Data Centre - August 2023

THE NORDICS: A LEADING SUSTAINABLE DATA CENTRE DESTINATION

THE EVOLUTION OF HYBRID CLOUD

HOW AI IN DATA CENTRES HELPS DRIVE A MORE SUSTAINABLE WORLD VP

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Leading the way in environmental responsibility and workforce diversity

The data centre industry continues to grow and evolve at lightning speeds, but this is not at the expense of ethical practices - which remain at the forefront of sector’s priorities

We all strive for the world to be a better place - the optimist in me likes to think so, anyway - and the data centre field is no different.

This month’s issue highlights just that; how the industry endeavours to make itself future proof both for its benefit and for that of the planet.

With companies like VIRTUS using 100% renewable electricity and committing to being net zero by 2030, and atNorth having stringent sustainability policies, data centre practices don’t have to be at a detriment to the environment. And when it comes to the workforce the attitude remains the same when it comes to efforts to diversify personnel. In 2021 more than three-quarters of data centre operators surveyed by the Uptime Institute said less than 10% of their staff members were women - and plenty are working for that to change.

Although I have been in post since April, this is my first magazine as editor. I hope you enjoy reading this edition as much as I did overseeing it.

MAYA DERRICK

maya.derrick@bizclikmedia.com

“DATA CENTRE PRACTICES DON’T HAVE TO BE AT A DETRIMENT TO THE ENVIRONMENT”

CONTENTS

UP FRONT

14 BIG PICTURE IBM to open its first European quantum data centre in 2024

16 INTERVIEW WITH...

Kelley Mullick, Vice President of Technology

Advancement and Alliances at Iceotope Technologies

20 LIFETIME OF ACHIEVEMENT Lex Coors of Digital Realty

28 DATABANK

Fuelling tech growth by taking data to the edge

50 DATA CENTRES

The Nordics: a leading sustainable data centre destination

64 ORACLE CLOUD

The power of community in driving digital evolution

84 SUSTAINABILITY

How the data centre industry is addressing its DE&I problem

162 TOP 1 0

leaders

CONTENTS

94 NTT

Constructing data centres and developing people

114 CLOUD EDGE

The evolution of hybrid cloud

124 EQUINIX

How digital leaders can achieve sustainable digital transformation in uncertain times

138 TECHNOLOGY

How AI in data centres helps drive a more sustainable world

148 BDX

Customer-centricity helps data centresovercome disruption

174 EVENT REVIEW

Looking back at the highlights from Data Centre LIVE 2023

Pioneers in Temperature, Environmental and Power Sensor Solutions

Traditional Data Centers are over cooled, focussing on uptime. They have limited or poorly designed containment, little understanding of the air flows, air temperatures and air pressures at key points in the heating and cooling cycle.

Data centers can save 4-5% in energy costs for every 0.5°C (1°F) increase in server inlet temperatures. There is a trade off that comes with this. There is less margin for error.

AKCP established in the USA in 1981 created the market for temperature, environmental and power monitoring in the data center. Today with over 150 employees and 200,000 installations, AKCP is the world’s oldest and largest manufacturer of networked wired and wireless sensor solutions.

Deploying the AKCP monitoring solution creates a Digital Twin of your data center. A virtual copy of the physical data center used to simulate scenarios, predict performance and improve efficiency and reliability.

AKCP designs, manufactures and tests everything in house with our SMT production line, clean room and packaging equipment. Every unit gets a 2 day burn in before shipping.

Setting the standards for technical achievement and innovation including sensorCFD™, Wireless Tunnel™ and Digital Twins. Our outstanding level of support to all customers large and small, defines AKCP’s success.

AKCP Thermal Map Sensor

BIG PICTURE

A model of IBM Quantum System One, as installed at Shin-Kawaski for the University of Tokyo

IMAGE: SATOSHI KAWASE, FOR IBM

IBM to open its first European quantum data centre in 2024 Ehningen, Germany

IBM has announced plans to open its first Europe-based quantum data centre in Germany, aimed at providing cutting-edge quantum computing access. The facility, expected to be operational in 2024, will house multiple IBM quantum computing systems with utility-scale quantum processors of over 100 qubits.

The facility will serve as IBM Quantum’s European cloud region, enabling users to provision services for quantum computing research and activities while complying with European data regulation requirements.

Jay Gambetta, IBM Quantum’s Vice President, said: “Europe has some of the world’s most advanced users of quantum computers, and interest is only accelerating with the era of utility-scale quantum processors.”

EXECUTIVE BIO

KELLEY MULLICK

DR KELLEY MULLICK

TITLE: VICE PRESIDENT OF TECHNOLOGY ADVANCEMENT AND ALLIANCES

COMPANY: ICEOTOPE TECHNOLOGIES

Dr Kelley Mullick is a dynamic and results-oriented Systems Engineer and joined Iceotope from Intel in May 2023. She is recognised for her expertise in immersion and cold plate liquid cooling.

At Intel, Dr Mullick worked in Product Management and Strategy for the Datacenter and AI Group, where she developed Intel’s first immersion cooling warranty.

Dr Mullick holds a BSc in Chemistry and Biology from Walsh University, an MSc In Chemical Engineering from the University of Akron and a PhD in Chemical Engineering from Ohio State University.

Iceotope’s CEO David Craig said that Dr Mullick is “a welcome addition to the Iceotope team”.

Vice President of Technology

Advancement and Alliances at Iceotope Technologies, Dr Mullick, shares some highlights from her career and looks ahead to the future in her new role at Iceotope

Q. HI DR MULLICK, PLEASE INTRODUCE YOURSELF AND YOUR ROLE?

» “I’m Dr Kelley Mullick, and I am the Vice President of Technology

Advancement and Alliances at Iceotope Technologies. I am responsible for spearheading the advancement of technology initiatives and fostering strategic alliances with leading Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and technology partners.

“As a dynamic and results-oriented systems engineer, my primary focus is to drive the evolution of Iceotope’s liquid cooling technology, ensuring its continued innovation and relevance in a rapidly evolving industry landscape.”

Q. TELL US ABOUT YOUR EDUCATION AND CAREER PATH

» “I have a diverse educational background that has contributed to my success in the technology industry. I completed my BSc in Chemistry and Biology from Walsh University, followed by an MSc in Chemical Engineering from the University of Akron. I further pursued my passion for Chemical Engineering by obtaining a PhD in the same field from Ohio State University.

“I started my career in product sustainability, and I always seem to come back to sustainability and environmental engineering. Prior to joining Iceotope, I worked at Intel Corporation in Product Management and Strategy for the Datacenter and AI Group. Alongside an incredible team at Intel, I helped solve one of the barriers to broad adoption by developing a strategy for the first immersion cooling warranty announced at the 2022 Open Compute Project.”

Q. HOW DID YOU GET INTO THIS INDUSTRY?

» “I have always been fascinated by the application of science and engineering principles to solve complex challenges, and sustainable engineering is also a passion of mine.

“While my focus now is on liquid cooling, my broader technology background is very diverse and some of my proudest achievements to date include securing two patents while at Intel – one that involved architecting a software system to create a new revenue stream for the solutions group at Intel, and another on workload optimisation and pairing technologies together delivering improved latency for cloud microservices workloads.

“At Intel, I also gained extensive experience and expertise in immersion and cold plate liquid cooling. When I came across Iceotope’s technology, I saw its potential to revolutionise the industry and address the growing need for sustainable and efficient cooling solutions.”

More than 3,000 women have attended a training Dr Mullick created about gaining and displaying confidence in their professional careers

Q. HOW IMPORTANT IS IT TO YOU – AND YOUR COLLEAGUES – THAT THERE IS A FOCUS IN THE DATA CENTRE INDUSTRY ON SUSTAINABILITY?

» “Sustainability is of utmost importance to me and my colleagues at Iceotope. The data centre industry plays a significant role in global energy consumption and environmental impact. As the demand for computing power continues to rise, it is crucial to address the associated challenges, such as energy waste, inefficiencies, and carbon emissions.

“At Iceotope, we are committed to developing precision liquid cooling solutions that are not only highly efficient but also environmentally friendly. Our goal is to enable data centres to

“I have always been fascinated by the application of science and engineering principles to solve complex challenges. Sustainable engineering is also a passion of mine”

operate with greater cooling efficiency, reliability and sustainability. Sustainability is not just a buzzword for us; it is a guiding principle in everything we do.”

Q. TALK TO US ABOUT YOUR PASSION FOR CREATING A MORE DIVERSE WORKFORCE AND MAKING ENTRY INTO THE INDUSTRY MORE ACCESSIBLE FOR THOSE FROM UNDERREPRESENTED/ MARGINALISED BACKGROUNDS?

» “Creating a more diverse workforce and promoting inclusivity are causes that I am deeply passionate about. I have witnessed the underrepresentation of

entry into the industry more accessible for those facing barriers. More than 3,000 women have attended a training I created about gaining and displaying confidence in their professional careers. I’m also a proud cofounder of the Portland chapter of UPWARD, a global networking organisation accelerating the advancement of executive women.

“I want to change the metrics we see for women in technology. For upwards of 25 years, women have represented approximately 20% of engineering graduates, however, we represent about 50% of the general population. I want to see those barriers

WHAT DO YOU THINK THE NEXT 12 MONTHS HOLD FOR YOU AND ICEOTOPE?

“As the market increasingly recognises the importance of liquid cooling technology for addressing the challenges of data centre efficiency and sustainability, Iceotope is well-positioned to lead the way.

“My focus will be on driving technology advancement and building strategic alliances with OEMs and technology

partners. We will continue to innovate and refine our patented chassis-level precision liquid cooling solutions, offering significant reductions in water consumption, power usage, and carbon emissions.

“By delivering these benefits, we can contribute to the achievement of netzero emission goals by the data centre industry. It’s a rewarding feeling to be in a career I love with a tangible opportunity to make a difference for the planet.”

Creating a more diverse workforce and promoting inclusivity are causes that I am deeply passionate about.

I have witnessed the underrepresentation of women and other marginalised groups in the technology industry”

LEX COORS

Meet the man committed to leveraging technology to help save the planet and advance humanity

With a career spanning more than 30 years, Lex Coors – in his roles at Interxion and Digital Realty –has supervised the design and build of more than 70 data centres, as well as developed 600,000 m2 of gross space.

As a pioneer in data centre design and management, Coors’ expertise centres around the designing of versatile, cost-effective and energy efficient data centre infrastructures; power ratio efficiency; and the modular approach to data centre architecture.

Coors’ peers in the industry hold him in high regard describing him as a ‘capable and professional engineer’and a ‘thought leader in critical infrastructure engineering’.

“There are very few people around who blend expertise and sheer common sense as well as Lex. Add to that a charming and friendly disposition and you have a trusted man amongst men,” said Ian Bitterlin, Retired.

Committed to leveraging technology to save the planet and advance humanity

Both inside and outside of his day to day job, Coors in his leading roles has been integral in the advancement of sustainability initiatives.

“We [Interxion] started looking into our sustainability strategy over seven years ago. Initially, we started looking at energy efficiency in 2009 and even before that, we called it our energy overhead. Now, we have been able to say that for a few years, 100% of our data centres are running

on sustainable energy,” commented Coors when speaking to Data Centre Magazine in 2021.

“We are passionate about sustainability because you cannot design a data centre well without this understanding,” he added.

In appreciation of his efforts, Coors has been awarded iMasons’ Technology Champion award. The yearly award showcases and amplifies the outstanding contributions of leaders in the digital infrastructure industry, and who have led by example, achieving tangible and sustained results.

LEX COORS

TITLE: CHIEF DATA CENTER TECHNOLOGY AND ENGINEERING OFFICER

COMPANY: DIGITAL REALTY

Lex Coors currently holds the position of Chief Data Center Technology and Engineering Officer at Digital Reality, and Visiting Professor at the University of East London.

EXECUTIVE BIO

Coors has more than 20 years of experience in the data centre industry holding executive positions at Interxion and Digital Realty.

Coors also has an extensive volunteering portfolio and is a part of the Climate Neutral Data Centre Pact; The European Data Centre Association (EUDCA); and the University of East London.

“Lex Coors was also a hugely deserving recipient of the Technology Champion Award […] His contribution to the digital infrastructure sector over the last 30 years has been vast, and since working with Digital Realty he has pioneered several new approaches to data centre design and management,” commented Digital Realty.

Today, Coors also serves on the Governing Body for the iMasons Climate Accord (ICA) to help advance the decarbonisation strategy and provide industry-wide sustainability leadership in digital infrastructure.

“Perception isn’t always reality. However, it is vitally important that they are closely aligned so that we can navigate the world more effectively and make better decisions,” said Coors.

Furthering his climate efforts Coors has also been re-elected as a Board

Member of the Climate Neutral Data Center Pact. “It is an honour and a privilege to continue working alongside visionary leaders dedicated to combating climate change and shaping a sustainable future for our digital world,” commented Coors on his re-election.

The Climate Neutral Data Centre Pact is a collective effort to make data centres more energy-efficient, resilient, and carbon-neutral. The pact is fostering innovation and implementing eco-friendly solutions to reduce the environmental impact of digital infrastructure.

“During my previous term, we achieved significant milestones, such as promoting renewable energy usage, optimising cooling systems, and establishing best practices for data centre operations. But our journey doesn’t end here.

I’m eager to build upon these successes

Lex Coors at CIO Summit 23

and drive even greater positive change in the years to come,” explained Coors.

“With the rising demand for data processing and storage, it is essential that we embrace sustainable practices without compromising technological advancements. By collaborating with industry leaders, policymakers, and environmental experts, we will continue to pioneer ground-breaking solutions that mitigate our carbon footprint and lead the way towards a greener, more resilient digital infrastructure.”

Outside of Digital Realty and Interxion, Coors is a Board Member and part of the Chair Policy Committee at The European Data Centre Association (EUDCA). He is also a Board Member of the Climate Neutral Data Centre Pact and Natron Energy and is a Visiting Professor at the University of East London.

The Portfolio

DATABANK FUELLING TECH GROWTH TAKING DATA TO THE EDGE

WRITTEN BY: SEAN

ASHCROFT

PRODUCED BY: LEWIS VAUGHAN

GROWTH BY EDGE

It might seem odd that, in a world in which technology companies are laying off workers in their thousands, a company such as DataBank – which helps fuel tech consumption – is continuing to expand at a steady pace.

DataBank's managed data-centre services are anchored in world-class facilities, and the company currently boasts such centres in locations including Dallas, Minneapolis, Kansas City, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Salt Lake City, and Atlanta –managing or operating major network facilities in each of these regions.

These facilities provide uninterrupted access to customer data, applications and IT equipment. DataBank’s services provide business solutions for corporate enterprises, including hybrid cloud services, customised IT deployments, and industry compliance, to meet the outsourcing needs for IT management, maintenance and operations.

The company serves a wide range of customer verticals, including media and content distribution, cloud infrastructure providers and telecom networks.

DataBank has been expanding its size and reach for years. In September 2017, it acquired cloud hosting company, Edge Hosting, which specialises in designing, operating and simplifying secure and compliant IaaS and PaaS Managed Cloud Hosting. The acquisition provided both market expansion and extra expertise in the delivery of cloud solutions and

Tony Qorri is VP of Construction with DataBank, and explains how the business continues to expand strategically in testing economic times

Technolog ies for Better Data Center Ef ficienc y

Today, there’s more than 18 million servers running in more than 2,500 data centers all across the globe to support everything from our global economy to our increasingly remote workforce. As we continue seeing more demand for ecommerce, artificial intelligence, streaming video, virtual reality/augmented reality applications, smart systems, and Big Data analytics, we expect these numbers to climb drastically. This unprecedented demand for digital services has made the case that data centers have become as essential as public utilities such as electricity, gas, and water. Below is an overview of some of those technologies, according to the guide:

Intelligent Power Management

Intelligent equipment and new controls enable data center operators to improve the utilization and efficiency of the critical power systems required to achieve high levels of data center availability. One strategy we’re seeing used by organizations is utilizing the overload capacity designed into some UPS systems to handle short and infrequent demand peaks rather than oversizing equipment based on these peaks.

SPREAD DIAMOND OR PLATINUM

Renewable Energy

Renewable energy can be a great tool for reducing carbon emissions. Numerous ways to leverage renewable sources include purchase plan agreements, renewable energy certificates, and migrating loads to cloud or colocation facilities committed to carbon-free operation. Some operators are looking at opportunities to power data centers through locally generated renewable power, which can be accomplished by matching renewable energy sources with fuel cells, systems that can produce clean hydrogen from renewable energy, and UPS systems with dynamic grid support capabilities.

First Steps for Data Center Sustainability Strategy

For organizations in the initial stages of planning long-term efficiency and sustainability goals, beginning such a journey can be daunting. Fortunately, Vertiv’s guide offers valuable first steps for reducing environmental impact, including:

y Establishing Goals: Data center operators are embracing goals based on the vision of the net zero data center or adopting several of the pillars that make up that vision. According to Vertiv’s guide, a net zero data center typically encompasses:

• Zero losses: Eliminating inefficiencies and maximizing utilization in data center systems.

• Zero carbon: Eliminating carbon emissions from the power consumed by data centers.

• Zero water waste: Eliminating the waste of water for data center operation.

• Zero waste: Eliminating the e-waste created by data center operations.

y Defining Frameworks and Metrics: Emissions will often be the primary target when establishing measurable goals for reducing environmental impact.

The Greenhouse Gas Protocol provides standardized global frameworks that industry organizations and their value chain partners can use to understand, aggregate, quantify, and reduce emissions. Find more metrics and frameworks Online

y Prioritizing Opportunities: Organizations looking to build out their sustainability approach can begin by evaluating existing data center systems and prioritizing opportunities based on goals and available technologies. As plans move forward, operators should continue to prioritize solutions that can achieve desired levels of continuity. Some priorities include increasing asset utilization, decreasing data center water usage, reusing data center heat, and reducing e-waste.

The path toward a more sustainable data center is not paved by a single strategy or piece of technology and implementing these changes will be no easy feat for most organizations. The reduced costs, progress toward corporate goals, limited dependence on utilities, and lessened environmental impact from these initiatives can help create significant long-term value for an organization.

managed services, especially for clientele requiring comprehensive operational controls for a number of commercial and government compliance standards.

zColo acquisition brought Qorri on board

Then in September 2020 it acquired zColo’s data centre assets from Zayo Group Holdings, with these located in cities including New York, Los Angeles, Seattle and Denver. The deal means DataBank now offers secure colocation, connectivity, cloud, and managed services in 60 data centres in 28 key markets in the US and UK.

Such structured, strategic growth has put DataBank at the forefront of the edge

“I stick with the same principles in my work as I did in my sports career: keep learning, keep improving”

TONY QORRI VP CONSTRUCTION, DATABANK

infrastructure wave, enabling enterprises, hyperscalers, cloud, content, and software customers to move their mission-critical workloads and platforms closer to end-user populations in second-, third-, and fourthtier markets.

Crucially, these deals have seen DataBank acquire expertise along with infrastructure. One such addition is VP of Construction, Tony Qorri, who joined the company as part of the zColo deal.

So how does Qorri explain DataBank’s growth in the face of a shrinking tech market?

“Tech companies might be cutting their staff, but it's not because people aren’t using technology,” he says. “In fact, people’s

TONY QORRI

TITLE: VP OF CONSTRUCTION

COMPANY: DATABANK

EXECUTIVE BIO

Tony Qorri joined DataBank as Vice President of Construction in December of 2021 with the responsibility of overall construction efforts on large construction projects as well as customer fit-out projects. Qorri came to Databank as part of the DataBank acquisition of Zayo's colocation division, zColo, where he served as Director of Construction for 7 years. Prior to Qorri's tenure at Zayo, he worked for a General Contracting / Construction Management firm in New York City where he served as Senior Vice President of Operations for 7 Years. Qorri has been in the mission critical industry for 15 years where he has built multiple Enterprise data centers for many of the financial institutions as well as the top 5 colocation companies on a global perspective. His time spent on both the contractor side as well as the end user side makes him a very well-rounded individual that understands all aspects of engineering, building, and operating a data center.

Databank and Hitachi Energy: Building bridges to success

When core values are shared, co-creation will thrive over for a real sustainable success. A shared cognizance of the customer needs allows Hitachi Energy to foster seamless collaboration to deliver impactful Data Center solutions.

Transformers for Data Centers

Learn more

The Data Center industry has witnessed exponential growth that resulted in a focus on increased speed-to-market by leveraging standardized designs. As a pioneering technology leader, Hitachi Energy plays a crucial part in bridging the gap between the grid and this critical infrastructure.

Tony Qorri is the visionary Vice president of Construction at Databank, the US Data Center giant. He believes that donning his partner hat produces win-wins when forging strategic alliances. This aligns with the tenet of Hitachi Energy, which values are focused on fostering relationships with partners for long-term value creation.

That’s why when Qorri was looking into power solutions for backing up his mission-critical projects, he was confident in the expertise of Hitachi Energy. Unintuitively understanding the unique needs and aspirations, a standardized transformer design with an extended tap arrangement was envisioned to operate at any DataBank’s location.

Collaboration was crucial to anticipate Databank’s project needs. Design standardization and Hitachi Energy’s global footprint helped to secure the construction

schedule, mitigating potential delays due to the post-pandemic world and the high demand for transformers triggered by the energy transition.

The bond built on trust and commitment has made DataBank select Hitachi Energy as its trusted partner. At the core of this synergy is a unique understanding transcending mere transactions, becoming a catalyst for innovation, resilience, and collaboration.

“Standardization was critical to supporting the fast-paced growth of Databank within today’s growing need for scalability; thankfully, due to open and transparent collaboration between our companies, we were able to iterate upon the transformer design, ultimately resulting in a repeatable and, more importantly, scalable solution”

Logan Howell, Product Manager for Distribution Transformers at Hitachi Energy - North America

Delivering a better world.

AECOM Tishman is one of the world’s leading builders. With more than 120 years in business, we’ve been responsible for the construction of more than 600 million square feet of space. A part of AECOM, our construction management business line is supported throughout the entire project lifecycle – from planning, design and engineering to program and construction management.

hunger for technology is growing, and data centres are the infrastructure that fuels that.

“So whenever you pick up your phone or click on an app you are firing three pieces of infrastructure. The cell tower that's capturing your signal, the fibre through which the signal travels and the data centre, where everything ends up.

“You have to remember our business is about serving customers of tech companies. We go where the customers are.”

And where DataBank always goes is to the ‘edge’, says Qorri.

“You always want to place your data as close as possible to those who use the data. So you are at the edge of the network.

TONY QORRI VP CONSTRUCTION, DATABANK

“We have built scalability into the business by creating a forecast that shows, quarter over quarter, what the market looks like”

And also where land is more affordable, which is why Salt Lake City and Atlanta have become focal points for the company.

“Those locations have been two we've chased pretty aggressively,” says Qorri. “We've got a lot of additional builds throughout the nation, but we've got quite a bit of capital being spent in those markets.”

DataBank projects include greenfield and brownfield sites

Qorri’s role is to run and manage DataBank’s expansion and development builds,” including greenfield and brownfield retrofits, and expansions in any of the existing sites”.

He explains: “We've got three models of construction. One is brand-new developments – so a greenfield ground-up building. Second is a brownfield site, where we buy a shell – some type of building, could

have been a distribution centre or an office building – and we retrofit that.

“The third is an existing facility that has maybe one to five data halls. We'll go in and expand that building over the course of time.”

From front-end to back-end, Qorri and his team hires and manages design consultants, contractors and the commissioning firms that ensure the data centres are functional. For good measure, he also runs the procurement arm of the organisation, an area that in recent years has been pivotal to the continued growth of the company.

Just over a year ago, DataBank hired a strategic sourcing manager who works for and closely with Qorri.

DataBank fuelling tech growth by taking data to the edge

“As the construction project management team continued to grow we wanted to take some of the sourcing workload off those guys, because they had challenges of their own,” he says. “Together, we’ve been doing all of the sourcing. We try to forecast at least two years ahead, and we’ve got to continue evolving that because we're still seeing supply issues and challenges.”

Being able to source strategically has allowed DataBank to avoid costly supply chain delays.

“It’s enabled us to quickly deploy and to not lose six months to a year on deliverable timelines, which would've lost us customers,” he says. “We're actually growing quite rapidly. We've scaled over the past few years and I think we're going to continue to

scale over the next few years. Continuing to develop the teams we need has been quite a challenge and will continue to be so, but it’s proved very important.”

DataBank’s growth has been consistent and strategic. It’s been facilitated by smart procurement but also many other factors, says Qorri.

“We have built scalability into the business by creating a forecast that shows, quarter over quarter, what the market looks like, and from this we created a stocking programme.

“We bought everything from transformers to generators, and also downstream. But we didn't want to over-buy, so we were strategic about it, and it’s the best thing we ever did because it has allowed us to grow at a sustainable rate.”

As well as growing its infrastructure, DataBank has been adding to its knowledge base with strategic new hires, including experienced project managers (PMs).

“As we’ve scaled, we’ve taken on more PM,” says Qorri. “This has allowed me to get out of the trenches, because I have been project managing as I was leading a group. As we continue to bring more people on board I can focus more on managing downstream, and helping the organisation grow from a future planning perspective.”

Strategic advantage, not price, key to winning contracts

Planning for growth has different drivers in the post-pandemic world, it seems –particularly when it comes to winning new contracts.

TONY QORRI VP CONSTRUCTION, DATABANK

“Taking a project from the front-end to the back-end is a challenge but a hugely rewarding one”

Qorri says: “Back in the day, the most competitive bid was nearly always the winner. Those days have changed a bit. Now it's not always the most competitive bidder, it's the most strategic bidder in specific markets that wins.”

“Strategic often comes down to 'how well you know a given market, and how strong your relationships are with the downstream folks in that market'.

He adds: “This is why I tell my guys to come in not with their client hat on but their partner hat. I ask them to make our partners their friends. People always want to work with their friends, right? Friends are going to have your back and will help you execute.”

Taking a project from the front-end to the back-end – “where we're meeting specific customer needs” – is a challenge, says Qorri, “but a hugely rewarding one”.

TONY QORRI VP CONSTRUCTION, DATABANK

“You always want to place your data as close as possible to those who use the data – at the edge”

Highland Associates is an Architectural and Engineering firm focusing on the design of mission critical facilities for Enterprise, Co-Location and Hyperscale clients throughout the United States.

LGA3 Orangeburg, NY

Proud to be a Strategic Design Partner for DataBank

IAD3 Ashburn, VA

He adds: “It involves supply chain, contractor availability in certain markets and taking a task from A to Z in a very tight timeframe and bringing it in on time and on budget.

“Myself, my team, the organisation, we get a rush out of that. There are competitors that are able to do it but there are also a lot of folks who are not able to accomplish this, and it day-in, day-out – especially over the past few years, with the pandemic and multiple supply chain constraints – is a major achievement.”

He reveals that, post-pandemic, “we’ve had to micromanage down to a level that was not needed before”, and that there is another big difference to the way his team operates.

“The customer is not always right any more,” he says. “Instead of demanding something and getting it, we now have to work more as partners – with our vendors, contractors and subcontractors.”

And, of course, there are other changes and challenges in expanding a business in a post-pandemic world, not least of which is labour problems, Qorri explains.

“There's not enough workers to cater to all the projects going on. Bringing in the right subcontractors to build-out a facility is a challenge. Unlike in warehouse environments, automation is not an option. You need physical labour. Technology is advanced – you need guys in the trenches to be able to execute.”

But whatever the challenges that DataBank faces, it does not face them alone; its ecosystem of partners is crucially important, says Qorri.

“DataBank has a slew of different partners,” he says. “We've got vendors that

we partner with from both thermal and power sides. Vertiv and Powersmiths are very strong partners of ours on the power side, and Toshiba and Cummins with regards to support on the generators and UPS side.”

Hitachi is another “huge partner of ours”, from a transformation perspective, says Qorri.

"Our most strategic partners are our general contracting partners. HITT in Northern Virginia, Tishman in New York, Layton in the Southwest, and Brassfield and Gorrie in the Atlanta market.”

Adam Elman Head of Sustainability EMEA Google

Musidora Jorgensen Chief Sustainability Officer Microsoft

Nick Jenkinson Managing Director Verto Solutions Ltd

Susan Spence VP, Sourcing Procurement & Accounts FedEx VP,

Geraint John VP, Interos Resilience Lab Interos

Kate Rosenshine Director - Global Azure Technology Sales Microsoft

Aravind Narayan Global Director - Sales Strategy & Execution Refinitiv (LSEG)

Sam Clarke Chief Vehicle Officer Gridserve

THE NORDICS: A LEADING SUSTAINABLE DATA CENTRE DESTINATION

WRITTEN BY: MAYA DERRICK

With a plethora of factors contributing to data centre location choices, atNorth’s Gísli Kr explains why Nordic nations are best for pioneering facilities

There are plenty of factors that come into play when it comes to choosing a site for a data centre – whether it be network latency, plans for expansion, natural disaster risks and workforce. And with these facilities emitting huge volumes of power, that comes with a price to the environment and a significant carbon footprint. There’s no doubt about the fact that sustainability is growing ever important to the industry – and at a time where data centre demand is also booming, sustainability remains at the top of the agenda. Sustainability solutions can be applied to existing sites, but when building new facilities, green initiatives come from the ground up – and many considerations are made before ground is broken.

Location is key. Data centres must be located in well-connected areas with access to many carriers and multiple redundant fibre connections to major bandwidth providers. But when it comes to sustainable locations –there’s no place like the Nordics. Well, at least that’s the view of atNorth.

atNorth

atNorth is a data centre technology company that has, since its foundation in 2009, been focused on building efficient data centres that are leading when it comes to sustainable practices. Moving away from sustainability just being about renewable energy for powering data centre infrastructure, atNorth’s message and practices have evolved into a broad spectrum of what a data centre operator needs to take into account to ensure respectful use of resources.

With renewable energy still a very hot topic, how data centres can participate in the circular economy has been a core mission for atNorth. Striving to be as efficient and respectful of resources as possible is atNorth’s guiding light. atNorth operates both data centre facilities, which are colocation data centre facilities built to suit facilities for customers that have large scale needs, and in recent years has been catering to customers that have highperformance computing and AI services needs, meaning that they can consume compute power as well.

atNorth’s ICE01 data centre campus, located in the Reykjavik area IMAGE: ATNORTH

captions as often as possible

And with the likes of Helsinki boasting unprecedented growth and demand for data centres and emerging as a top destination for major, long-term investments, as well as Stockholm and surrounding Sweden pinpointed as prime real estate for its access to renewable energy, great connectivity and an infrastructure that allows delivery of services, others are following suit and eyeing up the Nordics as a data centre hotspot.

The Nordics – a perfect data centre location choice?

“We focus on the Nordics because of the characteristics that the Nordics offer for co-location or data centre operations.

On one hand, those characteristics are the climate and the availability of renewable energy and low carbon energy, but on the other hand, it is about where we can scale our operations,” atNorth’s Chief Sales Officer Gísli Kr details.

“The Nordics will become one of the leading data centre markets worldwide”

GÍSLI KR CHIEF SALES OFFICER, ATNORTH

atNorth’s Stockholm data centre campus IMAGE: ATNORTH

Starting up the company in Iceland, atNorth has expanded into both Sweden and Finland, and will soon be present in all Nordic nations – with a goal of being a pan-Nordic data centre company on the belief that the Nordics offer world leading conditions for data and operations.

Which country boasts the best data centre locations?

Well that depends on their specific needs. Kr explains that there isn’t a one-size-fitsall approach when it comes to picking a particular data centre location, but continues to strongly vouch for the region as a whole as a leading destination – and other data centre operators are catching on.

“This is where we believe the data centres of the future will reside”

GÍSLI KR CHIEF SALES OFFICER, ATNORTH

atNorth’s ICE03 data centre in Akureyri, north Iceland IMAGE: ATNORTH

Gísli Kr

TITLE: CHIEF SALES OFFICER (CSO)

COMPANY: ATNORTH

INDUSTRY: DATA CENTRE

LOCATION: HAFNARFJÖRÐUR, CAPITAL REGION, ICELAND

Kr is atNorth’s Chief Sales Officer, and has been a leading face of atNorth since he joined as CCO in 2017. He is an advocate and renewable energy pioneer passionate about data centres, HPC, AI and Blockchain. Co-founder of cloud computing software company Greenqloud, Kr has experience in running his own strategy and management consultancy company.

“Now, if we want to start looking at specific countries within the Nordics and which one is the best, then that is often dictated by the needs of the customer,” he explains. “So the best country might be Iceland for some companies because they focus on low TCO and extremely predictable power prices – but that might not be for the next company the best fit as they would need more flexibility to markets.”

Nordic data centre locations aren’t always as remote as they seem – for example, Stockholm is one of many areas considered major connectivity hubs with access to other markets.

And the firm believes that other important factors to data centres and their companies’

success don’t have to be compromised by putting sustainability and a Nordic location at the forefront – if anything, they will only be further enhanced.

Companies expanding into Nordic nations

“We see the whole spectrum of companies now looking to deploy data centre capacity in the Nordics. Everything from companies coming from more southern regions in Europe and Asia and the US looking to deploy everything from traditional IT workloads to the most high performance computing or AI workloads that you know that you can find,” he illustrates.

“Obviously companies that are considering the move are often focused

on the bottom line and that the TCO of the project is optimised. The Nordics offer, I think, the best TCO in the world when it comes to data centre operations based on the power efficiency and power pricing.

“We are touching some of the most demanding workloads in the world, that is what we are seeing in our portfolio. Most of our customers are requesting scale and have the option to scale out their facilities. Hence that is a big criteria for us. Obviously we look towards practicalities such as how easy it is to get to the location and evaluating each location. Those are the low-level practicalities that we need to be able to efficiently operate at data centres.

Inside atNorth’s Stockholm campus IMAGE: ATNORTH

“The Nordics offer the best TCO in the world when it comes to data centre operations based on the power efficiency and power pricing”

GÍSLI KR CHIEF SALES OFFICER, ATNORTH

“As a company, we have a pretty good and clear location criteria already in our mission statement, which is the Nordics. This is where we believe the data centres of the future will reside.”

Customer attitudes to sustainable locations Kr says that when he first entered the industry, putting power production into the context of CO2 output was far from people’s minds. “People did not really relate to how something you do on the internet would result in carbon output,” he reminisces. “I think the general consensus is that this is understood today. We understand that the power production can result in carbon footprint.”

He says one of the hot topics over the last 12 to 18 months is the status of European power markets – how we produce energy that we turn off – gas – and how that impacts power prices to consumers despite many markets claiming to be almost powered solely by renewable energy.

“I think we are closer and are more knowledgeable about how we power data today, how we power data centres and our life online – which is consuming an increasingly big portion of our existence.”

He also feels that recently steps have been taken to enable data centres to participate in a circular economy. atNorth’s Stockholm data centre, for example, sees around 85% of the power it consumes recycled. Compute is transformed into another form of energy – heat – and mitigated back to the central heating system.

“This, in my mind, is a major step and is a prime focus for our company, is to participate in the circular economy. In our mind this is part of respectful use of resources. And in particular, this is important when you deal with workloads that are extremely power hungry.”

And although Kr gives a comprehensive overview of the data centre outlook in the Nordic region, he notes that the landscape is constantly changing.

“I would have answered [these questions] differently not more than 12 months ago because things have been evolving very fast in Nordics. I believe that we are in the early stages of the Nordics becoming the European hub of data centre operations. The Nordics will become one of the leading data centre markets worldwide.

85%

of

“I believed that as well 10 years ago. But I feel it’s now becoming tangible.”

atNorth’s Stockholm data centre sees around

the power it consumes recycled

atNorth’s FIN01 data centre in Helsinki IMAGE: ATNORTH

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ORACLE CLOUD and the power of community in driving digital evolution

DERRICK

VAUGHAN

PRODUCED BY: LEWIS

WRITTEN BY: MAYA

Oracle’s Jürgen Kress explains how being named a leader in two Gartner Magic Quadrant reports will further

In conversation with Data Centre Magazine, Director of Product Management Integration and Digital Assistant at Oracle Jürgen Kress shared insights into how Oracle Cloud leverages community to propel digital evolution. As a multinational computer technology corporation and the thirdlargest software company worldwide, Oracle is renowned for its comprehensive range of software products and services. The company offers Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI), with a comprehensive set of services from infrastructure to platform and SaaS. This ranges from compute and storage, PaaS services like integration, BI, content, identity management, or a chatbot to services like ERP, HCM, CX, NetSuite, or industry solutions like the OPERA Hospitality Platform. With a mission to help people view data in new ways, discover insights, and unlock endless possibilities, Oracle remains at the top of its game. Named a Leader and Positioned Highest for Ability to Execute in Gartner Magic Quadrant for Integration Platform as a Service Worldwide 2023, Oracle continues to shape the future of digital transformation.

The transformation journey

Kress, who has been with Oracle for over two decades, highlights the remarkable transformation in the IT industry. Oracle’s

propel the business and those it works with

Technically Inspiring

We use our specialist technical expertise, powerful technology, customised client solutions and global reach to deliver better results for the world of insurance.

Why Oracle Cloud has the ability to provide PaaS services

Vikas Sharma, Global Head of INSIS CoE at Charles Taylor, explains how the company harnesses Oracle’s OCI to enhance their internal operations and output

With a history spanning almost 140 years, Charles Taylor provides insurance solutions with a unique breadth, offering technical expertise and global reach alongside award-winning solutions. Their constant strive for excellence is propelled forward through using an array of Oracle Cloud systems that have been in place for the last 10 years – as Vikas Sharma, Global Head of INSIS CoE, explains.

‘A natural choice’

“It was a natural choice for us to try Oracle Cloud products, so we moved into OCI. One of the main benefits of OCI was providing PaaS services.” Comparing OCI Autonomous Database to a self-driving car, Sharma praised its ability to do its own patching –whether that be security patching, security detection, or identifying vulnerabilities. And there’s a financial benefit, as well.

Fast delivery

“I always use this phrase: time is money,” says Sharma.

“The first and foremost benefit that we get is that it helps us to deliver our solution in fast time-to-market.

“The time for server building and infrastructure building – which used to take many days, sometimes many months – has reduced a lot. And that eventually reduces a lot of our cost, benefitting our customers.”

Security and safeguarding data

With data protection and security paramount, Sharma adds that Oracle’s services, when used together, completely safeguard information at any and all levels. “We use Oracle Cloud Guard, which is one of the products that comes from OCI, to secure at the tenant-level. Then we utilise other services from OCI, like DataSafe, specifically, to find out any kind of vulnerabilities at the database level.

“All our servers are in a private subnet so they are completely secured. And we utilise some of the services security list type of services, rules services from OCI, to secure our applications.”

integration capabilities serve as an onramp to the broader IaaS platform.

According to Kress: “OCI is a second-generation cloud representing a fundamental re-architecture of the conventional public cloud. While first-generation clouds were built on decade-old technology, Oracle’s Cloud is specifically architected for the enterprise. It was built in a microservice architecture, which gives us a competitive advantage. We use that difference to shift all workloads for our customers to the cloud – existing workloads, new cloud-native workloads – and we are continually releasing new capabilities such as integration and AI

“Oracle now boasts the fastest core network of global data centres, with 42 regions currently available and nine more in the pipeline”

JÜRGEN KRESS DIRECTOR PRODUCT MANAGEMENT INTEGRATION AND DIGITAL ASSISTANT, ORACLE CLOUD

services including Digital Assistant, our secure, enterprise chatbot.”

By utilising OCI Application Integration (OIC), customers gain access to a wide array of services, ranging from compute and storage, to identity management, content management, modern data platform, and application development. The seamless integration of various applications, both Oracle and third-party, enables customers to enhance their operational efficiency and unlock the full potential of Oracle’s infrastructure. Prebuilt adapters and integrations accelerate delivery and minimise upgrade risks. Unified observability simplifies hybrid and multi-cloud operations.

JÜRGEN KRESS

TITLE: DIRECTOR PRODUCT MANAGEMENT INTEGRATION AND DIGITAL ASSISTANT

COMPANY: ORACLE CLOUD

EXECUTIVE BIO

An expert in the Oracle Cloud Platform Jürgen Kress is part of product management team and responsible for Oracle’s Integration & Digital Assistant partner business & the customer success program. He is the founder of the Oracle Integration & Developer Partner Communities and the global Oracle Partner Advisory Councils. These PaaS Partner Communities are home to over 10,000 members internationally as Oracle’s most active and successful communities. Which Jürgen manages with monthly newsletters, webcasts, online trainings and conferences. He hosts the Partner Community Forums, Summer Camps and Bootcamps where hundreds of attendees receive product updates, roadmap insights, and hands-on training. He graduated from Berufsakademie Stuttgart and holds a master’s degree from University of Brasilia. As an author he published several books and is an active social contributor via Twitter, LinkedIn, discussion forums, online communities, slack and blogs.

Oracle and KNEX Empower Clients with Fusion Applications for Real-World Impact

KNEX is a seasoned team of elite Oracle experts curated by founder Basheer Khan, a globally recognised Oracle authority.

Since 2013, we’ve delivered proven solutions built on broad industry understanding.

Beyond integrating systems, we elevate success, leveraging Fusion extensions to coordinate harmony within the organisations.

KNEX: Unlock the full potential of your Fusion Applications

KNEX Technology is revolutionising Fusion Applications implementations with innovative extensions that expand functionality across industries

Being a member of the Fusion Inner circle, and an early adopter, Basheer Khan gained deep expertise in Fusion Applications. Recognising this, Oracle engaged Khan in 2010 to install Fusion Applications for early adopter companies. This experience led Khan to envision a consulting firm that not only implemented Fusion Applications but also helped clients optimise their investments. With this idea in mind, Khan founded KNEX Technology in 2013 with the goal of implementing cloud applications, integrating them with other systems, and extending their functionality to bridge gaps.

In 2005, Oracle recognised Khan as an Oracle ACE Director, part of their ACE Program that recognises individuals who are experts in their respective fields. In 2012, KNEX’s CTO, Gustavo Gonzalez was awarded the same recognition. This milestone achievement makes KNEX the only organisation with two of the three ACE Directors in the world who specialise in Fusion Applications.

Providing positive change – together Oracle and KNEX have collaborated on many amazing projects. One of the most poignant is implementing Fusion Applications across 14 countries, in just 16 weeks. “I think this is a record,” Khan shares. “We don’t know of any other implementation for such a broad region in such a short time.

“We’ve also done some impactful projects when it comes to improving the productivity of our clients. One of our clients in the financial services sector had their team spending a considerable amount of time capturing data from different banks. We were able to automate that using Oracle Integration Cloud.”

To breathe life into the concept of positive change, our favourite collaboration is with non-profit organisations. KNEX works hand-inhand to help non-profits afford and successfully uptake Oracle Fusion Applications, simplifying their dayto-day operations and enabling them to focus on their missions to provide positive change to the world.

Khan concludes: “At KNEX, we simplify the complex.”

Speaking about OIC’s industry recognition, Kress explained: “Congratulations to all the customers, partners, and the whole community. It was a big team effort including product management, development, sales, and marketing. Oracle is a SaaS market leader with solutions spanning ERP, CM, CX, and industry solutions. Customers need to connect their applications, including Oracle SaaS, with their applications, data, and messaging services in the cloud, between different clouds, and on-premises.”

The power of community

A significant aspect of Oracle’s success lies in the vibrant and active community it has cultivated. With more than 10,000 community members comprising

customers, partners, and employees, Oracle collaborates, engages, supports, and trains this community. The community model extends to both partners and customers, offering sales and marketing enablement information, newsletters, webcasts, and success stories.

Comms channels ‘vital’

The constant communication channels, such as newsletters, webcasts, blogs, instant messaging, and social media, enable the sharing of product information, success stories, and valuable feedback to continually improve the OCI Application Integration service.

Oracle recognises the crucial role played by partners in implementing successful

“We are thankful for an excellent team, including leadership with an in-depth understanding, and a track record of success in the integration market”

JÜRGEN KRESS DIRECTOR PRODUCT MANAGEMENT INTEGRATION AND DIGITAL ASSISTANT, ORACLE CLOUD

FlexDeploy DevOps Platform for Oracle Cloud Applications

and Infrastructure

Streamline and accelerate delivery of your Oracle Cloud services like ERP, HCM, Integration, and Analytics by automating manual tasks, reducing the risk of failure, and providing traceability and auditability of changes.

Learn how to achieve significant benefits by streamlining the entire deployment process

FlexDeploy DevOps Platform for Oracle Cloud

Flexagon’s DevOps platform, FlexDeploy, helps customers automate their processes when software development and delivery are generally complex. “We bring software to the table in FlexDeploy to embed automation and governance into their processes and make sure there’s visibility to change,” Flexagon’s CEO and Co-Founder Dan Goerdt says.

Removing complexity

Through its partnership with Oracle and its Oracle Cloud systems, FlexDeploy optimizes services for ease of customer use. As an Oracle partner, Flexagon leverages the likes of development environments and demo environments, accessing resources within Oracle’s product management and marketing to optimise FlexDeploy’s support for Oracle Cloud Integration and Applications.

Partnership in action

Heathrow Airport had a huge transformation and is adopting Oracle Cloud, Oracle Cloud Applications, Oracle Integration and APEX. Capgemini, as an Oracle partner and a

Flexagon partner, was able to deliver this transformation successfully. “The impact of the partnership has been tremendous,” Goerdt remarks. “Customers around the globe get the value of FlexDeploy’s expansive out-of-the-box capability for Oracle Cloud. Pairing the FlexDeploy DevOps platform with the Oracle partnership has helped a lot of customers move faster with quality while managing cost and risk. Everybody wins. It’s a neat dynamic to help solve these joint customer challenges in different ways.”

A bright future

Although proud of what Flexagon has achieved since its inception and how partnering with Oracle has enabled the company to reach a wider customer base, Goerdt has his sights set on a bright future in partnership with Oracle. “Oracle continues to crank out new services and extend their existing services. We’re tightly aligned with them so we can continue to enhance FlexDeploy to support the evolution of Oracle Cloud.”

LEARN MORE

projects. The integration partner ecosystem consists of various types of partners, including system integrators, global system integrators, local partners, and independent software vendors (ISVs). To support partners, Oracle provides comprehensive programs that encompass sales, marketing, and enablement information, joint campaigns, free training, and certification. Notable partnerships include innovative regional system integrators, global system integrators undertaking large international projects,

33 hands-on trainings with 2465 attendees in fiscal year 2022

33 webcasts with 7969 attendees in fiscal year 2022

Oracle Cloud and the power of community in driving digital evolution

WATCH NOW

and ISVs leveraging pre-built integrations to connect their solutions to the Oracle SaaS ecosystem.

“Partners are absolutely key to us,” Kress says “Of the top 10 customer projects, eight of them have been successfully implemented by partners. We’re thankful for our excellent global partnerships. The integration partner ecosystem includes different types of partners from system integrators, global system integrators, and local partners, to independent software vendors.

“For partners, we offer a whole program including sales, marketing, and enablement information such as sales kits with customer presentations, sales positioning, joint campaigns to generate leads, and opportunities for free training and certification. All of that is put together in a community model to communicate regularly via newsletters and webcasts.”

To highlight some of the success factors, trained and certified partners deliver and replicate successful customer projects. Every year, Oracle offers 20 free training

sessions to its partners. In these three-day workshops, up to 200 people learn about the product in live virtual classes, which has resulted in more than 6,000 certified Oracle Application Integration experts since 2020.

Kress explains, “We have small and innovative partners like KNEX, which are among the first movers to connect and extend Oracle SaaS with OIC. They customised Oracle SaaS to run a winery, replicated this customer success, and now offer an industry solution. We work with all Global System Integrators (GSI’s) who deploy international projects. For example, Capgemini and the Heathrow Airport project, Infosys, who presented one of their projects at our last customer success webcast, or Accenture with more than 500 experts. Independent Software Vendors (ISVs) such as Charles Taylor, which offers insurance solutions, leverage OIC to connect with Oracle SaaS. With OIC, Charles Taylor gets access to the Oracle SaaS installed base and customers benefit from tailored industry solutions.”

“Partners such as Flexagon, which offers a DevOps solution, FlexDeploy, for Oracle Cloud infrastructure services. FlexDeploy is a DevOps and automation platform that enables fast and efficient packaging, testing, and development of code and configurations. It’s a complimentary tool that was initially developed on Oracle SOA Suite and now supports the latest OCI architecture. Available through the Oracle Marketplace, FlexDeploy is available to any OCI customer.” Asked about OIC’s global partner model, Kress shared, “To summarise our partner strategy, the secret is that we train and certify partners to deliver successful projects and replicate their

JÜRGEN KRESS DIRECTOR PRODUCT MANAGEMENT INTEGRATION AND DIGITAL ASSISTANT, ORACLE CLOUD

“We are continually releasing new capabilities”

best practices. The community model is a consistent, executable, and scalable model.”

He adds: “For customers and prospects, we established a similar program that includes a quarterly newsletter, quarterly product webcast, customer summits, and success stories. The product webcast provides customers with the latest release details with demonstrations of new features and roadmap details. Prospects learn from successful customer implementations in regional success webcasts. A great example is the London Heathrow Airport reference implemented by Capgemini.

“Overall, we are thankful for an excellent team, including leadership with an in-depth understanding, and a track record of success in the integration market. It’s always a team effort, and we would like to thank and congratulate our customers, employees, partners, and the ACE community that made it possible.”

Driving future development

Oracle aims to expand its customer base and further develop its cloud offerings. “OCI is a complete cloud infrastructure platform suitable for every workload, offering all the necessary services to migrate, build, and run both existing and new enterprise workloads including cloud-native applications and modern data platforms,” Kress details.

“Oracle now boasts the fastest core network of global data centres, with more than 42 regions currently available and nine more in the pipeline. Oracle also provides 20 free tier services, with no time limitations, including compute and storage, autonomous databases, and APEX for lowcode development.”

The company recognises that continued

growth and development depend on customers utilising its products and actively contributing to Oracle’s service offerings. Ongoing communication with customers and partners helps prioritise bi-monthly releases and drive longer-term strategy.

AI and the future of cloud services

Kress highlights the immense potential of AI as the next major revolution in the IT industry. AI services rely heavily on data models and the ability to expose trusted enterprise data to AI systems. By connecting transactional application data with AI

“Partners are absolutely key to us”

JÜRGEN KRESS DIRECTOR PRODUCT MANAGEMENT INTEGRATION AND DIGITAL ASSISTANT, ORACLE CLOUD

capabilities, organisations can optimise automated processes and empower knowledge workers to make timely, datadriven decisions that drive growth. Cloud services are becoming smarter, more autonomous, and interconnected, leveraging the power of connected data and AI to deliver superior predictions and insights.

Through a combination of robust infrastructure, integration capabilities, and a thriving community, Oracle Cloud is driving digital evolution in the industry. Recognised as a leader in iPaaS, Oracle’s commitment to empowering customers, fostering

partnerships, and embracing emerging technologies positions it at the forefront of innovation.

Overall, Oracle’s community-driven approach, coupled with its commitment to partner success and technological innovation, positions the company at the forefront of digital transformation and enables it to provide comprehensive cloud solutions to its customers.

HOW THE DATA CENTRE INDUSTRY IS ADDRESSING ITS DE&I PROBLEM

Marientina Laina from NTT GDC and Sophia Flucker from MiCiM shed light on the work being carried out by data centre companies to address DE&I shortcomings

WRITTEN BY: TOM CHAPMAN

The topic of diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) is top of mind for pretty much all socially-aware companies at the moment, and those in the data centre industry are no different.

When it comes to the technology sector as a whole, the statistics paint a rather worrying picture. According to a recent report published by TechNation, just 26% of tech workers in the UK are women, compared to 50% of the overall labour market. Meanwhile, female minorities make up just 3-7% of IT employees.

While less research exists in relation to the data centre industry specifically, the workforce is widely accepted as being even more imbalanced. In 2021, more than threequarters of data centre operators surveyed by the Uptime Institute said under 10% of their staff members were women.

Improving DE&I from the inside

Marientina Laina was determined to take a leap of faith when she joined NTT Global Data Centers (GDC) to become Director of Sustainability, despite warnings from those around her. Part of her motivation was to do something about the lack of diversity from within.

“When I made the decision to join the tech sector, a lot of friends and colleagues asked ‘are you really sure? This is a really male-dominated industry’,” recalls Laina.

“At NTT GDC, increasing these kinds of figures [in favour of female representation] is a commitment and very meaningful priority for our DE&I programme. We are quite pleased that, since FY21, we have managed to increase female representation from 11% to 28% in executive leadership positions.

“We’re still trying to improve our inclusivity so we can really benefit from having a much more rounded team”

SOPHIA FLUCKER TECHNICAL DIRECTOR, MICIM LTD

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“Are we doing enough right now? No, but we are committed to doing better and doing more. We can always do better.” Working as Technical Director at Mission Critical Management (MiCiM) and Managing Director at Operational Intelligence, Sophia Flucker has a cross-industry perspective on the DE&I situation.

Based in the UK and Ireland, MiCiM has more than half a century’s worth of experience in data centre construction projects, but is wary of the need to enhance its diversity efforts.

“A lot of this is borne out in the statistics,” says Flucker. “We know we [members of the data centre industry] are not as diverse as we should be so, certainly, we need to do more.

“I think the proportion of women in construction is even less. We’re still better than other companies – about 30% of our workforce is female – but it’s not enough and we’re still trying to improve our inclusivity so we can really benefit from having a much more rounded team.

“I’d also make the point that diversity and inclusion isn’t just about gender or one issue;

“Are we doing enough right now? No, but we are committed to doing better and doing more”

MARIENTINA LAINA DIRECTOR OF SUSTAINABILITY, NTT GLOBAL DATA CENTERS

there are so many different types of diversity and I think we really need to open up the conversation to think about how we’re dealing with different minorities.”

Industry must address skills shortage Laina’s belief is that, to do better from a DE&I point of view, the industry needs to look at its existing practices from top to bottom. That means assessing everything from hiring procedures and the opportunities being afforded to different demographics, to career progression and whether enough is being done to help staff feel empowered in their jobs.

“If we do that in a way that is honest, informed by data and there is support from leadership,” she continues, “that will tell us quite a lot about what we can be doing in future in order to rectify all of that and make sure we attract and retain an increasingly diverse workforce.”

A huge issue impacting not just the data centre industry but the entire technology sector is the global skills shortage.

The aforementioned Uptime Institute estimated two years ago that 300,000 more workers would be needed to run the world’s data centres by 2025, taking the total to around 2.3 million.

Making better use of STEM education and apprenticeships has been highlighted as one of several potential solutions, while Flucker says the industry must also get better at self-promotion.

“The industry is growing so quickly that it becomes very hard to fill positions,” she adds. “A wider issue is that people are not so aware of the industry or jobs in technology and engineering in general. It actually starts very young. If children don’t

SOPHIA FLUCKER TECHNICAL DIRECTOR, MICIM LTD

“Diversity and inclusion isn’t just about gender; there are so many different types of diversity and I think we really need to open up the conversation”

think they want to be an engineer, you’ve already got a reduced talent pool.”

Mentorship benefits all parties

Mentorship and development evidently has a key part to play when it comes to attracting and retaining diverse talent within the data centre sphere.

Laina references a mentorship scheme launched some years ago by NTT GDC,

Sophia Flucker

TITLE: TECHNICAL DIRECTOR

COMPANY: MICIM LTD

Sophia Flucker is a data centre specialist with experience in low energy cooling design, commissioning, risk and energy assessments, capacity management and training programmes. Before joining MiCiM last year, Flucker spent six years as a Mechanical Engineer at Hewlett Packard Enterprise. She is also Managing Director at Operational Intelligence, a London-based IT company. a London-based IT consultancy.

Marientina Laina

TITLE: DIRECTOR OF SUSTAINABILITY

COMPANY: NTT GLOBAL DATA CENTERS

Marientina Laina is a sustainability professional with extensive experience in consulting, policy analysis, research, engagement, communications and project management. Prior to joining NTT Global Data Centers, she worked for a host of internationally-renowned companies and organisations including Ofgem, Schneider Electric and Deloitte.

which is boosted by sponsorship and targeted at helping women to excel in senior leadership positions. Sponsors help budding leaders on their journeys as they build up crucial skills, knowledge and capabilities.

“We have found the programme to be fantastic in our efforts to increase female representation,” Laina adds. “Often, we think of mentorship as an extra or a luxury, but we need to recognise why it is a priority and make space for it.”

NTT GDC’s Director of Sustainability says such initiatives are not just beneficial to those on the receiving end of the training, but to mentors as well.

“For me, I felt empowered to have the opportunity to communicate leadership values that are important to me such as inclusion, vulnerability and curiosity,”

MARIENTINA LAINA DIRECTOR OF SUSTAINABILITY, NTT GLOBAL DATA CENTERS

“Teams which are more diverse can be more productive, more innovative, they feel happier and that also has an impact when it comes to retaining talent”

she continues. “But, at the same time, it has provided me with a big opportunity for self-reflection which is an ongoing part of my professional growth.”

The commercial case for DE&I Companies in the data centre industry can reap countless rewards by improving their DE&I performance – stretching far beyond the core purpose of uplifting underrepresented minorities. Ultimately, the commercial case is strong given the increased productivity which can be achieved.

MiCiM is continuously on the lookout for talented engineers in its bid to create a strong team and, given the skills gap, must broaden the scope of its search by looking outside the industry.

Reflecting on the company’s hiring practices, Flucker has only positive things to say about having a more diverse workforce.

She continues: “Where we have had experiences with people who have done different roles, they’re much more rounded characters and they’re a lot better at understanding and perhaps anticipating problems, and having empathy for where someone is coming from. They can bring a lot more to the table.”

Laina largely echoes this sentiment, adding: “Teams which are more diverse can be more productive, more innovative, they feel happier and that also has an impact when it comes to retaining talent. If people feel more productive and happier in their jobs, DE&I is a no-brainer and something we need to focus on.”

NTT: CONSTRUCTING DATA CENTRES AND DEVELOPING PEOPLE

WRITTEN BY: ILKHAN OZSEVIM

PRODUCED BY: LEWIS VAUGHAN

IMAGES: NTT

CONSTRUCTING AND PEOPLE

Construction at NTT’s Phoenix campus, which opened in early 2022

Brittany Miller, SVP of Construction at NTT Global Data Centers, shares insights into building data centres and developing people in a hyperconnected world

The world of data centres, their construction and development is closer to home than most assume. They form the foundation of our interconnected world, housing the very architecture that carves out our modern society.

We take a look at this foundation through the eyes of Brittany Miller, Senior Vice President of Construction, Engineering, and Supply Chain at NTT Global Data Centers.

With a remarkable professional journey and a wealth of experience in the industry, Miller shares valuable insights on the process of building and developing data centres, with a particular focus on cost efficiency, and brings a diverse background to her current role. Her journey began at Intel Semiconductor Company, where she gained invaluable experience in building chemical and gas fab plants across various locations worldwide.

Working in a rapid-paced and everchanging environment, Miller developed expertise in construction and supply

chain management, successfully navigating complex, fast-paced projects while honing her skills in risk management.

After her time at Intel, she transitioned to the data centre industry, joining Microsoft in roles that involved both the construction and lease acquisition sides of the business. This diverse experience laid the foundation for her current position at NTT, which she assumed nearly three years ago with the aim of establishing a scalable delivery organisation.

NTT – a global technology giant

To provide context, NTT is a prominent Japanese-based global technology company, with over 150 years of aggregated corporate technology innovation under its umbrella and a strong presence in the global data centre industry.

NTT boasts an impressive network of data centres across North America, Europe, India, and APAC. Miller says that, “while the intricacies of NTT’s organisational structure are vast, for the purpose of this discussion,

we will focus primarily on the data centre business segment.”

Cost efficiency in data centre construction

NTT is a company that’s actively focused on the pursuit of cost efficiency in data centre construction and development, as Miller highlights: “Given the capital-intensive nature of building data centres, it is crucial to manage costs effectively without compromising on quality or performance.”

“It is crucial to manage costs effectively without compromising on quality or performance”

BRITTANY MILLER SVP OF CONSTRUCTION, NTT GLOBAL DATA CENTERS

Construction teams at NTT’s Phoenix data center campus

Miller emphasises that a comprehensive understanding of different delivery models and effective risk management are essential in achieving cost efficiency. Drawing from her experience, she highlights the importance of strategic planning, meticulous project execution, and a relentless focus on scalability.

Under Miller’s leadership, NTT’s delivery organisation has experienced significant

growth, quadrupling in size over the past three years. This expansion has been accompanied by the opening of new markets and the establishment of build-to-suit capabilities – solidifying NTT’s position in the Americas.

Achieving success in cost, schedule, scale, and supply chain Realising cost efficiency

When it comes to finding success in building and developing data centres, Miller highlights the importance of cost reliability. She explains that their journey began with a focus on standardisation. By understanding customer requirements and aligning them with their business model, they were able to standardise their product in the US. Starting with their Phoenix Campus

“People leave bad leaders, not bad companies”

BRITTANY MILLER SVP OF CONSTRUCTION, NTT GLOBAL DATA CENTERS

project, they replicated the design across all sites, which not only provided a better understanding of costs but also allowed them to identify and implement cost efficiencies.

“Standardisation has been key in improving predictability, cost control and scalability, while still accommodating necessary design innovations to meet client demands,” she says.

Meeting schedule demands

Similar to their cost efficiency approach, Miller underlines the significance of standardisation in managing project schedules effectively: “By adopting a basebuild core design approach, we created the infrastructure necessary to deliver capacity in alignment with demand curves.

BRITTANY MILLER

TITLE: SVP CONSTRUCTION AND CRITICAL FACILITIES ENGINEERING AND DESIGN

COMPANY: NTT GLOBAL DATA CENTERS

Brittany Miller leads new data center construction projects which feature global industry standards, multi-story buildings, and massive capacity.

Prior to joining NTT, Miller spent four years leading teams in Microsoft’s Cloud Operations and Innovation business unit, helping to meet the unique challenges of a rapidly growing global business. She led a team that was responsible for global program management and governance along with AMER lease execution.

Previously, Miller held multiple positions at Intel over her 10-year tenure there. She led a global team of supply chain professionals from setting construction delivery strategy through the execution of large-scale construction projects.

Empty data hall at NTT data centre

EMPOWERING PATHS TO A CLEANER FUTURE. CONFIDENCE ON.

PURSUING THE GOAL OF A NET-ZERO FUTURE FOR DATA CENTERS WORLDWIDE.

CUMMINS: DRIVING ZERO-EMISSION GOALS WITH INNOVATIVE TECH

Gary Johansen, VP Engineering at Cummins discusses how the business is working with clients and utilising new technology to achieve zero-emissions.

Operating in 190 countries with more than 70,000 employees, Cummins is a global enterprise and energy-to-power solutions provider. The business is driven by the goal of providing the right solutions for its customers to promote their sustainability ambitions, whether that’s regarding environmental, economic or community sustainability.

Destination Zero highlights Cummins’ ambitious goal of adopting a zeroemission footprint by 2050, through achieving zero emissions, waste and water usage within its operations. This not only applies to Cummins but to the business’ products in use too, as Cummins’ customers use fuel to operate the products, which of course, generates a carbon footprint.

ADVANCING TECHNOLOGIES AND EMISSIONS REDUCTION

To achieve these goals, Cummins is investing in a broad array of technologies that the business believes are meaningful and important for future

sustainability efforts. For example, Cummins is investing in fuel-cell technology through zeroemission space Accelera, which is converting hydrogen energy into electrical power. “We also recognise that battery energy storage is a very critical part of many of our applications moving forward,” Johansen says. “So, we’re investing in battery energy storage and fuel cell technologies, while also advancing core technologies of today, including internal combustion engines to run on low and no carbon fuels.”

Additionally, Cummins has also been advancing internal combustion engine (ICE) efficiencies and emissions for decades – and continues to provide heavy investments. “Our exhaust emissions technology and other critical components, such as fuel systems, air handling systems and electronic controls are all critical to reducing emissions and improving fuel efficiency,” Johansen explains.

“The world needs us to decarbonise our infrastructure, and Cummins is providing opportunities to do so, as we serve so many which are crucial to our communities. Because of this, I don’t think there’s ever been a more exciting time to work at Cummins, or in the power space.”

LEARN MORE

SVP OF CONSTRUCTION, NTT GLOBAL DATA CENTERS

This strategic approach allowed us to scale rapidly while also providing flexibility to adapt the product based on customer requirements.”

Achieving scale

Addressing the topic of scale, Miller underscores the two primary tenets that drive the company’s approach: cost predictability and scalability. Through their standardisation efforts – and the subsequent ability to streamline operations and improve efficiency – NTT has successfully achieved scalability while maintaining cost control and project predictability.

Navigating the supply chain

As we all know, supply chain challenges have truly been redefined in recent years, and it’s

BRITTANY MILLER

“Standardisation has been key in improving predictability, cost control and scalability, while still accommodating necessary design innovations”

NTT’s Silicon Valley SV1 Data Center

no hyperbole to say that these disruptions have been unprecedented.

“However, by partnering with multiple suppliers in each equipment category and sharing our roadmap transparently, NTT ensures that suppliers have a clear understanding of our requirements.

“This collaboration enables effective planning, proactive decision-making and better management of supply chain risks,” she says.

Additionally, she points out that the standardisation of equipment across sites, allows NTT to leverage flexibility and move equipment as swiftly as needed, ensuring timely delivery: “Early commitment and close communication with partners facilitates timely responses to potential impacts during the production stage,

enabling us to make informed business decisions and agile adaptations.”

The importance of having good people at NTT

Miller emphasises the crucial role of having a talented and dedicated workforce at NTT. “Hiring the right people and providing them with the right support enables them to take ownership of projects and make decisions that impact NTT’s overall success,” she says.

She draws from her experience at large tech companies, where working at a fast pace under pressure can be challenging.

“I believe that enjoying the work environment and having positive relationships with colleagues are essential for a fulfilling experience in any company.

As the saying goes, ‘people leave bad leaders, not bad companies’.”

To create a workplace where people enjoy coming to work and working with their colleagues, Miller focused on building a strong team. Though many positions were initially outsourced, she took the time to carefully select the right leadership team.

“This deliberate approach paid off, contributing to the team’s ability to scale rapidly and quadruple the business in just three years,” she says. “The people and leadership drive this success, and my leadership style involves regularly checking in with team members and addressing any roadblocks.”

Establishing culture and vision

In terms of team composition, Miller believes it starts with establishing the desired culture and vision. NTT’s culture revolves around connecting people and enabling them to deliver, while the vision is to scale rapidly and enter new markets swiftly.

“With these goals in mind,” she says, “the focus was on building a diverse leadership team with varied backgrounds. The team includes individuals from the data centre industry with hyperscale knowledge, as well as professionals from adjacent industries like hospitals and semiconductors.”

NTT also recruited people with deep expertise in supply chain management, “even if they had no prior tech experience”.

“Despite the fast pace of work, leaders should remember that it is the collective effort of the people that drives the success of an organisation”

BRITTANY MILLER SVP OF CONSTRUCTION, NTT GLOBAL DATA CENTERS

“By bringing together diverse perspectives and capitalising on the strengths of each team member, we were able to create a cohesive and highly effective team,” she says.

Miller gives prominence to the fact that the success of the leadership team led to the replication of this approach throughout the organisation, ensuring a consistent and aligned mindset.

“The concept of ‘winning together’ resonates with the team, as all functions, including engineering, construction, and supply chain, operate under the same organisational umbrella.

“This integrated approach encourages collaboration and shared responsibility in problem-solving. The team fosters a culture of innovation, understanding that taking risks and learning from failures are vital for growth and improvement.”

To further strengthen the team and address the industry’s talent shortage, NTT has launched an internship programme in their construction organisation. This initiative aims to develop young talent and inspire them to pursue careers in the data centre industry. By providing valuable industry exposure and experience, NTT hopes to retain talent within their

Teams installing base isolation system at NTT’s Silicon Valley data centre, which opened in 2021

organisation and contribute to the industry’s growth as a whole.

Outcomes of implementing the right teams

Since implementing the right teams throughout the organisation, NTT has experienced significant changes. One notable improvement has been a reduction in attrition, which had been high in the industry in recent years.

“The work being done at NTT, and the opportunity to contribute to building a new organisation with a strong foundation has generated a lot of excitement among our employees,” she says. “They appreciate the autonomy to create and improve processes, rather than following outdated methods that have been in place for many years. This sense of empowerment and continuous improvement is truly motivating for the team members.”

Miller points out that effective communication has also played a crucial role in retaining the team and fostering a positive work environment. She highlights the importance of consistently communicating the organisation’s vision and any changes that are coming.

“In fact, leaders should overcommunicate to ensure that everyone is aligned and understands the ‘why’ behind decisions and initiatives. Transparency in communication not only keeps employees motivated, but also fosters an environment of trust,” she says.

Expressing gratitude and acknowledging employees’ achievements is another significant factor in building a truly successful team.

“It’s actually very simple to say ‘thank you’ when someone does something awesome,” she says. “But it goes a long, long way.

Network Operations Center tech working in Ashburn data centre

Recognising and appreciating the hard work and dedication of team members through simple gestures like instant messages or emails can be very effective in boosting morale.”

NTT also implements initiatives such as ‘Coffee Connects’, where employees from different parts of the organisation come together virtually for a coffee break, fostering connections and collaboration. Regular all-hands meetings, monthly newsletters, and team-building challenges are other ways NTT creates a safe and open space for communication and connection.

Reflecting on her experience, Miller advises other organisations to prioritise listening.

“Truly hearing and understanding employees, whether it’s about their personal lives, challenges on projects, or any other concerns, is absolutely crucial.

“Leaders should actively remove roadblocks and support their team members. Building genuine connections with the team, remembering personal details about their lives, and showing care and support can go a long way in fostering a positive, productive work environment.

Meet-Me Room in an NTT data centre

“Despite the fast pace of work, leaders should remember that it is the collective effort of the people that drives the success of an organisation,” she says.

Expert advice

Miller’s central message to the audience is to invest more in people, particularly in the construction industry. She says that taking care of employees and suppliers is crucial for the success of a company.

“By providing support, listening to their voices, and allowing them to be a part of the decision-making process, organisations

INVESTING IN THE RISING DATA CENTRE ECONOMY

The explosion in demand for data centres has attracted the attention of investors of all types –growth capital, buyout, real estate, and, increasingly, infrastructure investors. In the US market alone, demand measured by power consumption –to reflect the number of servers a data centre can house – is expected to reach 35 gigawatts (GW) by 2030, up from 17GW in 2022, according to McKinsey analysis. The United States accounts for roughly 40% of the global market.

can harness the dividends of employee engagement and satisfaction.

“I believe that people want to be a part of something meaningful, especially in the post-COVID world, and involving them in shaping the organisation can yield significant benefits.”

Construction: of the people, by the people, for the people

Miller adds that construction, as an industry, is heavily dependent on people. Despite advancements in technology in various fields, the construction industry has not seen

significant progress in the last 60 years. Skilled labour in construction is limited, and there is no imminent threat of robots taking over jobs. She suggests that the industry should embrace diversity, allow people to work from different locations where possible, and challenge outdated norms.

“By prioritising the wellbeing and potential of individuals, the construction industry can unlock numerous opportunities for growth and success,” she says.

NTT’s partner ecosystem

Regarding partnerships, Miller discusses three companies: Fibre Bond, Cummins, and Silent-Aire.

Fibre Bond

Fibre Bond has been a long-standing partner of NTT, helping standardise their data centres and innovate within the constraints of the industry. “Our partnership has been characterised by mutual collaboration, agility, and a willingness to challenge each other for better results – key criteria for any successful partnership,” she says.

Silent-Aire

Silent-Aire, another strategic partner, is a prominent player in the semiconductor and data centre industry. “With their reliability and substantial manufacturing capacity, Silent-Aire has become one of NTT’s primary suppliers.”

Cummins

Cummins is a trusted supplier of generators in the data centre industry. “Although Cummins’ partnership with NTT is relatively new,” says Miller, “they have demonstrated reliability, effective communication of

risks, and a strong commitment to delivery.” She points out that NTT shares extensive information with their partners, allowing them to align their efforts and deliver the expected outcomes. She says the company “expects a positive future with both Silent-Aire and Cummins” as their “strategic partners”.

The Next 12 to 18 Months for NTT

In the next 12 to 18 months, NTT’s focus will be on significant building projects. They have already secured customers for most of the capacity at their sites, and their major markets, including Phoenix,

Dallas, Hillsboro, Chicago, and Ashburn, will witness substantial construction, will witness substantial construction.

NTT plans to evolve their standard designs based on industry developments and address critical factors such as supply chain and power to enhance their competitive advantage in delivering future capacity.

Changes in the Industry’s Future Miller anticipates that the introduction of AI will increase spending from key technology companies and have a significant impact on the data centre industry, although the exact nature of this impact

is yet to be determined. Increased demand due to AI will likely require larger data centre footprint, which may necessitate alternative design and construction methods; as such, Miller predicts that power will continue to be a crucial conversation in the industry.

“The availability of power in different regions – such as the middle of the United States – may become a target market for companies seeking quicker access to power infrastructure,” she concludes.

Security guard inside Visitor Control Center

THE EVOLUTION OF HYBRID CLOUD

Cloud spending is increasing, with businesses recognising the advantages that come with hybrid cloud as Gareth Tucker, Principal Hybrid Specialist at AWS, explains

WRITTEN BY: MAYA DERRICK

Businesses are moving to the cloud faster than ever before with spending on cloud computing accounting for 33% of IT spend in 2020 and growing to 45% by 2024, according to Gartner. For many, adopting a cloud model is compelling compared to owning and operating on-premises data centres.

With advantages including lower costs, increased agility, and faster innovation, the cloud accelerates digital transformation as it provides access to hundreds of tools and capabilities only possible with the breadth of services and scale of the cloud.

To support this shift, AWS’ Gareth Tucker explains, businesses need to be able to seamlessly operate a broad range of applications — from Software-as-aService web applications to applications that process real-time medical imaging.

“Most of these applications can be easily migrated to the cloud, but some need to be re-architected or ‘modernised’ before they can be moved, and a few will remain on premises or in a specific location due to low latency, local data processing, or data residency requirements,” he says.

“Regardless of where their applications may need to reside, businesses today want to bring the cloud closer to wherever they need it to build and run their applications.”

The evolution of hybrid cloud

The definition of hybrid infrastructure itself is evolving rapidly, now encompassing a combination of cloud services, edge nodes, and on-premises data centres. At AWS, hybrid infrastructure is considered to include the cloud along with other edge nodes, on-premises data centres being one of them.

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“Adopting a hybrid cloud infrastructure allows organisations to more effectively meet their business needs, using cloud services where they are needed – in their own facilities, at the mobile edge or in a remote branch or location,” he says.

“A key benefit is accelerating digital transformation and innovation. Being able to deploy new generation applications regardless of physical location brings greater flexibility, reduces time and effort for development teams and enables

“CUSTOMERS HAVE COME TO REALLY APPRECIATE THAT THE AWS CULTURE IS DIFFERENT”

GARETH TUCKER PRINCIPAL HYBRID SPECIALIST, AWS

Amazon is committed to reaching net-zero carbon across its business by 2040, staying on path to power its operations with 100% renewable energy by 2025, and being water positive by 2030

In Ireland and Sweden, no water is used to cool its data centres for 95% of the year

Across several geographic regions, moving on-premises workloads to AWS can lower the workload carbon footprint by nearly 80% and up to 96% once AWS is powered with 100% renewable energy, by 2025

applications to be deployed where they are needed.”

Another benefit is improving IT productivity. By harmonising the management of all their IT facilities, IT teams gain significant benefit from using a single management platform, common tools, services, and APIs. “Using AWS, a common set of administration tools, services and processes can be used by all staff regardless of where resources are deployed,” Tucker alludes. “This avoids the need to operate different management platforms depending on what and where services

are running, saving time, resources, and having to maintain knowledge and skills across different environments.”

Hybrid cloud infrastructures also allow IT teams to build differentiated services and improve end user experience. Extending the cloud and deploying applications to edge locations can dramatically improve services that are latency dependent. Latency can play a massive part in affecting the user experience, especially for applications involving interactivity including AR/VR, gaming, connected vehicles, smart factories and live video streaming.

Industries experiencing the hybrid cloud boom

AWS sees customers of all sizes leveraging AWS hybrid services, and is looking to create more industry-aligned solutions based on customer needs.

“Some of our AWS Local Zones have had their services tailored for specific industries such as in Los Angeles, where the AWS Local Zone has services to better suit the needs of the Media and Entertainment industry to provide digital artists at customers like

AWS and Nasdaq: Edge computing for capital markets

AWS’ work with Nasdaq saw the brands co-design the ultra-low latency edge computing system for capital markets. The new system achieves high standards of performance and resiliency, while meeting Nasdaq’s regulatory requirements. The new system, which uses AWS Outposts, continues to deliver a low double-digit microseconds latency for end-to-end and order-to-trade processes, in addition to a 10% performance improvement in round trip latency.

Netflix high powered graphical workstations with latencies as low as 1-2ms, making the experience hard to distinguish from being on-premises,” Tucker uses as an example.

“Customers have come to really appreciate that the AWS culture is really different. We are reinventing hybrid cloud by bringing AWS wherever customers need it for seamless and secure experiences –from the cloud, to data centres, large metro areas and 5G networks, smart factories or buildings, and beyond.”

“BUSINESSES TODAY WANT TO BRING THE CLOUD CLOSER TO WHEREVER THEY NEED IT TO BUILD AND RUN THEIR APPLICATIONS”

GARETH TUCKER PRINCIPAL HYBRID SPECIALIST, AWS

Morningstar: AWS Outposts

Customer Testimonial

Hybrid cloud’s work towards sustainability and efficiency goals

AWS, like other hybrid cloud providers, is committed to running its business in an efficient way to reduce its impact on the environment. Its scale allows AWS to achieve higher resource utilisation and energy efficiency than the typical on-premises data centre. Studies conducted by analyst firm 451 Research found across several geographic regions that moving on-premises workloads to AWS can lower the workload

carbon footprint by nearly 80% and up to 96% once AWS is powered with 100% renewable energy, by 2025.

AWS’ infrastructure is 3.6 times more energy efficient than the median of surveyed US enterprise data centres and up to five times more energy efficient than the average European enterprise data centre. Once all of Amazon’s renewable energy projects are fully operational, they are expected to provide enough clean energy to power 15.3 million European homes a year.

Tucker explains how for AWS, running our operations sustainably means reducing the amount of water used to cool its data centres. “AWS will be water positive by 2030, returning more water to communities than it uses in its direct operations. Our holistic approach minimises both energy and water consumption in our data centre operations and guides the development of our water use strategy for each AWS Region.

Gareth Tucker

TITLE: PRINCIPAL HYBRID SPECIALIST

COMPANY: AWS

INDUSTRY: CLOUD

Gareth Tucker is Principal Hybrid Specialist at AWS and has been for the last two years. Previous to this he was Senior Business Development Manager. Before joining AWS in November 2019 he spent more than 14 years at Intel in a variety of roles.

“AWS is continually improving efficiency, using advanced cloud services, such as IoT technologies, to analyse real-time water use, identify and fix leaks, and gain other efficiencies. AWS is also improving operational efficiency by using techniques like direct evaporative cooling and eliminating cooling water use in many facilities for most of the year, instead of relying on outside air.”

Additionally, in Ireland and Sweden, no water is used to cool its data centres for 95% of the year. AWS is also investing in on-site water-treatment systems to reuse water multiple times, minimising water consumption.

“We focus on efficiency across all aspects of our infrastructure, from the design of our data centres and hardware to modelling the performance of our operations for continually enhanced efficiency,” he adds. “One way our customers are able to move toward meeting their sustainability goals is by migrating to AWS. Amazon is committed to reaching net-zero carbon across our business by 2040, staying on path to power our operations with 100% renewable energy by 2025, and being water positive by 2030.”

AWS is further lowering its carbon emissions throughout its operations by focusing energy efficiency and addressing

a broad category of indirect emissions, including those associated with the construction of our data centres.

“Once our customers migrate to AWS, we help customers improve their sustainability in the cloud through tools such as the Sustainability Pillar for Well-Architected and the customer carbon footprint tool. We help our customers understand the environmental impacts of the services they use, we quantify impacts through their entire workload lifecycle, and apply best practices to reduce these impacts.”

“AWS IS CONTINUALLY IMPROVING EFFICIENCY, USING ADVANCED CLOUD SERVICES TO ANALYSE REAL-TIME WATER USE, IDENTIFY AND FIX LEAKS, AND GAIN OTHER EFFICIENCIES”

GARETH TUCKER PRINCIPAL HYBRID SPECIALIST, AWS

EQUINIX ® : HOW DIGITAL LEADERS CAN ACHIEVE SUSTAINABLE DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION IN UNCERTAIN TIMES

LEADERS SUSTAINABLE TRANSFORMATION

AD FEATURE

WRITTEN BY: TOM

SWALLOW

PRODUCED BY: LEWIS

HAMMOND

Why is sustainable digital transformation and infrastructure modernisation important?

The world is on the verge of a recession with staggering levels of inflation, increasing energy prices, a climate crisis, and unprecedented disruption.

Digital Transformation underpinned by a modern, agile, flexible, secure, and resilient foundational architecture, is imperative for survival, but it is not enough.

Now, there is a legal, as well as a moral, obligation to reduce EU emissions by at least 55% by 2030. The Equinix 2022 Global Tech Trends Survey showed that over 70% of IT leaders said that reducing environmental impact is a critical driver of their technology strategy and 65% of digital leaders expressed that they will only work with partners that meet their carbon reduction targets.

Organisations are meeting this obligation head on with ambitious corporate sustainability goals in place alongside their digital transformation and infrastructure modernisation programmes. With only one IT refresh cycle left until 2030, the decisions made in 2023 will have a huge impact on the ability to achieve sustainable competitive advantage.

Yet, the backdrop faced by the digital leaders has never been more complex.

Supply chain issues, chip shortages, technical debt, legacy infrastructure, changing stakeholder requirements, and rigid infrastructure all create financial, operational and energy inefficiencies which threaten to overwhelm digital transformation and the infrastructure modernisation required to achieve it.

Equinix enables organisations to modernise their networks, move appropriate business applications and workloads to the cloud, minimise cloud egress costs, virtualise their digital footprint and house remaining legacy infrastructure within Platform Equinix®.

Organisations have the flexibility to run the workloads wherever it makes the most sense; on premises, at the edge or in multiple cloud locations around the world, whilst also ensuring security and data sovereignty requirements are met.

This composable infrastructure allows organisations the flexibility to address the operational and power inefficiencies whilst reducing cost which allows them to accelerate their digital transformation and achieve sustainability goals.

Figure 1. Organisation Challenges

Sustainability at Equinix

Platform Equinix – Where Sustainable Digital Transformation happens

To understand how to facilitate a sustainable transformation, we turn to the experts at Equinix to uncover the steps along the journey.

Grace Andrews, Principal Product Evangelist at Equinix, delves into the organisation’s mission and how it approaches digital transformation.

“Equinix is the world’s digital infrastructure company. Platform Equinix provides the foundational infrastructure—data centres, interconnection, and digital infrastructure services—that power the digital economy.

“We’ve transformed Equinix from a colocation provider to a digital infrastructure platform, which supports the digital transformation of our customers.

“During the pandemic, we saw unprecedented demand for digital services. Platform Equinix, with vibrant digital ecosystems and foundational infrastructure

enabled via software, meets the needs of customers who now operate in a highly virtualized world.

“The coronavirus pandemic fundamentally, and in some cases permanently, changed the way we work, the way we educate our children, the way we interact with family, the way we shop and entertain ourselves… Enabling this digital transformation is what we do.

“ We have a duty and the capability to help organisations achieve digital transformation in a way that supports our collective and individual climate goals.”

GRACE ANDREWS

PRINCIPAL PRODUCT EVANGELIST, EQUINIX METAL

How can organisations integrate their digital and sustainability strategy into a coherent roadmap?

Platform & Product Marketing Director, Direnc Dogruoz tells us: “Organisations must start with optimising the core of their network; relying on shared, on-demand services and platforms powered by renewable energy. From that network hub, they can start virtualizing infrastructure and interconnecting to public and private clouds adjacent to mission-critical data in a way that is designed to be inherently more sustainable, secure, cost-effective and agile.

“Organisations can deploy with Equinix physically—in our core network hubs—to consume energy more efficiently. Our hubs in the EMEA region are covered by 100% renewable energy, supported by our stateof-the-art efficiency measures, such as software-optimised systems and industryleading power usage effectiveness (PUE), water management, waste heat recovery, liquid cooling and alternative fuel sources. By moving infrastructure into an Equinix facility, customers transfer the scope 1 emissions related to owning and operating their own facilities. For more information

on all of this please visit our sustainability website www.sustainability.equinix.com Mark Anderson,VP, Global Technical Sales at Equinix explains, “This shared network architecture helps to address the most significant conundrum in sustainable digital transformation: increasing the use of IT resources for compute and storage drives up power consumption and other digital emissions. Breaking the connection between increased use of IT resources and energy consumption is crucial.”

Figure 2. Sustainable Digital Transformation with Platform Equinix

“ A well-designed digital transformation programme allows our customers to achieve not only their business goals but reduce the carbon footprint of their entire IT and networking blueprint.”

DIRENC DOGRUOZ PLATFORM & PRODUCT MARKETING DIRECTOR, EQUINIX

EXECUTIVE BIOS

DIRENC DOGRUOZ

TITLE: DIRECTOR, PLATFORM & PRODUCT MARKETING - CLOUD INTERCONNECTION

LOCATION: UNITED KINGDOM

Direnc leads the team responsible for all interconnection and edge service product lines in EMEA. He focuses on building product strategy and go-to-market initiatives to drive customer adoption of Equinix cloud connectivity and virtualized edge network services. Digital leaders around the world rely on Equinix’s trusted platform for everything related to digital, internet and clouds. Equinix helps the world's digital leaders exchange large volumes of data and includes companies such as Google, Amazon, Instagram, SnapChat, Crypto currencies, Uber, Deliveroo, etc.

MARK ANDERSON

TITLE: VP, GLOBAL TECHNICAL SALES-EMEA, EQUINIX LOCATION: UNITED KINGDOM

Mark leads Global Technical Sales in EMEA and leads Equinix's Solutions Architecture, Digital Technical Specialists and Solution Engineering disciplines. Mark focuses on helping Equinix customers develop, adopt and enable their Digital Strategy by consulting on workload, data, interconnection and location opportunities on the Equinix platform to exploit Internet of Things, Cloud and Data Analytics capabilities. Prior to joining Equinix nearly nine years ago, he worked in the transformational IT outsourcing space around the world, as a consulting Enterprise Architect.

GRACE ANDREWS

TITLE: PRINCIPAL PRODUCT EVANGELIST AT EQUINIX METAL LOCATION: UNITED STATES

Grace is a seasoned storyteller with a passion for people and technology. Her career is deeply rooted in infrastructure, data and non-traditional models for training and enablement. As an enthusiastic technologist, she is always looking for ways to bridge creative technical solutions with deep understanding.

PATRICIA STAMOS

TITLE: SR. MANAGER, GLOBAL SUSTAINABILITY ENGAGEMENT

LOCATION: UNITED STATES

In her role at Equinix, Patricia manages global sustainability engagement and the annual reporting process for the Sustainability Program Office (SPO) with a primary focus to strategically elevate ESG value across the business to drive market leadership, stakeholder value, partner opportunities and business growth.

Under her leadership, Equinix has garnered recognition from global organisations and financial indices such as NASDAQ, CDP, US EPA and Just Capital. Patricia was also responsible for developing Equinix’s initial Corporate Sustainability Report, the first of its kind for the data centre industry. In addition to her role at Equinix, Patricia is an Advisor for the CSU Chico Women in Leadership Advisory Council.

“The idea behind the Platform Equinix shared usage, shared ownership model is to build more efficient infrastructures. Organisations running their own data centres, cannot get the size, scale, and skills they need to get the efficiencies that Equinix can.”

Direnc adds: “Deploying with Equinix is the first step in an organisation’s sustainable digital transformation journey and results in a considerable reduction in carbon emissions compared to a traditional on-prem enterprise infrastructure.

Sr. Manager, Global Sustainability Engagement, Patricia Stamos, adds: “By moving IT infrastructure to Platform Equinix, organisations also move their scope 1 and 2 emissions to scope 3 emissions—which means handing over the responsibility of greening their supply chain, keeping up with supplyside regulations, and the cost of investing in new sustainability-focused technologies and maintenance to Equinix.

“Organisations who deploy on Platform Equinix receive custom Green Power Reports (GPRs), based on third-party verified metrics, to attest to the carbon emissions associated with their data center operation deployments at Equinix for transparency.”

“

There's a roadmap to digital transformation that allows us to break the idea that increased workload equals higher energy consumption, as we look at more efficient architecture models.”

MARK ANDERSON VP, GLOBAL TECHNICAL SALES-EMEA, EQUINIX®

GRACE ANDREWS

PRINCIPAL PRODUCT EVANGELIST, EQUINIX METAL

Direnc picks up: “Once an organisation deploys in Equinix’s core network hubs, they can virtually interconnect with more than 10,000 network service providers, clouds, partners, security services, customers, and suppliers over shared resources on demand via software-based portals and platforms in real time, in more than 60 global markets.”

“Organisations can then switch from their previous methods of connecting cloud services, via their network service provider through either private multi-protocol label switching (MPLS) or the public internet, to using Equinix Fabric®—our dedicated, virtual interconnection tool.”

This virtual interconnection on demand can improve efficiencies for organisations further compared to a traditional on-prem enterprise infrastructure relying on legacy IT and networking.

The final level of sustainable digital transformation maturity is when organisations take advantage of the full suite of digital services available on Platform Equinix to deploy their entire infrastructure as-a-service. This means that organisations eliminate infrastructure ownership, capex spend, and emissions related to IT whilst increasing agility through provisioning infrastructure on demand.

With multiple global brands, offices and production facilities spread across five continents, the Hero Group needed to evolve from a traditional IT model to a more agile, reliable and cost-effective digital-first operation. The company partnered with Equinix based on its strong focus on sustainability, and expertise in delivering a secure, reliable and interconnected digital infrastructure platform.

"Hero has set specific sustainability targets to become a net neutral business. Our automated digital-first model allows us to be more agile and to create and deliver healthier foods. With Platform Equinix we have a solid foundation for standardising our IT globally with greater predictability and sustainability."

Bas Dijikhuizen, Head of Competence Center Infrastructure, Hero Group.

How Digital Services Enable Sustainable Digital Transformation

Digital services on Platform Equinix allow organisations to virtualise physical infrastructure according to their business needs, enabling a more sustainable overall outcome.

By deploying digitally on an ‘as-a-service’, on-demand platform, organisations can use what they need, when they need it; they can turn their services on and off as they see fit.

“Digital transformation and sustainability go hand-in-hand, enabling each other.”

“For example, Equinix Fabric can be used for software networking, data exchange and service exchange—all digitally rather than having to implement physical connections,” says Mark.

“Then we have Network Edge - virtual networking devices that dictate how we exchange that data securely at the edge. Equinix Metal®, is a private bare-metal-as-aservice solution, which is how organisations can deploy, store, and keep their data as a service in a private, cloud-like environment.

“The challenge for organisations right now is that they have data on public cloud, private cloud, and on their own servers and storage devices. Platform Equinix puts all this in a hybrid integrated environment, with the public clouds, for organisations to create a secure, optimised, virtualized sustainable infrastructure solution to underpin their digital transformation...”

Schneider Electric started its sustainable digital transformation with Platform Equinix. Schneider Electric has started using new models of “Platform-as-a-Service” and “BareMetal-as-a-Service”, which are covered with renewable energy from Equinix, enabling the

next evolution of its IT infrastructure.

These services are helping Schneider simultaneously improve performance and industrial automation, by improving operations and energy management. Additionally, at a time of unprecedented supply chain disruptions and constraints, virtual infrastructure built on Equinix’s digital services helped Schneider Electric to mitigate the delays on energy efficiency implementations.

"It always starts with a purpose: what is a company trying to achieve in terms of their

HERO GROUP

With multiple global brands, offices and production facilities spread across five continents, the Hero Group needed to evolve from a traditional IT model to a more agile, reliable and costeffective digital-first operation. The company partnered with Equinix based on its strong focus on sustainability, and expertise in delivering a secure, reliable and interconnected digital infrastructure platform.

Figure 3. Sustainable Transformation on Platform Equinix

SCHNEIDER ELECTRIC DIGITAL LEADERS

digital transformation? For us, it was very simple. It was about making IT infrastructure modern because of the legacy footprint that we have. That organically translated into reduction of the footprint, thus reducing the carbon footprint." Xach Nimboorkar, Senior Vice President of Global IT Infrastructure and Operations at Schneider Electric.

Grace puts emphasis on mindful digital transformation and why digital services from Equinix are required alongside the public cloud.

“Cloud is only one piece of the puzzle. We have to remember that the cloud has a physical home and underlying physical resources,” says Grace.

“So, this idea of sustainable digital transformation is also an idea of efficiency within the way we design systems. With the tools and components that make up digital services from Equinix, we are maximising the physical infrastructure that already exists in a

way that allows us to build systems differently— to build systems that are sustainable, OPEX-driven, and flexible.”

Let’s look at workloads as an example: “Organisations have workloads and often they would have the same workload sitting in four or five different geographic locations in case of a ransomware attack, power outage or other disaster.

Another example might be an e-commerce website which needs to be able to handle many loads because of an upcoming holiday sale.

Traditionally, these organisations had to buy more physical infrastructure to architect the infrastructure for the worst-case scenario in the case of disaster recovery or maximum utilisation in the case of the e-commerce provider even though that infrastructure would be redundant 99% of the time. This redundancy is hugely inefficient, expensive and CO2 emissions heavy.

“This is where Equinix brings a unique value to organisations on their sustainable digital transformation journey. We help them identify what they need, when they need it,

SCHNEIDER ELECTRIC

Schneider Electric started its sustainable digital transformation with Platform Equinix. Schneider Electric has started using new models of “Platform-as-aService” and “Bare-Metal-as-a-Service”, which are covered with renewable energy from Equinix, enabling the next evolution of its IT infrastructure These services are helping Schneider simultaneously improve performance and industrial automation, by improving operations and energy management. Additionally, at a time of unprecedented supply chain disruptions and constraints, virtual infrastructure built on Equinix’s digital services helped Schneider Electric to mitigate the delays on energy efficiency implementations.

and make it available to them on demand, as-a-service, eliminating the costs and emissions related to owning and operating primary and redundant hardware.

“We're bringing organisations the components they already use, whether it's networking providers, such as Cisco, Juniper and Nutanix, storage providers like Dell, HPE or Pure Storage, or security providers like Fortinet and F5. We're bringing all of those components together; optimised inside of this virtual world. Sustainable digital transformation starts with modernising and virtualizing physical infrastructure, and Platform Equinix is the foundation from which to begin.”

“ The big thing here is that the consumption model is where digital services from Equinix really disrupt.”

GRACE ANDREWS PRINCIPAL PRODUCT EVANGELIST, EQUINIX METAL

READ THE GOING GREEN WITH SCHNEIDER ELECTRIC REPORT

How AI in data centres helps drive a more sustainable world

WRITTEN BY: MARCUS LAW

Data centres are the backbone of today’s digital world. But with research suggesting that data centres are now responsible for between 3-4% of global greenhouse gas emissions, innovative solutions will be needed to solve the climate challenge. With a history spanning more than 170 years, today Schneider Electric provides energy and automation solutions for efficiency and sustainability. Employing more than 140,000 people

AI and automation can be powerful tools to help organisations reach sustainability goals. But having an end-to-end view of the data is critical to success

globally, Schneider combines worldleading technologies with real-time automation software, and services into integrated solutions for homes, buildings, infrastructure, industries and data centres.

As Marc Garner, Senior Vice President of Schneider’s Secure Power Division in Europe, explains, sustainability represents a key topic for the company and for the data centre industry as a whole. “Over the last 10 years in particular there has been a real focus on sustainability, challenging both

ourselves as a business and our customers to become more sustainable,” he comments. “How do we work with our customers, and with the community, to drive sustainability and provide the knowledge and insight that we have and the tools and analytics to ultimately green our planet?”

As Garner describes, there have been significant advancements in terms of how data centres are using energy over the last 10 or 15 years. “Compare where we were in 2007, for example, to where we are

Supporting Data Centres in the Transition to Net Zero Carbon

The combined knowledge and experience of MiCiM and OI allows us to work collaboratively with clients from strategic sustainable design development through to implementation

today, you see a reduction in power usage effectiveness (PUE) from around 2.5 to about 1.55 PUE,” he comments. “You see some data centres out there now that operate at around 1.1 or 1.15 PUE. That is incredibly efficient in comparison to where we’ve been.”

As Garner explains, the data centre sits in an interesting area when it comes to the sustainability conversation. “When we talk about sustainability and how bad data centres are within the sustainability agenda, only 1% of the energy consumption worldwide comes from data centre use,” he says. “Around 3-4% of carbon emissions worldwide come from data centre use.

“It’s still a problem,” he clarifies. “The numbers are big enough for it to be significant, and it’s important that we continue to address it and challenge ourselves to move forward.

“But if 99% of energy is being used elsewhere, how do we start to address those industries and areas to try and reduce carbon output and energy usage?”

This, he describes, is where the data centre market really comes into play.

Marc Garner

Electricity 4.0: the next evolution in smart energy

Green energy solutions have never been more critical to the future of the data centre industry.

According to Schneider Electric –one of the world’s leading voices in sustainable data centres – the most viable solution to the current crisis lies in the convergence of digitalization and renewables: Electricity 4.0.

“This is Schneider Electric’s vision for digital and electric: digital for efficiencies and electric for decarbonisation, leading towards a green, smart energy system for a sustainable future,” Steve Brown, Schneider Electric’s Global Director of the Cloud and Service Provider Segment told Data Centre Magazine recently.

“We call it Electricity 4.0 because it’s really a sea change in technological evolution, occurring over the couple of centuries that have passed since we first industrialised.”

Brown defines 1.0 as the very earliest days of electrification, 2.0 as mass electrification for the first time, and 3.0 as the establishment of distributed energy resources.

“We’re now at 4.0, for the first time. We can establish electric and digital solutions at scale, for smart, green energy. And that’s going to take us from a linear supply of fossil fuel towards demand without limited control and optimisation, to a flexible grid.”

“We talk about Electricity 4.0 as a vector to decarbonise and reduce energy across the world,” Garner says. “To do that you’ll inevitably need more digital infrastructure, more data-driven and software like artificial intelligence (AI), to allow us to use data in a more effective and more efficient way. You also need to look at procuring green renewable energy and to fast-track the transition away from fossil fuels.

“However what I think is missed through a lot of this conversation is that if you don’t have the data, you can’t drive efficiency in that other 99% of industry,” Garner

describes. “You can’t drive AI, automation and all the great things that come on the back of it. And you need the data centres to hold and process the data to be able to support it.”

AI can help save huge amounts of energy

In data centres, AI solutions can help manage the world’s rising data demands, alongside ever-ambitious sustainability targets. Combined with automation, this technology can be a powerful tool.

“My seven-year-old daughter refuses to turn a light switch off in the house,”

“If you don’t have the data, you can’t drive AI, automation and all the great things that come on the back of it”

MARC GARNER VICE PRESIDENT OF SECURE POWER DIVISION IN EUROPE SCHNEIDER ELECTRIC

Garner laughs. “Human behaviour is fallible. One person does things one way, the other person does things another way. You can’t get consistency if you’re trying to run a building or a manufacturing plant based on human behaviour.

“What you can get consistency on, is through automating that system. So in my house, if I put PIR sensors in every room. Now, when my daughter leaves the room, that light automatically goes off. You’re less reliant on behaviour, and you’re more reliant on technology and automation.

“If we move on to something like an industrial facility where machine learning is introduced, a variable speed drive running at 80% compared to at 100% can save a huge amount of energy in that simple change. AI can really help with that.”

Crucial to this approach’s success is making sure that organisations have access to the right data. “If you’ve got the right data coming into it to say ‘our capacity to produce is reduced, we don’t need to run the machine at 100% anymore,’ your consumption goes down significantly. You start to see optimisation throughout the whole process. And ultimately that will be fed by a data centre into the cloud, stored and managed for analytics to be able to compare and learn from it and do better the next time around.

I think that’s where you start to see this bigger picture of where the data centre plays into driving operational efficiency,” Garner adds. “Around 60% of the reduction will be around energy efficiency, and 40% will come from how we produce or generate energy differently. Once we’ve got that energy, we’ve still got to do better with it than what we’re doing today. And that’s

the

AVEVA acquisition providing a true end-to-end view

In January Schneider Electric announced it had completed the acquisition of global industrial software leader AVEVA,

one of

interesting aspects for me where the data centre really comes into it.”

which offers a Digital Twin for the whole asset lifecycle from engineering through to operations and maintenance.

By connecting people with trusted information and AI-enriched insights, AVEVA enables teams to engineer efficiently and optimise operations, driving growth and sustainability.

“You need to have more digital infrastructure, like data-driven analytics and AI, and also be able to use data in a more effective and more efficient way”

MARC GARNER VICE PRESIDENT OF SECURE POWER DIVISION IN EUROPE, SCHNEIDER ELECTRIC

“As you start to see companies and buildings start to work and become more integrated with IoT and the IT and OT integration of a building, these things start to converge”

MARC GARNER VICE PRESIDENT OF SECURE POWER DIVISION IN EUROPE, SCHNEIDER ELECTRIC

Its solutions integrate AI technology wand machine-learning capabilities, enabling a constant state of self-optimisation through autonomous and semi-autonomous processes and giving users the agility to respond to changing conditions in real time for greater safety, profitability, and sustainability.

As Garner explains, the acquisition of AVEVA is one that helps provide an end-to-end view, enabling more efficient and sustainable operations.

“That’s really where the AVEVA platform and the other platforms that we have really come into play,” he says. “A facility risk manager is very interested in the facility data, the building management control, the electrical distribution reporting. You have an IT manager that wants to see the IT stack and the IT infrastructure. You have someone who’s working in security that is looking at the security stack.

“But what you don’t regularly get is all those systems talking together and working in unison,” Garner adds. “And as you start to see companies and buildings start to work and become more integrated with IoT and the IT and OT integration of a building, these things start to converge. The systems we have aren’t always the best to bring them all together and give you a complete holistic view of what the world looks like, and this is where AVEVA really comes into play.

“Now, we’re able to take that view, make it relevant for a facility’s manager or a CEO or a sustainability manager or maybe for communication externally, and do it all under a single pane of glass. Bringing all those layers of control and software systems and everything underneath it into one view allows you to drive efficiency and operate your business in a much better way.”

CUSTOMER HELPS OVERCOME

CUSTOMER-CENTRICITY HELPS DATA CENTRES OVERCOME DISRUPTION

WRITTEN BY: TOM SWALLOW

PRODUCED BY: LEWIS VAUGHAN

Avnish Patankar, Commercial Director of BDx Indonesia, defines the reasons for its data centre acquisitions and transparent approach to disruption

The data centre industry’s rapid expansion sees more opportunities across every border, with its growth making way for the introduction of BDx in 2019 and the continued success of existing data centre locations.

The company sought out advantageous growth opportunities, resulting in moving to a few different locations across the APAC region.

Taking on an emerging market with billions of dollars worth of potential over the next few years, BDx ventured beyond its China, Hong Kong and Singapore data centre facilities to acquire a further site in Indonesia last year. The reason for this being the projected CAGR from 6% to 13% leading up to 2028, and the projected industry value growth to US$3.43bn by 2027.

With four data centres in total, the company is operational across the three locations in Indonesia, allowing it to serve a growing number of users globally.

“Our global customers are joining us. At the same time, we are now building two more new data centres that are greenfield projects in Indonesia – in and around Jakarta,” says Avnish Patankar, Commercial Director at BDx Indonesia.

“Collectively, we are creating a bouquet of six assets for the main DC deployment and some 20 plus locations spanning Indonesia for edge deployments where we will be able to offer more choices to customers.”

The company’s venture into Indonesia marks a crucial step in BDx’s strategy, which will service the digital transformation needs of the country by enabling access to data centres at the edge. With a dedicated facility based there, its existing pool of global clients have the opportunity to colocate their IT infrastructure and workloads to enable more growth in the region.

“We ventured into Indonesia with a mission to support its digital transformation,” says Patankar.

“Now, coming with that mission to support, it’s very important. Any client who is coming from overseas or a local national client who is looking for a data centre, colocation asset for deploying its IT workloads, it’s important to provide them with what they need. They need locations, diversification in locations, scalability, security, they need network ability for connectivity.”

“PEOPLE WHO WORK WITH THE COMPANY CREATE THE COMPANY, THEY BUILD THE COMPANY”

AVNISH PATANKAR COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR, BDx

As a result, BDx Indonesia proudly opens the door not just for national clients, but also for its overseas clients to access reliable and secured data centres within the country.

“It is the biggest acquisition deal in the data centre industry of Indonesia. We are committed to investing another billion dollars into it. While we are developing a greenfield project, which will be our flagship data centre, we are looking at creating 20-plus edge locations for deployment, which is the future of digital transformation,” Patankar says.

“In a year or two, everyone will venture into edge locations – edge data centres. People will look for edge deployments because, as the digital transformation is taking shape, it is very important for the cloud and content providers to get near the customer.”

AVNISH PATANKAR

TITLE: COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR

INDUSTRY: TECHNOLOGY

LOCATION: INDONESIA

Avnish Patankar is a seasoned executive with over 20 years of experience in the technology and engineering industry. He is currently the Commercial Director of a rapidly growing company, where he is responsible for setting the company’s strategic direction and driving its growth with customer first approach.

Throughout his career, Avnish has held various leadership roles at both established companies and startups. He has a strong track record of delivering results, driving innovation, and leading cross-functional teams to success.

Prior to his current role, Avnish served as the Country Head of an engineering company, where he played a critical role in growing the company’s revenue and expanding its customer base. Before that, he held senior leadership positions at several engineering and utility companies, where he was responsible for driving product strategy, business development, and customer success.

Avnish is known for his ability to build and lead high-performing teams, his strategic vision, and his customercentric approach to business. He is passionate about leveraging technology to solve complex problems and create value for customers.

From services like Netflix and Amazon Prime to Dropbox and One Drive, cloud and storage capabilities will be pivotal in the years to come, so businesses will look to grow to all corners of the globe to ensure that their services are made accessible. In Indonesia, Patankar explains that these types of services, along with Amazon and Azure, there is a demand for entry points that will allow them to create a complete global infrastructure to support their offerings wherever their customers are located.

BDx Indonesia plans to serve these companies to achieve their goals and create brand loyalty.

The main factor in the company’s rate of progress cannot be ignored, with the pandemic provoking shortages of necessary components and infrastructure via supply chain disruption.

“The pandemic shifted the entire way people work, learn, bank, shop, and interact,” says Patankar.

“That created an instant demand for IT hardware, software services and data centres was one of them. At that same time, because of the supply chain and logistic problems, I myself witnessed hundreds and thousands of containers docked at sea port as the ships were not available.”

This was one of the main struggles that BDx experienced in the process of acquiring and operationalising its Indonesia data centre, which was due to the shortage of equipment necessary to not only function, but to build a data centre that supported the needs of its clients.

“We had a challenge, we had to keep the operations running. And we, at the same time,

had to keep increasing our capacity. We had to keep building new capacity,” says Patankar.

“We have done this at our Singapore data centre. When we acquired it there was a 1.5MW capacity. During this pandemic when nothing was moving, we were able to create additional 10MW capacity there. Customers appreciated that.”

Despite overcoming disruption from various industry-paralysing events, BDx Indonesia would not have succeeded had the team chosen to ride out the issues within its supply chain. This resulted in a shift towards a new way of operating, coming away from the traditional means of procurement and supply chain management to take an approach suitable for the digital era.

“MANUFACTURERS ARE NOT ABLE TO DELIVER THE EQUIPMENT ON TIME BECAUSE LOGISTICS ARE STILL AN ISSUE”

AVNISH PATANKAR COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR, BDx

“WE VENTURED INTO INDONESIA WITH A MISSION TO SUPPORT THE DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION OF INDONESIA”

“I believe some relaxation is coming, but the demand is still high. Manufacturers are not able to deliver the equipment on time because logistics are still an issue,” says Patankar.

“Instead of sticking to one supplier for one improvement, we diversified geographically. Different leading brands came together. We worked with different suppliers and reduced our reliance on a single one, but also in terms of geographical resources, equipment from Europe, as well as resources from the US and equipment from Australia, China, South Korea.”

Before BDx Indonesia could diversify its operations, the initial challenge was understanding the different specifications of various suppliers to determine the services that it could provide with each. Unlike the standard procurement method whereby the solution must be correct, the company adapted its approach to recognise that various models could achieve the same outcomes with a more flexible outlook.

AVNISH PATANKAR COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR, BDx

“We became transparent to our suppliers. We created a complete plan for five years: our capacity, increment plans, our expansion plans,” Patankar says.

“In every meeting, online or offline, we explained those plans to our suppliers. We became transparent. We said, this is all coming in and we need your support, which particular project do you want to pick up? Which project can you support? Which equipment can you support?

“As we were transparent, both sides, customers as well as suppliers, started believing in us.”

Rather than accepting the traditional approach to equipment delivery and leaving suppliers responsible for delivery on time, BDx Indonesia asks them what they can offer and adapts its approach accordingly.

“As the customer now considers us as their family, suppliers are our family. It’s not only about asking them, ‘Hey, can you deliver this equipment on time or not?’,” says Patankar.

“We need to look into their capacity, their capabilities, their financial stability, and a lot of similar and important things. So we need to work with them.”

This approach to suppliers and customers is what allows BDx Indonesia to focus more on building sustainable partnerships with companies to create understanding and cooperation while developing the edge potential of data centres in the country. By meeting the needs of stakeholders, BDx Indonesia is able to follow a more informed trajectory with support from some major businesses – one of them being the equipment and cloud provider Huawei.

“Huawei is one of our trusted supply chain partners. A good thing about them is their approach to us. Much like our own supply chain, other supply chain partners know we

Huawei DC Solution:

From Edge to Large DC

Facilitating Green Digital Transformation. Smarter, Faster, Greener.

are very transparent with our customers and so they do too,” Patankar explains.

“A supply chain partner of ours must be transparent. Huawei is very upfront, telling us what they can and can’t do on time. They’re aware of all the ongoing and upcoming projects, but what they do for us is plan inventory on their side so that they can help us to deliver the project on time in a costeffective manner.”

As the footprint of BDx grows, particularly in Indonesia, the company will continue to leverage partnerships to provide a much more agile approach to procuring the necessary components for its data centres, but also encourage a transparency method of customer service. In such a dynamic industry, BDx Indonesia can look ahead as early as six months and as far as 18 to assess the evolution of its operations –with increasing capacity being the primary, overarching endeavour.

“AS WE WERE TRANSPARENT, BOTH SIDES, CUSTOMERS AS WELL AS SUPPLIERS, STARTED BELIEVINGIN US”

AVNISH PATANKAR COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR, BDx

Beyond the facilities though, Patankar says that the organisation itself must develop to navigate its growth with an emphasis on the talent it already has within the team.

“It’s not only about just creating the facility or enabling business, it’s also about developing the team, creating the talent. People who work with us bring value to the company,” says Patankar.

“People who work with the company create the company, build the company. So we understood that talent is important in the data centre industry. There is a shortage and we need to address this. So, we already began on-ground training by sending our engineers from here to Singapore to train them in our live data centres with various standards of operation.”

SUSTAINABILITY LEADERS

Data Centre Magazine rounds up the top 10 sustainability leaders in the data centre industry and applauds what makes them environmental gamechangers

WRITTEN BY: MAYA DERRICK

At a time where sustainability goals are at the forefront of the minds of those in the data industry – among other sectors – there are reams of individuals and companies behind them paving the path to a greener future. These trailblazers, often selfless in their motives and inspired by their passion for the planet alone,

we feel, are worthy of recognition for their tireless efforts in ensuring the data centre industry’s goals remain in touching distance.

Here’s Data Centre Magazine’s Top 10 sustainability leaders – extraordinary trailblazers of our generation with an unwavering commitment to ensuring a brighter future for generations to come.

SUSTAINABILITY

Top 10 Sustainability leaders

Amanda Abell

Senior Director of Sustainability

Vantage Data Centers

A sustainability leader with more than 17 years of experience integrating sustainability into business, Amanda Abell engages and empowers stakeholders across all levels to take ownership of sustainability initiatives. She defines and implements strategies to support Vantage’s global environmental stewardship and sustainability initiatives which is driven by her extensive experience in communicating complex, technical sustainability topics to a wide variety of audiences in translating macro sustainability trends and scientific data into actionable goals and objectives.

09

Travis Wright Vice President –Energy and Sustainability QTS

Now with almost a decade at QTS under his belt, Travis Wright has been VP of Energy and Sustainability for more than five years and manages utility procurement and energy efficiency programs. Wright also sits on the development team, negotiating new-site infrastructure agreements and tax incentives and fostering government relations. Alongside his 25 years of energy efficiency and management experience, Wright also has almost 20 years of critical facility management experience in the semiconductor industry.

One of the world’s most sustainable companies, Schneider Electric is the only one of its category to have been named a Global 100 every year since 2012 and was ranked as the world’s most sustainable corporation by Corporate Knights in 2021. Mike Fraser’s passion as Vice President of Global Sustainability Services is undeniable – helping some of the globe’s biggest brands have a greener focus for both their benefit and that of the planet.

Dan Andersson CEO EcoDataCenter

EcoDataCenter is dedicated to building data centres as sustainably as possible to support a global increased need for digitalisation and sustainability. The firm builds facilities in locations where the electricity mix is fossilfree, banning energy-intensive cryptocurrency mining, building in wood and recycling waste heat. CEO Dan Andersson says EcoDataCenter revolutionises the industry “by building one of the most sustainable data centres in the world.”

Mike Fraser Vice President, Global Sustainability Services Schneider Electric

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Christiana Weisshuhn Senior Director of ESG Program and Strategy and Chief of Staff

Scala Data Centers

Scala Data Centers is the leading LATAM platform for sustainable data centres in the Hyperscale market with a non-negotiable commitment to sustainability. Joining Scala shortly after its foundation, Christiana Weisshuhn – alongside Scala founder Marcos Peigo – helps shine a light by representing the market’s leading sustainability standards, using 100% renewable sourcing since the first day of power. Weisshuhn, as Chief of Staff and Senior Director of ESG Program and Strategy, champions Scala’s deep-rooted passion for sustainable development – a trailblazing approach in Latin America.

This is the job title Company name

A top voice in sustainability, Google’s Chief Sustainability Officer Kate Brandt has been working in Google’s sustainability team for eight years. Brandt leads sustainability across Google’s worldwide operations –including partnering with Google’s data centres – to ensure the company is taking the most effective sustainable approach possible.

As well as an esteemed career in government service, Brandt is the recipient of the highest award the US Navy can award a civilian, the Distinguished Public Service Award, for her work in helping the service go green.

Name Surname

Kate Brandt Chief Sustainability Officer Google

Binkley has worked with Digital Realty in sustainability roles for more than eight years. An experienced sustainability professional and expert, Binkley is armed with knowledge on energy conservation, renewable energy, sustainable construction and corporate responsibility reporting.

Digital Realty’s ESG practices are a key part of how the business continues to grow, with a focus on engaging with employees and supporting customers while minimising its impact on the environment.

With more than 25 years at Iron Mountain, Chris Pennington has been a driving force in helping the company develop their industry leading energy program. Iron Mountain’s Green Power Pass Solution is a first-of-its-kind offering in the data centre industry used by Iron Mountain to secure 100% renewable energy for its facilities since 2017. Pennington pushes Iron Mountain beyond conventional approaches to renewable power –which he said is the path needed to decarbonise energy use.

Aaron Binkley VP, Sustainability Digital Realty

Chris Pennington Director Energy and Sustainability Iron Mountain Data Centers

Pip Squire Head of Energy and Sustainability Ark Data Centres

With more than 40 years of experience in infrastructure construction – 17 of these in civil engineering – Pip Squire has an immense insight into the industry and recognises that emissions reduction is a long-standing project for data centres.

Squire has worked at Ark Data Centres for 15 years, two of which as Head of Energy and Sustainability. Before joining Ark, Squire worked in construction with a focus on power. His background in renewable energy ultimately informs his sustainability work

today, as all Ark data centres and campuses are built with these core values. His work has included successful planning, designing and constructing over 100MW(IT) or Tier III data halls across 12 data centres at three different campuses.

A core of Squire’s work is spreading the sustainability message, being an outward-facing advocate for sustainable data centre operations and how digital solutions can be made more efficient while providing a service that requires constant attention and energy supply.

Sustainability advocate Susanna Kass is the Co-Founder of InfraPrime, Energy Fellow at Stanford University and acting as a Data Centre Advisor for the UN SDG Action Campaign Programme. A true trailblazer and leader, through her work with InfraPrime, she has aided countless organisations to achieve their carbon neutrality goals by 2028-30 through decarbonisation services and implementation of the InfraPrime Net Zero PowerShell circular energy cloud sustainability solution.

Kass boasts more than three decades of industry experience – an accolade few in the sector can say of

themselves – and her credentials, knowledge and credibility precede her.

Kass is truly at the top of the data centre industry’s sustainability game. Not only passionate on the topic, she is a great advocate and campaigns for industry leaders to work together toward the common – and increasingly important – goal of climate positive results. She leads the path to net zero.

Susanna Kass

Cloud Sustainability Executive InfraPrime

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“THE MOST ENGAGING VIRTUAL EVENT THE SECTOR’S EVER SEEN”

Following the inaugural virtual event in May, Data Centre Magazine looks back on the highlights from Data Centre LIVE 2023

WRITTEN BY: MAYA DERRICK

Back in May, we launched our inaugural Data Centre LIVE event, which delved into the depths of all things data centres, cloud and digital transformation.

A memorable day, there was an eager atmosphere as speakers, panellists and fireside hosts took to our virtual stages to share their expertise and wisdom on the data centre industry and hot topics impacting the sector.

Featured guests –including VMware’s Vittorio Viarengo, NTT’s Marientina Laina (right)

and Schneider Electric’s Steven Brown (right) – were on the pulse and interacting with participants as a constant stream of interaction from our engaged virtual audience – wherever they were in the world – trickled in, amplifying the conversations on data, cloud and 5G.

Also joining the lineup were InfraPrime’s Susanna Kass, who led both a solo keynote on Sustainable Innovation in Data Centres and participated in the Sustainable Data Centres Forum, and Jon Eaves of Edge Centres who led The Edge Computing Forum.

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A gathering of leading minds

Neil Perry, who hosted Virtual Stage One across the day-long event, says the most exciting aspect of our virtual events series is how it brings people together from all over the world and from a broad scope of industries.

“The barriers of actually attending an in-person event are removed, meaning

STAGE

“The number of questions and comments that came through to me in the studio was so encouraging”

NEIL PERRY

ONE HOST

Stage Two host Tom Swallow moderated conversations across a diverse range of topics, including The Multi-Cloud Forum and Predictions for the Metaverse with Nina Jane Patel, and said that the event’s ability to bridge the gap between speakers and attendees was beneficial to all involved.

“While nothing beats an in-person conversation, it was great to spend some time talking with executives about the opportunities in the data centre industry,” he says.

“When it comes to sustainability, data centre organisations are growing increasingly persistent with their efforts to provoke or maintain climate-neutral practices, and it’s very valuable for the audience to hear how the leading minds are doing things.”

Feedback on the event has been equally complimentary. One attendee says that Data Centre LIVE was “one of the most engaging and interactive virtual events the sector’s seen,” with the sentiment reviewed by delegate Laina taking to LinkedIn to express how she thoroughly enjoyed her discussion on DE&I, which she highlighted as a very important topic, alongside Marc Garner of Schneider Electric and MiCiM’s Sophia Flucker.

Data Centre LIVE: Sustainability at the heart of all elements of the sector

With 15 stellar sessions across the day, favourites include Michael Ortiz’s session on The Impact of Generative AI on the Data

Centre Industry and Energy, Innovation and The Route to Net-Zero, facilitated by Ark Data Centres’ Pip Squire (left).

“Sustainability has been the core of our business from the beginning,” Squire said in his opening remarks, highlighting how since Ark’s inception in 2005, the company has forged a path toward a greener future in an industry historically notoriously inefficient.

He framed how the data centre industry steered away from energy-guzzling facilities to efficient powerhouses, and

“It’s very valuable for the audience to hear how the leading minds are doing things”

TOM SWALLOW STAGE TWO HOST

that the sector has long been committed to ensuring sustainability and efficiency –acknowledging that, although many older facilities were designed and constructed without sustainability in mind, the future is laser-focused on carbon neutrality goals.

And Kass’ keynote also helped map out a path for the industry to be as green as possible, rallying support and momentum for the cause – highlighting that the road to net zero can only be achieved by working together.

At the start of her session, she says: “I hope to inspire you to connect,

Data Centre LIVE

Data Centre LIVE on 17 May 2023 was the inaugural virtual event for Data Centre Magazine, BizClik’s third fullystreamed conference, beamed via Brella. The global brought together a host of industry professionals who facilitated conversations on the likes of DE&I, sustainability, multicloud, hybrid IT cloud and 5G, with audience participation fuelling further conversations on the array of subjects. Hosted across two stages, the day-long event amplified the success and forwardlooking attitude of the industry, uniting those with a passion for data centres and creating a space to network, collaborate and learn.

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to collaborate – not to work on a problem by yourself, but really share the journey that you are taking in sustainability towards a carbonfree future and for the social benefits of our people.

“Think 50 years from now, not just 2025 or 2030 when you reach your goal. Think of the pathway that you’re going to pave for the future generation to walk on.

“Think about our planet in 50 years from now, that it should be better than what it is today. And how do we also scale to growth in our earth life

“Think 50 years from now, not just 2025 or 2030 when you reach your goal”

SUSANNA KASS CHIEF SUSTAINABILITY EXECUTIVE, INFRAPRIME

with profit? That is extremely important as an instrument to continue to propel our success.”

The overwhelming consensus, and what bound every person involved in Data Centre LIVE, is the unity and passion for the data centre industry. All participants – whether speakers, audience members or the Data Centre Magazine crew – are joined in the desire to celebrate the industry’s success and action change to make it more inclusive, forward-thinking, adaptable and future proof for the benefit of all.

Aside from the zeal for the industry –which is instrumental to the prosperity of any event – what is the key to Data Centre LIVE’s success? Perry says its the level of engagement from the delegates joining us across the two stages on the day.

He adds: “At Data Centre LIVE the number of questions on comments that came through to me in the studio was so encouraging. It gives the host a whole variety of opinions and thoughts two draw on from a range of outlooks and backgrounds from across the globe to make the conversation as inclusive as possible. The more questions you can integrate into the discussions the richer the experience for everyone involved in the audience but also for the speakers on the virtual stage.”

BizClik’s next event is Sustainability

LIVE London on Wednesday, 6th September. Get your free pass here.

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The World’s Fastest Growing Procurement & Supply Chain Event

26 - 27 September 2023

Business Design Centre, London

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