberia.

Tillion Data Centres will focus on building large-scale facilities tailored for businesses requiring maximum processing capacity in highly efficient and hyper-connected environments, supporting the future of cloud computing and artificial intelligence.

According to Santiago Olivares, partner in charge of infrastructure investments at Azora: “The growing demand for data processing capacity, driven by the expansion of artificial intelligence and cloud computing, requires huge investment in the construction of data centres. This new data centre is located in the main corridor of large-scale data centres in Europe, and is validated by the presence of major players in the sector and backed by an energy and industrial network ideally suited to sustain market growth. With plans to develop more than 600 MW in Spain we remain committed to expanding critical assets for the digital future. Our extensive track record in the development of energy infrastructure allows us to identify great opportunities like this one and guarantee their long-term viability. With this new Data Centre, Azora reaffirms its commitment to innovation, sustainability and economic development, consolidating its position as a key player in the evolution of digital infrastructure in Europe.”

For further information:


Azora (Spain) contact
Nacho Miquel: nacho.miquel@irazustacomunicacion.com
Alberto Rodríguez: alberto.rodriguez@irazustacomunicacion.com
+34915634179


Azora (Europe) contact
Richard Sunderland / James McEwan / Ellie Smith
Telephone: +44 (0) 203 727 1000
Email: azora@fticonsulting.com

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Insights and Challenges from Data Centre World 2025 

Posted on by Zoe Towlson

Attending Data Centre World 2025 this year felt like stepping into the nerve centre of an industry that never stops evolving.

From discussions on sustainability and AI to the urgent need to bridge the skills gap, the event was packed with insights, innovations, and more than a few reality checks!

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Chris Barton kicked off Tech Show London – of which Data Centre World was a large part – with an inspiring talk about his journey in founding Shazam. For anyone who’s ever desperately needed to identify a song stuck in their head, Shazam has been a lifesaver. Originally just a simple tool for recognizing music, it has since grown into a global tech powerhouse with over 300 million users, offering real-time lyrics, background playlist identification, and more. 

Chris shared some core principles that guided his success: 

  1. Build from basic truths – Strip an idea down to its fundamentals and build up from there. 
  1. Creative persistence – Don’t take “no” at face value. Barriers are often just challenges waiting to be tackled. 
  1. Search and destroy friction – Every extra step in a consumer’s journey is a potential drop-off point. Reducing friction isn’t just good user experience – it’s good business. 

Of course, innovation wasn’t just a theme in Chris’s talk – it ran through the event like electricity through a data centre, powering every conversation and keynote.

Tim Goring, Global Business Manager – Digital TWIN, at Siemens Smart Infrastructure showcased ‘Building X’ software, a platform that runs the applications that help manage building operation with digital twin technology. The software shaved 26% off commissioning times in a test project (that’s equivalent to six whole days!).

Tim confidently stated that “like self-driving cars, a building can run itself.” It’s a bold vision – but in an industry obsessed with efficiency, not an impossible one.

Data centre world 2025

Puya Forghani, Offering Manager Large Power Converters at Vertiv, delivering the talk “Powering the AI Era”.

The ever-present skills gap also took centre stage. Pete Betts, Engineering Director at Virtus put it bluntly: “We’re not proud enough as an industry of what we do. Let’s advertise it the same way we’d advertise a film.”

Iain Farquharson, Integration Manager at Red Bear Tech, had a great analogy: “We need to encourage youngsters into the industry; by providing the ‘Lego instruction booklet’ equivalent, we can make data centre construction much more accessible.”

Speaking on a later panel on AI’s role in infrastructure and operations, Nabeel Mahmood, Co-Founder & Managing Director of Nomad Futurist, delivered a sobering statistic: “We have a human capital deficit right in front of us. Over 70% of the workforce is due to retire within the next ten years. That’s a lot of retirement parties. We need people to come into this industry with a passion for it, and that’s going to come from educating people at a young age.” 

The Activate Learning Education Trust stand. Read more about ALET and the Digital Futures Programme.

Data centre world 2025

Nabeel reframed AI as ‘actionable intelligence’: “We are the ones defining the processes and writing the algorithms – AI does the repetitive tasks.” Meanwhile, Shane Garner, Head of Security & ICT Systems at Pure DC Group, emphasized the need for security, warning that tracking the origins of code is critical to preventing malicious attacks.

Iain Farquharson later emphasized the struggles within data centre construction. “The industry is struggling to deliver projects on time, in budget, and with the current resources available. 57% of people working in the sector are dealing with burnout because of these factors and the pressure they cause.” He referenced the MacLeamy Curve, a concept that highlights the correlation between the cost of design change and the stage of the design process. He explained the importance of implementing new technology early in the design phase, likening it to “choosing the colour you’re going to paint a room, before you pick up the brush.” 

Leaving Data Centre World, one thing was clear – the industry is undergoing rapid transformation. From automation and AI to tackling the skills shortage, the challenges ahead are significant, but so are the opportunities.

Events like this not only highlight these issues but also bring together the brightest minds to solve them. The conversations happening here aren’t just theoretical – they’re shaping the future of data centres. The question is: how fast can we adapt? 

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Partners Group Invests AUD 1.2 Billion in GreenSquareDC to Drive Next-GenerationHyperscale and AI Infrastructure

Posted on by Zoe Towlson

Sydney, Australia 6 March 2025 – GreenSquareDC is pleased to announce an up to AUD 1.2 billion investment from Partners Group, one of the largest firms in the global private markets industry, acting on behalf of its clients, to accelerate the development of its Hyperscale and AI Data Center platform across Australia.

Securing the Partners Group backing has resulted in GreenSquareDC acquiring its first Sydney site, a brownfield data center consisting of an existing powered shell and an adjoining landbank, allowing future
expansion to 96MW of compute capacity. The company has also secured sites across Melbourne, and Perth, strategically located in close proximity to critical power infrastructure, combined with strong
domestic fibre connections as well as established and planned subsea cables, providing global reach.


Commenting on the investment, Walt Coulston, Founder & CEO said: “We are excited to work with Partners Group on transforming GreenSquareDC. This significant investment allows us to scale rapidly to help meet the growing demands of the world’s largest technology companies. The industry is evolving rapidly, and our
customers demand speed, certainty, and alignment with their long-term objectives.”


GreenSquareDC is guided by its Five Pillars to Sustainability, with a focus on energy efficiency, responsible resource management, and practical customer aligned sustainability measures. This partnership provides not only the financial and operational support to scale the platform but provides strong environmental and security principles in line with industry best practices.


GreenSquareDC’s design and cooling approach is focused on energy efficiency and water conservation, supporting a broad range of server power densities to meet evolving infrastructure demands.


Nicholas Kuys, Managing Director, Infrastructure Asia, Partners Group, says: “Data centers are on a structural growth path supported by thematic tailwinds, including the increasing use of generative AI, growth in cloud adoption, and the migration of data center workloads to co-location sites. The sector has strong infrastructure characteristics driven by the essentiality of the service, long-term contracts, and significant capital intensity. GreenSquareDC represents an opportunity to back a talented management team in the growing Australian market.”


Partners Group, which has over USD 150 billion in assets under management globally, has a strong track record in developing leading data center platforms, including EdgeCore in the United States and atNorth inthe Nordics. The investment in GreenSquareDC marks Partners Group’s expansion into the Australian data center market, reinforcing the country’s strategic role in supporting global AI and cloud infrastructure growth.


GreenSquareDC was advised on the transaction by Berkeley Advisory (Lead Advisor), RBC Capital Markets (Financial) and Norton Rose Fulbright (Legal).

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Weekly Data Centre Digest – 7th March 2025

Posted on by Zoe Towlson

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Reports

Deloitte study: the use of Gen AI will double global data centers’ electricity consumption by 2030. Read here.

Europe

QTS Data Centers has received approval for a £10bn campus in Cambois, UK. Read here.

Stena Line submits data centre proposal that could bring over 1,000 jobs to Anglesey. Read here.

Immersion cooling firm Submer expands into data centre construction. Read here.

Microsoft to build another data center campus in Zaragoza, Spain. Read here.

NxN Datacenters is set to begin construction of its data center in Valencia, Spain. Read here.

Czech telecoms firm České Radiokomunikace is expanding one of its data centers in Prague. Read here.

EcoDataCenter secures €450M to drive green data infrastructure. Read here.

Google has launched a new cloud region outside Stockholm, Sweden. Read here.

Arjun in Talks to Invest in Brookfield-Backed Data4’s Assets. Read here.

Middle East & Africa

Kenyan mobile operator Safaricom has completed phase one of its data center in Limuru, Kenya. Read here.

Microsoft invests extra ZAR 5.4bn in South African cloud infrastructure. Read here.

Microsoft announces AI powered Azure Region for Kuwait. Read here.

APAC

Partners Group will invest up to AUD$1.2 billion to transform GreenSquareDC into a next-generation data centre platform in Australia. Read here.

Asia Pacific’s co-location data centre pipeline will require more than $116 billion in funding for construction over the next five to seven years. Read here.

Saigon Asset Management announced the launch of SAM DigitalHub (Vietnam), a 50-hectare (124-acre), 150- megawatt data center campus initiative with a targeted investment of up to $1.5 billion. Read here.

ST Telemedia Global Data Centres has broken ground on a new data center in Bangkok, Thailand. Read here.

SKT joins forces with Schneider Electric on AI data center (Korea). Read here.

SM+ Breaks Ground on Flagship Data Center in Jakarta’s CBD. Read here.

Sify breaks ground for AI-Hub Data Center in Lucknow. Read here.

South Korea aims to secure 18,000 GPUs to power its ambitious AI plans. Read here.

ARB IOT signs MoU to build AI data center lab in Malaysia. Read here.

North America

OpenAI, Oracle to build Texas AI data center with thousands of Nvidia chips. Read here.

JPMorgan Chase and Starwood Property agreed to lend $2B for a 100-acre data center campus in West Jordan, Utah. Read here.

A proposed $2.8 billion Data Center in South Carolina’s Upstate would have its own onsite power generation. Read here.

CIM Group and Novva Data Centers announced that they recently closed a new commitment of $2 billion in financing from J.P. Morgan and Starwood Property Trust to complete the build-out of Novva’s flagship 175MW Salt Lake City data center. Read here.

DataOne and Nebius Partner for New US 300MW AI Data Centre in New Jersey. Read here.

Stack Infrastructure files for $10bn data center in Fredericksburg, Virginia. Read here.

Stream proposes large data center in Genesee County, New York. Read here.

Data center the size of three city blocks proposed in this Central Jersey town. Read here.

Arizona Land buys 160 acres in Buckeye area of Phoenix for data center development. Read here.

A developer is looking to build a data center campus outside Chicago in northwest Indiana. Read here.

Vantage Data Centers is expanding its existing data center campus in Québec, Canada. Read here.

55H has announced a phased expansion of its data center capacity in Brampton, Ontario. Read here.

Canadian First Nation Prophet River FN plans data center in British Columbia. Read here.

Pembina Pipeline Corporation has entered into agreements for a 50% interest in Greenlight Electricity Centre Limited Partnership, which is developing an electricity and data center complex in Alberta. Read here.

US utility First Energy has reported that its pipeline of potential data centers has surged to 2.6GW by 2029. Read here.

Last Energy plans 30 microreactors in Texas to power data centers. Read here.

Cathedra Bitcoin Sells North Dakota Data Center for $21 Million. Read here.

Kentucky utilities submit planning permission for 1.29GW of natural gas power to serve data center sector. Read here.

Baker Hughes, Frontier Infrastructure Partner on Carbon Capture and Data Center Projects in the U.S. Read here.

Soluna taps 166MW wind power to fuel data center. Read here.

AI Startup CoreWeave’s IPO Filing Reveals Its Data Center Footprint’s Growth — And Its Risks. Read here.

CoreWeave denies any canceled contracts with Microsoft ahead of IPO. Read here.

Blackstone’s Gray Sounds Bullish Call on Data Center Spending. Read here.

Principal Asset Management closed a $3.64bn dedicated data center fund. Read here.

South America

Brazil’s data center boom raises concerns over energy access. Read here.

Other interesting articles

Gen AI to double global data centres’ electricity consumption by 2030. Read here.

Datacloud Energy & ESG 2025: Industry leaders call for urgent grid reform. Read here.

Inside the US Data Center Boom: What’s powering the next tech revolution? Read here.

Europe risks losing AI race without urgent action on digital infrastructure. Read here.

The expansion of infrastructure: How AI data centres will change the sector. Read here.

Recent Missions Enable Lunar Data Centers And Human Archives. Read here.

World’s 1st modular quantum computer that can operate at room temperature goes online. Read here.

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You can now receive data centre news direct to your email. Subscribe via Substack.

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DataOne’s New 300MW Data Center with Nebius Signals America’s Insatiable Appetite for AI

Posted on by Zoe Towlson

New collaboration in New Jersey redefines data center construction, featuring unparalleled speed, sustainability, and scalability.

March 6, 2025 – DataOne, the sustainable AI data center specialist, and Nebius, a cutting-edge AI and cloud computing leader, are redefining the speed and efficiency of data center construction together.

DataOne is delivering a first phase facility in just 20 weeks and this state-of-the-art data center in Vineland, New Jersey will accelerate Nebius’ expansion into the U.S. market. Built on behind-the-meter electricity solutions, this new data center harnesses innovative power generation to minimize dependence on the local grid.

This advanced approach underscores DataOne and Nebius’ commitment to sustainable infrastructure. Other sustainability-focused solutions include creative heat recovery systems, urban farming, energy-efficient cooling practices, and renewable energy options, all designed to reduce environmental impact while delivering exceptional performance.

Charles-Antoine Beyney, CEO of DataOne, said: “This collaboration marks a turning point in data center engineering. Decades of delivering exceptional Mission Critical Services for BSO’s customers have prepared DataOne for the complex infrastructure demands of AI at scale. This facility is as state-of-the-art as data centers come, offering unprecedented energy efficiency and a strategic location to support Nebius’ rapid global expansion. Our ambition doesn’t stop with what we’re announcing today; we aim to build this campus out with multiple clients and tenants to become a gigawatt-scale data center campus.”

Andrey Korolenko, Chief Product & Infrastructure Officer and co-founder of Nebius, said: “By combining Nebius’ expertise in AI-native cloud computing with DataOne’s deep knowledge of data center infrastructure, we are accelerating deployment timelines without compromising on performance or sustainability. This facility will be a major step in expanding our footprint in the US market, reinforcing Nebius’ position as a leader in next-generation AI cloud infrastructure.”

DataOne entered the market in late 2024 with Europe’s first giga-scale AI hosting data center, followed by an AI-bespoke facility for Core42 in Grenoble, France.

Now, with its largest U.S. project to date, DataOne’s innovative design and operating model continues to push the boundaries of data center development. Meanwhile, Nebius, becoming a DataOne tenant for the next 10 years, continues its own rapid expansion, with this New Jersey facility complementing its existing deployments in Finland, Paris, Kansas City and Iceland.

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Data eXec Search: The Key to Hiring Great Leaders 

Posted on by Zoe Towlson

Real progress only happens when you challenge everything and push boundaries. At Data eXec Search, we’re all about growth – but not the slow, predictable kind. We’re talking about relentless, never-satisfied, always-moving-forward kind of growth.  

Businesses that thrive in the data center industry don’t settle for mediocrity. The key to driving this level of progress?  

Exceptional leadership. 

We’re transforming executive search and headhunting for the data center industry. We don’t just find leaders – we find trailblazers who challenge norms, push boundaries, and drive impactful change. Partnering with visionary companies, we craft teams that shape the digital future. 

www.dataexecsearch.com  

Contents

The challenges with data center executive search

Finding senior leaders in the data center sector comes with its own unique challenges: 

  1. A limited supply of experienced leaders 

The rapid expansion of the industry has outpaced the availability of experienced senior talent. As a result, many companies find themselves searching for executives from a small, highly competitive candidate pool. A wave of experienced professionals reaching retirement age has resulted in the challenge of replacing decades of experience with a new generation of leaders. 

  1. Traditional recruitment methods don’t work  

The best leaders aren’t browsing job boards – they’re already leading, making an impact in their current roles. Job advertisements and standard outreach fail because: 

  • Executives are busy and don’t actively search for new roles
  • Public advertising of vacancies can raise confidentiality concerns
  • Inbox overload – senior leaders receive countless generic recruitment messages, making it easy for your opportunity to get lost in the noise 
  • Executive search recruitment is about building relationships. Quick hires won’t secure long-term, high-impact results. 
  1. High-stakes roles require unique skills 

Executive positions in data centres demand a blend of technical expertise, industry knowledge, leadership acumen, and strategic vision. Finding a leader with this mix of skills, who also happens to be a great culture fit for your company, is more challenging than hiring for mid-level positions. 

Data eXec Search: executive search and headhunting

“DataX Connect Launches Sister Brand Data eXec Search”

  1. Longer hiring processes and decision-making 

Executive recruitment requires extensive vetting, multiple interview stages, and thorough negotiation. Involving a number of stakeholders, the process is more complex than mid-level recruitment and rushing it risks costly mistakes. 

  1. High compensation expectations  

Top-tier leaders expect competitive compensation packages, often including base salary, bonuses, equity, and long-term incentives. 

  1. The importance of discretion 

Whether replacing a senior leader or expanding a leadership team, data centre companies don’t always want their hiring plans made public. Discretion is critical in securing top talent without disrupting business operations.  

  1. The risk of not getting it right 

A wrong fit for a leadership hire has a bigger ripple effect than a mid-level hire. Company strategy and culture can both be negatively impacted and result in costly turnover.

How Data eXec Search solves these challenges 

We have a strategic, thorough approach to executive search and headhunting built on years of experience in the industry. 

  1. A limited supply of experienced leaders → A powerful network of passive candidates 

Having been working in the sector for years, we have direct access to top leadership. Deep-rooted relationships allow us to connect with the best leaders globally. 

  1. Traditional recruitment methods don’t work → A bespoke strategy that delivers results  

Our data center executive search process is thorough, precise and completely bespoke to each role. The same process doesn’t work for all, and we love creating personalized strategies that align with your unique needs. 

  1. High-stakes roles require unique skills → Industry expertise is embedded in our DNA 

At Data eXec Search we don’t just understand recruitment – we understand data centers. The team live and breathe this industry so we can pinpoint the right talent with both leadership and technical expertise. 

  1. Longer hiring processes and decision-making → A dedicated executive search team 

Our executive search team, headed up by industry influencer Andy Davis, operates with singular focus, ensuring that every search is thorough, strategic, and highly targeted. We don’t juggle dozens of roles—we work with select companies and deliver results. 

  1. High compensation expectations → Thorough briefing and transparency with candidates 

We take a proactive, consultative approach to executive hiring. Our thorough briefing stage allows us to create a comprehensive job description, character profile, and EVP document that ensures everyone is always on the same page. 

  1. The importance of discretion → Discrete and strategic search process 

We understand how important confidentiality is to the visionary, game-changing companies we work with. Our approach is discrete ensuring that sensitive hiring processes remain private and secure. 

  1. The risk of not getting it right → Thorough vetting and cultural fit assessments 

We will always do in-depth competency-based interviewing, but we can also offer psychometric testing, promotion and succession planning, talent benchmarking, and team development. We can do this on with your existing team to assess the capabilities and gaps in the management structure. 

The importance of employer branding

At Data eXec Search, our goal is to build your brand so authentically that, over time, it draws the talent you need naturally – without our help. 

We believe finding the right leaders goes hand in hand with strengthening your brand to attract them. We have an employer branding agency in house who, if needed, can help to showcase your vision, values, and culture. Through carefully crafted content, our podcast, and industry-wide networks, we’ll create and share your story with purpose, helping you become a recognized name in the market. 

Work with us

If you’re after a standard list of CVs from the usual data center companies, we might not be the right choice. But if you’re looking for individuals who challenge the norm, push boundaries, and make a genuine impact, we would love to help. 

At Data eXec Search, we only partner with a few select companies who are hungry to innovate and leave their mark on the world. We will never take on a role that we don’t believe we will be best placed to fill and will always recommend another partner from our network if we don’t think we can help. 

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Weekly Data Centre Digest – 28th February 2025

Posted on by Zoe Towlson

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Reports

CBRE: North America Data Center Trends H2 2024. Read here.

Cushman & Wakefield: EMEA Data Centre Update H2 2024. Read here.

Europe

Solaria obtains 225 MW to connect data centers in the Basque Country. Read here.

Spain’s grid operator gives Solaria greenlight for two data center projects totaling 438MW. Read here.

Stoneshield plans 6.8 million sq ft data center campus outside Santander, Spain. Read here.

Eni partners with UAE’s MGX and G42 to develop 1GW of data centers in Italy. Read here.

Decision due on £10 billion datacentre plans for Cambois in Northumberland. Read here.

Data center to be built in former bunker in Leverkusen, Germany. Read here.

Drax considering using Selby biomass generators to power data centre (UK). Read here.

Telecom Italia has connected its data center outside Milan to a local district heating scheme. Read here.

Middle East & Africa

e& to sell 40% stake in Khazna Data Center Holdings for $2.2bn. Read here.

DataVolt leases land from MODON for new AI data centre in Riyadh. Read here.

Sudlows Consulting announced its acquisition by Kent, a global leader in engineering services. Read here.

iXAfrica unveils first phase of NBOX1 data centre with new KIXP PoP. Read here.

APAC

Alibaba Group to invest $53bn in cloud and AI infrastructure in next three years. Read here.

South Korea’s Jeollanam-do province secures $35bn deal for world’s largest AI data centre. Read here.

Billionaire Robert Kuok’s Grandson Drives $10 Billion Bet On AI Data Centers. Read here.

PLDT explores new data centre investment as CVC talks conclude. Read here.

Gaw Capital, Sinar Primera build Indonesia-Singapore digital bridge with new data centre. Read here.

Turkish satellite firm Türksat to build 21MW data center outside Ankara. Read here.

Colt DCS expands hyperscale data centre footprint with Inzai 4 launch in Tokyo, Japan. Read here.

Blackstone and Panchil Realty to build 500 MW hyperscale data center in India. Read here.

ISPT files to build 170MW data center in Sydney, Australia. Read here.

ST Telemedia Global Data Centres announced the groundbreaking of its first data centre facility in the STT Johor data centre campus – STT Johor 1. Read here.

Singapore unveils guidelines for data centre and cloud operators. Read here.

Bytedance’s TikTok to invest $8.8 bln in Thailand data centres. Read here.

North America

Meta in talks for $200 billion AI data center project. Read here.

Meta in Talks to Raise $35 Billion for Data-Center Financing Led by Apollo. Read here.

Microsoft (MSFT) Cancels Data Center Leases While Maintaining $80 Billion Infrastructure Spending Plan. Read here.

Data center in Waukee to expand as part of Apple’s new $500 billion U.S. investment plan. Read here.

Nvidia Reports Record-Breaking Revenue on Blackwell Earnings. Read here.

CoreWeave eyes $4 billion IPO, valuation could exceed $35 billion. Read here.

Rowan Digital Infrastructure announced it closed a further $1.24 billion of construction financing to build the second phase of a flagship hyperscale data center campus in Maryland. Read here.

Vantage Data Centers commits $1.75 billion to expand Canadian hyperscale infrastructure. Read here.

New Era Helium and Sharon AI Announce Letter of Intent to Acquire 200-Acre Site for 250MW Net-Zero AI/HPC Data Center in the Permian Basin. Read here.

Core Scientific Stock Surges After $1.2B Expansion of Data Center With CoreWeave. Read here.

Hyperscale Data to scale Michigan data center to 300MW. Read here.

PowerHouse and Provident to develop 1.8GW campus in DFW, Texas. Read here.

TECfusions Expands Data Center Footprint with 73-Acre Virginia Acquisition. Read here.

Cipher Mining acquires more than 500 acres across two sites in Texas for crypto and HPC use. Read here.

JK Land Holdings gets approval for Greenlin Park in Leesburg, Virginia. Read here.

Direct-to-chip cooling specialist Accelsius has partnered with Nordik Data Centers to build an AI data center in Montreal, Canada. Read here.

Hoffman Estates could see third data center campus with sale of Plum Farms property (Illinois). Read here.

Edged Data Centers Opens New AI-Ready Data Center in Aurora (Chicago). Read here.

Continent 8 launches data center in Missouri. Read here.

Iron Mountain has broken ground on it’s first data center in Miami. Read here.

Schneider Electric launches R&D data center in Massachusetts. Read here.

Illinois Teachers commits $300m to US data centre and residential debt funds. Read here.

South America

Entel Bolivia opens new datacenter and announces fiber expansion. Read here.

ODATA Announces Energization of Mexico’s Largest Data Center Campus. Read here.

Other interesting articles

AI Factories: Separating Hype From Reality. Read here.

Does It Matter If Microsoft Is Cancelling AI Data Center Leases? Read here.

How to build data centers without raising grid costs — and emissions. Read here.

Data Center 50: The Hottest Data Center Companies Of 2025. Read here.

Nope. You probably can’t cash in by turning your office or farm into a datacenter. Read here.

A rocket was just fired into space containing the first data center to land on the moon, which is both incredible and incredibly corporate in equal measure. Read here.

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Weekly Data Centre Digest – 21st February 2025

Posted on by Zoe Towlson

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Reports

The Data Center Coalition: Economic contributions of U.S. data centers, 2017-2023. Read here.

EightAdvisory: Creating value from the data centre opportunity. Read here.

Europe

Microsoft to invest $704m into expanding Polish data centers. Read here.

Real estate investment trust Prologis is looking to expand its data center footprint in Europe. Read here.

Fluidstack to Build 1GW AI Supercomputer in France. Read here.

French cloud computing provider Sesterce is investing €450 million ($471.85m) into developing an AI data center in Valence, France. Read here.

French modular data center operator Eclairion has raised €50 million ($52m) and revealed it is hosting AI lab Mistral’s new training cluster. Read here.

Heijmans will build a new data center in the Dutch province of North Holland, with a floor area of 11,000 square meters. Read here.

NorthC breaks ground on 4.5MW expansion in Amsterdam. Read here.

Oxigen opens its largest data centre in Spain in partnership with Vertiv. Read here.

Keppel sells data center in Frankfurt, Germany, for €50m. Read here.

A data center development has been proposed at the Krofdorf-Gleiberger Augarten in Wettenberg, Germany. Read here.

Scandinavian Data Centers launches its first ecosystem site integrating battery energy storage, data center and heat recovery. Read here.

Residents face relocation as Heathrow data centre plans move forward. Read here.

Havering Council is seeking legal advice after a developer started works on a huge data centre without approval. Read here.

Data centre project at UK’s first AI Growth Zone attracts significant private sector interest. Read here.

British Gas is carrying out a trial using excess heat from data processing to provide free hot water in homes (UK). Read here.

UK-based digital infrastructure provider Pulsant is set to expand its data centre portfolio with the backing of its shareholders. Read here.

Ireland to force new data centres to match power use with generation. Read here.

“Foundational infrastructure” needed as Northern Ireland risks “lagging behind” data centre boom in the south, says MLA. Read here.

Nokia’s $2.3bn Infinera buy set to make company world’s second-biggest vendor of optical networking gear for data centres. Read here.

Middle East & Africa

DataVolt has signed an agreement with The Saudi Authority for Industrial Cities and Technology Zones to launch a new AI-ready data centre in Riyadh. Read here.

The case for Gulf ‘free data zones’. Read here.

APAC

World’s largest ‘mega’ data center planned for South Korea in $35bn project. Read here.

Goodman Group plans A$4bn raise for data centre expansion. Read here.

Infratil increases stake in Canberra Data Centres close to 50%. Read here.

CDC announces new data centre campus at Laverton, Melbourne. Read here.

Highlander adds new module to Hainan underwater data centre. Read here.

AI giant OpenAI in talks to set up Indian data centre operations. Read here.

North America

Musk’s xAI considering second data center, $5bn Dell server deal. Read here.

QuadReal and T5 to support data centers platform growth to $8.0 bn. Read here.

Majorana 1: Microsoft Set to Accelerate Quantum Computing. Read here.

Aligned Data Centers announced its expansion in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metro Area with a new data center campus in Mansfield, TX. Read here.

Amazon requests permit for 11-building data center campus in Caroline County, Virginia. Read here.

Amazon Web Services is aiming to develop a data center in each county between Northern Virginia and the city of Richmond. Read here.

Amazon expanding data center presence in Oregon; buys 400 acres. Read here.

Microsoft has filed to build two more data centers in San Antonio, Texas. Read here.

Core Scientific announced its expansion into Auburn, Alabama, with a new high-performance computing facility. Read here.

Data center developer ImpactData has partnered with Raeden for its debut data center in North Carolina. Read here.

Teton Digital gets go-ahead for 100MW data center in North Dakota. Read here.

Vantage Data Centers is asking to rezone 618 acres of farmland for a data center development in Pittsboro, Indiana. Read here.

Liquid-cooled data center provider Colovore has begun work on its first facility outside California. Read here.

Avangrid, the US arm of Spanish utility Iberdrola, will construct six new power projects with a combined capacity of 800MW to help meet the soaring energy demand of data centers in the US. Read here.

Hyperscale Data announced that its subsidiary Alliance Cloud Services has reached an agreement in principle with a local utility to increase its Michigan data center power capacity from 30 MW to 300 MW. Read here.

Bloom Energy Expands Data Center Power Agreement with Equinix Surpassing 100MW. Read here.

Dominari: How the Trump Family are Investing in Data Centres. Read here.

American Real Estate Partners Fund IV Oversubscribed at $309M. Read here.

South America

Alibaba Cloud opens its first data centre in Mexico. Read here.

Other interesting articles

Data Centre Demand Fuelling a New ‘Age of Electricity’. Read here.

Turning AI opportunity into AI reality: Why the UK’s data centres are central to its AI ambitions. Read here.

Intelligent Design: Constructing next generation data centers for the AI boom. Read here.

The crypto pivot to AI. Read here.

Fundraising Sector Spotlight: Data Centers. Read here.

Data Centers Investing in Nuclear, Fuel Cells, and Li-ion Batteries. Read here

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The Use of AI in Data Centres 

Posted on by Zoe Towlson

AI in Data Centres: Phases of the Data Centre Lifecycle 

AI is shaking up the way data centres are planned, built, and managed. The irony? The very challenges AI has created—like soaring energy demands and infrastructure strain—could be tackled by AI itself. 

From pinpointing the best sites for new facilities to streamlining construction and improving long-term efficiency, AI is becoming an essential tool across the data centre lifecycle. Smarter automation, predictive analytics, and real-time optimisation are helping organisations cut costs, boost sustainability, and enhance security. 

In this article, we’ll explore the role AI plays at every stage—turning data centres into smarter, more resilient powerhouses of the digital world. 

Contents

AI in data centres: design

The design phase in the data centre life cycle is crucial, as decisions made at this stage impact efficiency and performance for years to come. AI enhances this process in several ways: 

  • Site selection: AI analyses geographical data, climate conditions, energy availability, and natural disaster risks to identify the best data centre locations. 
  • Simulation and modelling: Digital tools powered by AI simulate cooling and energy consumption, allowing engineers to optimise designs before construction begins. 
  • Digital twins: AI-driven digital twin technology enables testing of various features and configurations virtually, reducing errors and improving efficiency. 
  • Building Information Modelling (BIM): AI-enhanced BIM helps detect design conflicts early, minimising costly rework and delays. 
  • Parametric design: AI allows for a wider range of design options to be explored in less time, improving decision-making and efficiency. 
  • Compliance checks: Automated compliance verification helps streamline the approval process, ensuring regulatory requirements are met before construction begins. 

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AI in data centres: construction

AI optimises data centre construction by improving project management, resource allocation, and quality control. 

  • Scheduling optimisation: AI can analyse and test multiple project sequences, identifying the most efficient route and adjusting schedules if delays occur. 
  • Equipment allocation: AI optimises the allocation of Owner-Furnished, Contractor-Installed (OFCI) equipment, helping to manage long and variable lead times effectively. 
  • Augmented Reality (AR): AR tools assist with site layout, ensuring accuracy in the placement of infrastructure components. 
  • Quality control checks: AR can verify installations, detecting errors or deviations from design specifications. 
  • Progress tracking: AI can compare video footage from construction sites with BIM models, tracking progress and identifying any discrepancies. 
  • Waste and energy management: AI-driven systems monitor and optimise material usage and real-time energy consumption, reducing waste and improving sustainability.  
ai in data centres

AI in data centres: operations

Once a data centre is operational, AI enhances efficiency, security, and performance through predictive analytics and automation. 

  • Power and cooling optimisation: AI continuously tracks, adjusts, and optimises heating, cooling, and power distribution to maintain efficiency. 
  • Predictive maintenance: AI analyses historical data and identifies patterns to predict equipment failures before they happen, reducing downtime and maintenance costs. 
  • Workload management: AI can shift workloads based on power consumption patterns and real-time energy prices, optimising energy efficiency. 
  • Data storage optimisation: AI can reorganise stored data, placing frequently accessed data on faster media and identifying redundant files to free up storage space. 
  • Cybersecurity: AI enhances security by detecting cyber threats and suspicious behaviour, helping to prevent attacks before they occur. 
  • Disaster response and recovery: AI-driven disaster response systems create contingency plans and recovery strategies, minimising downtime in case of emergencies. 

Google reported that by applying DeepMind’s machine learning to their data centres, they reduced energy used for cooling by up to 40%.

Looking for a new opportunity in data centre operations?

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AI isn’t just reshaping data centres—it’s helping to solve the very challenges it created. By enhancing design, streamlining construction, and optimising operations, AI is driving efficiency, reliability, and sustainability across the entire lifecycle. 

With predictive analytics, automation, and machine learning in play, data centres are becoming smarter, greener, and more resilient. And as AI continues to evolve, its influence will only expand, cementing its place as a game-changer for the future of the industry. 

More insights

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Weekly Data Centre Digest – 14th February 2025

Posted on by Zoe Towlson

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Reports

How to Power AI (UK). Read here.

CBRE: Europe Data Centres Figures Q4 2024. Read here.

Europe

France unveils €109 billion AI investment plan. Read here.

Brookfield and Data4 to spend €20bn on AI infrastructure in France. Read here.

Mistral AI to invest billions building data centre in France. Read here.

G42, AMD to Boost AI Compute in France with New Data Center. Read here.

The iliad Group has announced intentions to invest €3 billion in AI infrastructure from data centres to be a European market leader. Read here.

Evroc announced plans for a 96MW data center outside Cannes, France. Read here.

French energy giant EDF offers up land for data centre projects. Read here.

Salford City Council has approved plans for a £250m data centre at Peel Waters’ Halo West site, in Greater Manchester (UK). Read here.

Yondr broke ground on 40MW London data centre in London campus expansion. Read here.

London has 400 GW of grid requests holding up datacenter builds. Read here.

UK Government opens bidding for AI Growth Zones. Read here.

UK government pledges 500MW of data center power for its AI Growth Zones. Read here.

Tech giants back UK energy reform to create Scottish data centre boom. Read here.

DTRE steps up Europe expansion with Milan data centre mandate. Read here.

Greenlandic telco Tusass is planning a new data center in the capital city, Nuuk. Read here.

Germany’s DataHall plans data center outside Leipzig. Read here.

Green Mountain and KMW top out data center outside Frankfurt, Germany. Read here.

Segro has reported a double-digit jump in profit driven by demand for data centres and improving investment market conditions. Read here.

Middle East & Africa

LEAP 2025: Saudi scores big with over $20bn in AI Investments. Read here.

Saudi Arabia’s Neom signs deal with Datavolt to build $5bn data centre in Oxagon. Read here.

Startup Groq secures $1.5bn AI chip investment. Groq expects to receive the latest funds throughout this year to expand its Dammam data centre in Saudi Arabia. Read here.

Equinix commits to $1bn data centre in Saudi Arabia. Read here.

Stc Group and AWS come together to advance Saudi Arabia’s digital transformation agenda. Read here.

Qareeb Data Centres and Bitcoin mining service provider Pantheon have partnered to rollout Bitcoin mining data centers across the Middle East. Read here.

Ooredoo and Iron Mountain Partner to Accelerate Data Centre Growth Across MENA. Read here.

APAC

Singtel Lands S$643M Green Loan for AI-Ready Data Center. Read here.

Microsoft announces partnership with TAFE NSW to deliver Datacentre Academy. Read here.

NTT Global Data Centers inaugurates 40 MW DC facility in Kolkata. Read here.

AirTrunk unveils second data centre in Malaysia. Read here.

Alibaba Cloud has unveiled its second data center in Thailand. Read here.

North America

Equinix anticipates 7%-8% revenue growth in 2025, driven by AI demand and capacity expansion. Read here.

Data centre REIT Digital Realty exceeds Q4 expectations, tempers 2025 outlook. Read here.

Applied Digital Agrees to Build a Partnership with Macquarie Asset Management for Funding of up to $5.0 Billion to Drive HPC Growth

T5 Data Centers is looking to develop multiple gigawatt-scale campuses, starting with a site outside Chicago, Illinois. Read here.

Stack Infrastructure announced plans for a 144MW data center campus in Loudoun County, Virginia. Read here.

EdgeConneX plans 120MW gas plant to power Ohio data center. Read here.

Vantage Data Centers and VoltaGrid establish partnership to deploy more than One Gigawatt of Power Generation. Read here.

PATRIZIA, a global real estate manager, has invested in US-based Aligned Data Centers. Read here.

Rayburn Electric (Dallas) is preparing for the future as best it knows how: building more generation to meet Data Center requirements. Read here.

Tesla completed the deployment of its 50,000 Nvidia H100 GPU training cluster during Q4 2024. Read here.

Dominion boosts capital expenditure plan amid rising data centre demand. Read here.

Riot Platforms expands board amid AI data center push. Read here.

GDS Holdings mulls $500m US IPO for international data centre arm DayOne. Read here.

Overwatch Capital has partnered with Nautilus Data Technologies to deploy modular, AI-ready data centers. Read here.

South America

$110m Tecto data centre project ‘Mega Lobster’ underway in Fortaleza. Read here.

Other interesting articles

‘Every data center is becoming an AI data center’: The state of data centers in 2025. Read here.

How to get ahead of the data centre power crunch. Read here.

The forgotten workforce: Suicide in construction. Read here.

Data centers are getting a lot of buzz from GCC investors – it makes sense. Read here.

UK AI data center infrastructure – if they build it, will they come? Learnings from the US. Read here.

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