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TEAM DATACENTERED Publisher Location

Dutch Data Center Association (DDA)

Dutch Data Center Association

Editor in Chief

Laarderhoogtweg 18

Pim Kokke

1101 EA Amsterdam Zuid-Oost

Stijn Grove

The Netherlands

Art Director

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Research Partner Peter Vermeulen, Pb7 Research

Contributors Laura Beukers, Natascha Geraedts, Isabella Kemlin, Iain MacDonald, Niek van der Pas, Jan Willem van Roggen, Stroomkr8, Thomas Volder, Lifeshots Photography, Michael Winterson

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Table of Contents

EXPERT INSIGHTS

116

104

124

Stijn Grove

Niek van der Pas

Isabelle Kemlin

The importance of facts in

Navigating the Future of Data

ICE Datacenter: A Hotspot for Data

decision-making and legislation

Center Standards: A Closer Look at

Center Research and Innovation

PUE

Natascha Geraedts

Thomas Volder

How the EED will influence the data

Data centers should be proud of

center industry

their role in the green transition

Michael Winterson

Jan Willem van Roggen

Sustainability laws &

AI-Powered Evolution: Navigating

New Administration across Europe

the Future Landscape of Data Centers in the Nordics

Table of Contents

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INTERVIEWS

Loek Wilden

The One to Watch:

Tools to Drive Sustainability in Data

Estonia

Centers

Greenergy Data Centers

LIFESTYLE

26 Ain’t No Mountain High Enough

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Table of Contents

ANALYSES & EVENTS

106

Data Center

Energy Market Update

Digitalization key

Aesthetics

factor in economic and sustainable growth

126

State of the Data

‘AI’m Here To Stay’

Touchdown Middle

Centers in Northern

East

Europe

Table of Contents

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INSIGHTS CLOUD

CONNECTIVITY

Cloud

Choose Facts & Figures

118

Connectivity

European Subsea Cables

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Editorial

WHAT’S NEXT FOR US?

It is common for us to ask ourselves what is next? Especially

at the start of a new year, we are more urged to think about our past and the future goals. In the data center and digital

infrastructure industry, we are also thinking about our next steps on, for example, sustainability. The Environmental,

Social, and Governance criteria (ESG) will have a large impact

for our industry. The European Union has introduced the

Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), which

will require about 50,000 organizations to formally report on an annual basis starting in 2025. All the ESG data must be measured and reported in a way that it becomes clear that the assumptions about our industry regarding our energy consumption are misinterpreted.

The new year will also spark more discussions about the impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in society. Governments cannot ignore that AI has become one of the hottest topics in the media and how it impacts our daily lives. Services like ChatGPT, Google Bard and popular AI-voice software are used by millions of people everyday. For example, you could also question yourself whether or not this editorial was written by AI. However, I can assure you that this article was indeed written by me. In the article ‘AI’m Here To Stay’, we are examining the effects of AI from multiple perspectives.

Editorial

Datacentered

Pim Kokke Editor-In-Chief

Furthermore, as with any edition of Datacentered, we focus on a specific region in Europe. In this issue, you can read all about the latest developments in the Nordics. This dynamic market attracts many data center operators and investors. Their climate and low-costs energy prices are for example two factors that have a positive impact on their growth. In ‘State of the Nordics’ our research partner Pb7 Research informs you all about the market developments and what to expect for the future of this region. Moreover, we have received beautiful photos from Green Mountain Data Centers that feature their SVG1-Rennesøy location. So what is next for Datacentered in 2024? We already have large plans for the upcoming editions so make sure to follow us on LinkedIn, because we have just started.

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Analyses

DATA CENTER AESTHETICS Iain Macdonald, managing director of international design agency Instance, wrote an essay about how design principles and art movements influence the design of Digital Real Estate.

WRITTEN BY IAIN MACDONALD

Humans are visual in so much as a quarter of the human

‘A celebration of aesthetics is surely more attractive than

brain is the visual brain. Unlike a camera’s static image,

the opposite which is anaesthetic’.1 If we are provided with

the retina’s visual capture is the beginning of a process

an aesthetic experience, it engages us. Buildings with

further back near the cerebral cortex where the visual

no aesthetic dull us. The argument for aesthetics (and

brain processes, assesses and interprets what we see in

art) in architecture is compelling. Procurement is often

real time. Aesthetics enable us to represent a building’s

fashioned by those who cannot perceive value different

use through a different lens should we so wish – hinting

from financial cost yet they personally consume highly

at what is contained within, like creating blueprints for

designed products such as smartphones , furniture and

data centers and other structures most citizens consider

cars. Data center design is a space where architects

mysterious.

and engineers can and need to lead the way as like contemporary art, there is as yet no predetermined aesthetic or brand. This goes beyond BIM or design

Figure 01

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Figure 02

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Figure 04

“

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ARCHITECTURE IS OFTEN DESCRIBED AS A FUSION OF ART AND SCIENCE WHEREIN, UP TO NOW, LIVING CREATURES AND MACHINES INHABIT THE ENVIRONMENTS HUMANS CREATE

Figure 05

integration, it is about moving professionals out of siloes

more open to contentious notions of ‘beauty’. Opinions

to undertaking curation alongside other creative and

change with time, what was once derided as an affront

management activities. Historically where architects,

to ‘good taste’ may well be accorded due recognition

artists, engineers and artisans have come together such

.’ Brutalist. Architecture once dismissed as ‘ugly’ has

as in the ‘ Dombauhuttten’ of mediaeval cathedral building

garnered favour for its raw authenticity. One might

the outcome has been universally acclaimed.

contend most data centers designs are not capable of being reappraised and appreciated by the public,

Architecture as a fusion of art

they are not postmodern like the 1950s and 60’s highly

At the beginning of the 20th Century the multi disciplinary

stylised and transgressive architecture of Las Vegas and

collective known as the ‘Futurists ‘in Milan brought this

Los Angeles which made sense when viewed from a

integrated approach to bear on creating and representing

moving vehicle. It is notable that many designers embrace

the rapid urbanisation and industrialisation of society

‘ugliness’ including Miuccia Prada who declared that

leading to the founding of the Bauhaus and many of our

‘most of my work is concerned with destroying..or at least

notions of modernity that still exist today such as ‘form

deconstructing’..conventional ideas of beauty.’

follows function’, ‘clean lines’, limited materials, modularity

City of Light

and factory production at a building and city scale. Modernists however have not been the only proponents of

Currently some architectural academics and practitioners

integrating art and architecture with advocates of Garden

are evolving new aesthetics emerging from relationships

Cities, Postmodernism, NetZero Renewables and perhaps

between people, buildings and the environment whereas

certain aspects of Parametricism offering a contradictory

the discussion around the architecture of data has been

vision whether emphasising eco, decoration or form.

confined to issues of mechanics: representation and accessibility, efficiency and heat exchange, the cost of

Architecture is often described as a fusion of art and

the envelope, and increasingly automated environmental

science wherein, up to now, living creatures and machines

space. “The real question though lies elsewhere and

inhabit the environments humans create. According to

concerns the design of a new system of relationships:

Mark Cousins, today’s increasingly pluralistic society is

What would be a twenty-first-century institution of human

Figure 06

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and nonhuman agents and what would be its “architecture”?2 Perhaps a way of reducing the anaesthetic bias in data center design is for architects and engineers to design performance envelopes that are an outcome of the digital interactions within as well as coexistence with machines. Similar to human beings, ‘architecture is something transient and ever changing, it is a verb rather than a noun, it is active not a static moment in time’.3 Data is not static, travelling along fibre routes at the speed of light – changing the city of night, into the city of light! Sixty years ago, philosopher Max Bense suggested the idealistic concept of ‘beauty’ was tied to subjective interpretation and replaced it with the term ‘aesthetic state’ and as a ‘state’ is a reality it can be detected in the properties of objects, which can then become ingredients in the programming and automatization of ‘beauty’. Beauty however has permanent and temporary characteristics, it is both multi modal and multidimensional in the way it interacts with the mental and physical state of humans, which if one looks to the present and near future, highlights the onset of artificial intelligence in design.

Digital Real Estate

Discussion of convolutional (CNN) and generative adversarial (GAN) neural networks raises the question of synthetically replicating with an algorithm, human creativity. Novel creation produces something greater than its constituent parts. Consider the ability of neural networks to interpolate versus extrapolate, where the former estimates new data points within a discrete range, while the latter estimates features that exist outside the range of known features in a dataset. Deep neural networks (DNN) are designed for interpolation which can extract image data sets of what humans see and generate images based on novel combinations of these features’.4 Currently these neural networks cannot reason about or generate features without training data. For the near future, they will be unable to replicate the human process of design and therefore building aesthetics. While much of the focus of planners and the public on

Figure 07

building aesthetics tends to concern residential, office, retail

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Analyses

“THE ABSENCE OF A UNIVERSAL USE CLASS FOR DATA CENTERS HIGHLIGHTS A DISCONNECT BETWEEN STAKEHOLDERS AND INDUSTRIAL ARCHITECTURE.” IAIN MACDONALD, DIRECTOR OF INSTANCE

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and cultural buildings conversely a significant amount

elevated data space and dry labs which were enveloped

of our urban and increasingly rural environment is being

in a silicon filled façade which utilised night time cooling

developed for data or logistic centers, power stations and

for passive day circulation. The skeletal structure and

increasingly gigantic factories. The absence of a universal

patterned translucent façade’s zonal illumination when

use class for data centers highlights a disconnect between

dark, reflecting the amount of internal occupancy, was

stakeholders and industrial architecture. However this

designed to be ambiguous yet at the same time be a

is changing, as in order to gain regulatory approval for

landmark in a regular science park environment.

a data center development, design proposals are now being evaluated based on aesthetic as well as technical,

A decade later, new nuclear technology offered an

operational and environmental criteria. Some European

opportunity to consider the possibility of combining

authorities are going further requiring architects, engineers

decarbonized power with data and industry 4.0 to create

and clients to demonstrate how a development proposal

Digital Real Estate. This freed us* from conventional ideas

reflects an understanding of the society and context in

of masterplanning and design to conceptualize Smart

which it will be placed – which begs the question: how

Blocks (vertical data and clean tech) Smart Sheds (vertical

will this be applied in the near future to fully automated

logistics) and Small Modular Reactors (decarbonized

buildings and digital quarters?

nuclear power) and as a consequence develop a different aesthetic.

An idea gaining traction is that the value of a building as a physical construction has become replaced by

A project in 2017 for two data centers in London Docklands

its value in relation to a complex branding network of

provided an opportunity to wrap the buildings and

services i.e. the commoditization of what Instance calls

external infrastructure in a parametric structural silver

Digital Real Estate. Ettore Sottsass, the famous Olivetti and

aluminium façade with varying aperture sizes to facilitate

Memphis architect would design an object inserting it into

heat exchange and internal daylighting. In parallel my

a particular spatial context, a ‘plastic reality,’ illustrating

research hub in Arnhem** investigated alternative facade

the power objects exert on space whether materials have

patterns such as ‘the harlequin’ (Figure 02) moving from a

colour or are not coloured. This was the concept of space

modernist ‘stealth ‘to a highly stylized aesthetic’. In tandem,

neutralization and the communicative value of an object

we considered how planning large city quarters could be

which could be considered ‘a container of possibilities, a

based on a technology-energy led urban metabolism

living, unstable form evolving over time. In many ways

rather than outmoded ideas of placemaking, to create

this describes the emerging urban mix of buildings not

a nuclear powered data rich ‘City of Light’ (Figure 03).

designed for or inhabited by people, not just located on

This is being extrapolated further in a current proposal

the periphery of cities but also downtown. A situation

for a Digital Quarter in London (Figure 04).

wherein traditional concepts of urban design and place making will give way to a different reprogramming of

With exponential demand for decarbonized power and

space, where non-cultural entities shape and inform the

a desire for high density computing including AI, to be

design of space as much as traditional influencers. At a

located in urban areas, we are developing aesthetic and

conscious level, which physical and heritage aesthetics

technical concepts for super tall data centers at 200 and

might we retain and enhance and what new aesthetics

300m which utilize immersion cooling, SMRs and Nuclear

do we create to represent this paradigm shift?

Batteries wherein the interior as well as exterior aesthetic and its connection with citizens is being explored (Figures

‘Clean tech’ buildings

05, 06, 07). Off-grid Super Tall DCs together with Smart

My search for a new aesthetic for what we might call ‘clean

Blocks and Smart Sheds could substantially reduce the

tech’ buildings began in 1993, with the design of building

footprint allocated to clean tech thus freeing up space for

ZSP3 for the Zernicke Science Park in Groningen (Figure

other uses particularly productive and blue/green space.

01) The conceptual design was for a hybrid building of

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Figure 03

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About the writer Iain Macdonald is a director of Instance, architects in Amsterdam and London. A former Professor of IUS, ArtEZ and the School of Architecture at NTU, he has been designing data centers and networks globally for three decades. References 1.InPaul Stallan, RIAS Quarterley, 2023 2. Ippolito Pestellini Laparelli, Data Matter, 2014 3. Roissin Tinneny, RIAS Quarterly, 2023 4. Alexandra Carlson, When robots Dream, AD 2019 5. Iain Macdonald, Secret Servers, Icon 2010 6. Barbara Radice, Memphis, 1986 *Macdonald, Franzolini, Lombardi / SBR **Instance of Uncertain Spaces, ArtEZ University of the Arts, Arnhem

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Lifestyle

AIN’T NO MOUNTAIN HIGH ENOUGH SVG1-Rennesøy is a unique Tier III certified mountain hall data center in a former high security NATO ammunition storage facility. The data center has been in operation since 2013 and has over 22 600 m2 (230.000 ft2) space available. The main data center comprises a total of 6 mountain halls, each with two-story concrete buildings built within the mountain. The infrastructure has been designed to be expanded up to 2 x 26MW.

Clients can start with one rack and expand as the need

To secure consistent temperature for cooling, water

increases. Green Mountain Data Centers has server

enters the cold-water basin through use of gravity from

rooms from 50 m2 in size up to 1550 m2 for a single room,

pipes reaching 100-meter depth. Here, water temperature

and multiple rooms are available. Their clients can have

is stable at 8C (46F) all year round. This data center is

their own data center located within our facilities if they

powered on 100% renewable hydropower. Since the start,

choose to do so. SVG1-Rennesøy has a cooling source

they have delivered 100% uptime and SLA compliance

available from an adjacent deep-water fjord.

with up to Tier III resilience.

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Expert Insights

THOMAS DANISH DATA CENTER INDUSTRY

VOLDER 38

Expert Insights

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DATA CENTERS SHOULD BE PROUD OF THEIR ROLE IN THE GREEN TRANSITION Have you ever heard someone complain about the power

production, expansion of the electricity grid and even

consumption of pumps used for clean water, for metro

better innovation in digital services.

systems that decongest cities, or for operating rooms that save lives? No, of course we do not complain about this, as

Of course, we recognize that the industry uses a lot of

energy usage plays a crucial role in the development of

energy, but we also try to turn this into a positive societal

better living conditions in a modern society. Digitalization,

development. When investments are placed in countries

and thus the need for more data centers, are also part

that have a high share of renewable energy, potential

of this development.

for using excess heat, a strong green tech industry and generally high climate awareness, truly green data centers

We must all remember that, whenever data centers are

can be developed. In other words: solve the task where it

criticized for their high energy usage. The growth of data

burdens the climate the least.

center developments comes from a need in society, which is driven by us consumers, and this is a very central task

A very current example of that way of thinking is the

that is continuously being worked on by the data center

recently launched Net Zero Innovation Hub for European

industry. Some of the data consumption is of course

Data Centers. The Hub recently launched in Denmark,

debatable – the world is unlikely to be saved by more

but with a pan-European mindset and a clear ambition:

cat videos, but this is a consumer choice. As digitalization

all good forces in the industry must come together to

underpins modern society, data centers are considered to

accelerate the development of the climate-neutral data

be critical infrastructure. The data center industry enables

center. This is the goal of the four founding partners,

the digital transformation of society, and the industry

Google, Microsoft, Schneider Electric and Danfoss,

can and should be proud of this critical role that we fulfill.

with the Danish Data Center Industry association as a management partner.

Despite the fact that we do not experience a general opposition to data centers in Denmark, we do not miss

Within the next 18 months, the first concrete result of the

out on the opportunity to remind people of the vital role

work must be in place, and everyone in the European

of data centers in our daily lives.

industry is very welcomed to contribute to the project. The Net Zero Innovation Hub will be a new powerhouse

It helps our cause greatly that Danes live in the world’s

for the development of green data centers throughout

most digitized society, and everyone experiences the value

Europe – we can all be proud of that too

of that on a daily basis in Denmark – from removing heavy bureaucratic processes, to streamlining contact with public authorities. But the value also derives from large investments by data center operators, which altogether provide direct and indirect jobs, more green electricity

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Interview

TOOLS TO DRIVE SUSTAINABILITY IN DATA CENTERS Many data centers are using renewable energy, which has a positive influence on the energy transition. Therefore, analyzing and reporting your emissions (Scope 1, 2 and 3) becomes more important. Loek Wilden (CDCAP), Data Center Lifecycle Consultant at Schneider Electric, explains how their TradeOff Tool and accompanying white paper can help data centers in their sustainability mission.

WRITTEN BY PIM KOKKE

As the data center industry transitions to renewable

Get insights on your Scope 3 emissions

energy, the focus of carbon emissions turns to Scope 3,

With the calculator, data center operators can insert the

the indirect emissions from a data center’s value chain.

input, related to Scope 1, 2 and 3. For example, the general

However, quantifying and reporting on Scope 3 presents

attributes include the IT capacity in kiloWatt, IT load, and

a significant challenge for data center operators. This is

the Rack Power Density. You can also choose the time

mainly due to a lack of three resources: reliable supplier

span (up to 30 years) that gives you insights in how your

data, quantitative tools, and an accounting and reporting

cumulative CO2e Footprint will develop. Furthermore,

methodology.

you can select the attributes that are related to your IT facilities and physical infrastructure. “For data centers,

Therefore, Schneider Electric has developed a TradeOff

Scope 3 emissions are very important as it is challenging

Tool to help you estimate and learn about your data

to measure in order to get the embodied carbon insights

center’s total carbon footprint. “Our customers and end

about the products you use. In our whitepaper ‘Quantifying

users come to us with questions about the new Corporate

Data Center Scope 3 GHG Emissions to Prioritize Reduction

Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) in Europe and

Efforts’, we demonstrate how to quantify Scope 3 emissions

which steps they have to take. To support them, we have

and identify the largest emission sources. Furthermore, we

established the Data Center Lifecycle CO2e Calculator.

describe in detail the best practices for reducing these

This easy-to-use tool is an extension that gives you

emissions”, explains Wilden.

insights about your CO2 footprint and helps you to apply improvements where necessary”, says Loek Wilden. As

An example of these practices is the optimization of

a Data Center Lifecycle Consultant, he performs and

your IT for a higher productivity with the same assets. As

coordinates all activities associated with the pre-sales

stated in the white paper, a written or purchased code

and Sales Support i.e. presentation and training of Data

that is more energy efficient can serve up more queries

Center Lifecycle Services as well as perform said services

per watt of power consumption. Furthermore, the authors

at customer site by measurements, consultancy and

wrote that extending the server lifespans could also help

reporting.

in lowering carbon emissions. However, this must be weighed against performance and energy efficiency gains of newer IT equipment.

Interview

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DOWNLOAD THE WHITEPAPER & USE THE CALCULATOR GET MORE INSIGHTS ON HOW TO REDUCE YOUR CARBON EMISSIONS. SCAN THE QR-CODE TO DOWNLOAD THE WHITE PAPER ‘QUANTIFYING DATA CENTER SCOPE 3 GHG EMISSIONS TO PRIORITIZE REDUCTION EFFORTS’ AND YOU CAN ALSO DIRECTLY USE THE CO2E CALCULATOR BY SCANNING THE QR-CODE.

Whitepaper

Co2 Calculator

Euromap

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EU Focus

STATE OF THE DATA CENTERS IN NORTHERN EUROPE

EU Focus

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EU Focus

In Northern Europe, where we include the Nordics and

new colocation data center developments and closed

the Baltics, we find a very dynamic data center market.

another Gigawatt in plans already for later years.

The Nordics have quickly developed into one of the go-to places for data centers in Europe. The Nordic countries

The Baltics share some of the characteristics of the Nordics.

benefit from the moderate to cool climate, access to (often)

The data center market is still relatively small, but they are

low-cost green electricity, plenty of space, and incentives

starting to attract more international customers. Being in

from governments. At the moment, Pb7 Research has

between Russia and Western Europe has been an important

identified a combined colocation data center capacity of

reason to look at the Baltics historically, but that driver

707 Megawatts (MW) in Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark

has obviously been under pressure in recent years. At the

and Iceland combined. Apart from that, we have identified

moment, the Baltic countries have a combined data center

at least 300 MW in crypto farming (non-colocation) facilities

capacity of 34 Megawatts, with plans to almost double the

and hundreds of Megawatts in hyperscale facilities. For the

amount over the next five years.

upcoming five years, we identified just over 1,1 Gigawatt in

COLOCATION DATACENTER CAPACITY (MW) IN THE NORDIC AND BALTICS, CURRENT CAPACITY AND EXPANSION PLANS 466

242

229

197 147 87

Denmark

MW 2023

123

Finland

139

Sweden

107

Iceland

Norway

MW plans Source: Pb7 Research, 2023

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The growth is the result of a complementary set of drivers.

The Nordics are responsible for 92% of the GDP in the

Some of them are long term characteristics of the region,

combined region. In 2022, most countries in the region

such as the cool climate and plenty of renewable electricity

slightly underperformed compared to the EU growth rate.

as well as space. We can also add government incentives,

Iceland was the positive exception, with a 7% growth rate,

such as tax breaks and a proactive policy towards attracting

while Estonia even saw a small GDP decline.

data center investments, to this list. Furthermore, with the

The Nordic countries are among the most technologic

greatly improved international connectivity, the region has

countries in Europe and have stable governments, which

become more attractive to colocation. We also need to look

makes these countries very attractive for international

at the opportunity to benefit from the expected Artificial

investments in the technology sector. At the moment,

Intelligence (AI) wave. Finally, especially for the Baltics,

the region is not only a key location for hyperscale data

the modernization of the economy and the government

centers, it is also host to just over 13% of all European

is another key contributor to change.

colocation data centers in terms of IT power (MW). The Baltics seem to be moving in the same direction, but still

Northern Europe:

have to take care of legacy in the digital infrastructure.

Pb7 Research includes the Baltic and Nordic countries into

While more and more governments in the North West of

Northern Europe for the purpose of this article. That means

Europe are putting brakes in place for major data center

we include Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania (Baltics) and

investments, the Nordics and the Baltics are still very much

Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Denmark (Nordics).

actively attracting new investments.

The region is responsible for 7,7% of the European GDP.

REAL GDP GROWTH RATE - VOLUME, 2022 Iceland European Union (27 countries) Latvia Norway Sweden Denmark Lithuania Finland

1.6%

Estonia

-0.5% -1.0%

1.0%

2.0%

3.0%

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EU Focus

“

Basics of space and renewables become more important

IN THE NORDICS, THERE IS PLENTY OF SPACE WITH A CLIMATE THAT ALLOWS EFFICIENT COOLING, AND AN ABUNDANCE OF RENEWABLE ENERGY FROM VARIOUS RESOURCES.

The demand for digital services continues to grow very rapidly. The cloud continues to grow rapidly, as organizations continue to move data and workloads to the cloud. The call for data sovereignty and cloud cost control have a slight decreasing effect, as companies start to reconsider the best location for different types of data. But it also results in more demand for data centers in Europe. As a result, data center capacity needs to expand rapidly, leading to an extensive search for new locations. The biggest challenge: finding space to build, with access to the power grid, and the ability to comply relatively easily with a growing set of sustainability standards. In the ‘traditional’ European data center hubs, these are major challenges. These challenges are growing rapidly, as the electrification of the economy is speeding up enormously due to a combination of the war in the Ukraine and climate policies. As a result, the

translates to reduced cooling expenses for data centers,

power grid is becoming congested, making it difficult to

and a predominant reliance on renewable energy ensures

expand and/or build.

a sustainable and green power supply. Additionally, these

In the Nordics, there is plenty of space with a climate that

countries promote competitive electricity tariffs and various

allows efficient cooling, and an abundance of renewable

tax benefits, making the operational costs more favorable

energy from various types of resources. For example, in

for businesses. To supplement these advantages, Nordic

Finland, Norway and Sweden, the non-household electricity

governments have designated specific zones tailored

price is only about half of the EU-average, in Iceland

for data center development, equipped with essential

even less. In Denmark and the Baltics, it is closer to the

infrastructure. This opens the way for projects such as

EU-average. The basic needs that have attracted data

Hanko Data Parks in Finland. Hanko is developing four

centers to the Nordics over the past decade are becoming

green field sites for data centers with, eventually, a total

more scarce in the center of Europe. Italy

potential of 850 MW (South of Finland). With the backdrop of 3.7% a stable political environment and stringent data protection 3.5% norms, the Nordics have convincingly carved a niche for 3.5% in attracting data center investments. themselves

Kosovo

Continued government support

European Union - 27that countries Another key driver makes the Nordics attractive for

data center construction are government incentives. The 2.3% Serbia NordicMacedonia countries’ growth accelerates because of a blend2.1% The above mentioned factors have also been key in North of inherent geographical benefits and thoughtfully crafted attracting cryptocurrency mining facilities. However, 0.0% 1.0% 2.0% 3.0% 4.0% 5.0% 6.0%its associated 7.0% government policies. The region’s naturally cool climate cryptocurrency mining and activities are

Source: Eurostat, May 2023

EU Focus

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coming under more regulatory scrutiny due to concerns

cost efficiencies. This means data can be accessed and

about energy consumption, potential illicit uses, and financial

exchanged faster, which is critical for industries like finance,

stability. Some countries in the region will implement more

e-commerce, and gaming. It has enhanced the capacities

regulations to limit or manage the growth of crypto farming

as a digital gateway to the rest of Western Europe and

due to its vast energy requirements, even if the energy is

Russia.

sustainably sourced. For example, Norway - who are hosting most crypto mining facilities in the Nordics - is expressing

AI, HPC and the future of crypto mining

serious concerns about the ‘high energy consumption and

The low energy prices and climate benefits have also

lack of local value creation’ and looking into measures

attracted crypto mining to the Nordics. Many of the

to address this. So while the advantages that make the

companies that traditionally have focused on mining

Nordics attractive for data centers also apply to crypto

colocation are trying to reposition themselves as High

farming facilities, the latter will need to navigate additional

Performance Computing (HPC) colocation companies.

regulatory and community acceptance hurdles. Moreover,

On the one hand, they hope to lower the pressure from

additional rules and regulations regarding sustainability

concerned regulators and change the public opinion. On the

for the regular market will continue to be implemented for

other hand, their knowledge of high power and high density

the entire data center market. This should not necessarily

solutions and matching facilities - common in the world of

imply big changes to the market in the Nordics and Baltics.

crypto mining - are a good match with the requirements

Data centers in the region are quite proactive and see

for HPC workloads. For example, R&D departments that

sustainability as a key differentiator.

require massive simulations and generative AI. We already

Connectivity improvements

see some strong examples of this across the Nordics, especially Norway and Iceland.

Cloud providers have played a significant role in improving

In terms of AI, the Nordics seem to be very well positioned.

international connectivity. Especially in terms of sea cables,

AI workloads consume a lot of power, but often do not

the Nordics have really opened up in recent years. With

require ultra low latencies. For example, when AI models

improved connectivity, cloud service providers can offer

are ‘trained’, latency is a non-issue. Meanwhile, access to

more reliable and faster services to a global audience,

very big cost effective compute facilities is vital. Colocation

first of all in Europe. This makes the Nordics an attractive

and cloud facilities at the edge of Europe, with access to

location for more cloud providers.

affordable renewable energy, then make a lot of sense. Therefore, the Nordics are very well positioned to benefit

These international connectivity improvements have also bolstered the attractiveness of the Nordic region as a colocation destination. The enhanced international connectivity, through submarine cables and upgraded terrestrial networks, has drastically reduced latencies between the Nordics and other key global data hubs, created improved redundancy and leads to network

from the AI-wave.

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EU Focus

Modernization of Baltics economy and public

The infrastructure in the Baltics has witnessed significant

sector

modernization, bolstered by investments in power,

The Baltic states may not have a strong share in the

transportation, and digital networks. Typically, Estonia

European data center market. However, the region

is highlighted as a country that stands out as a beacon

leverage some unique geographical and infrastructural

of digital advancements, pioneering initiatives like

advantages. Positioned strategically between Western

e-residency and comprehensive digital governance.

Europe, the Nordics, and Russia, they can act as data

Also in terms of residential connectivity, Estonia is able

transit hubs, catering to these vast markets. The region’s

to achieve Nordic levels. Lithuania and Latvia still have

cool climate offers natural cooling benefits, while they

some work to do. But we also see serious modernization

are growing reliance on renewable energy sources like

efforts in Lithuania, with major data center consolidation

wind and biomass that supports sustainable data center

projects for the government. Moreverm, the entire region

operations.

boasts a well-educated workforce, especially in IT, ensuring a ready pool of professionals to manage and operate data centers.

OECD FIXED BROADBAND SUBSCRIPTIONS PER 100 INHABITANTS, BY TECHNOLOGY

DECEMBER 2022 (NORTHERN EUROPEAN COUNTRIES)

Rank

Country

DSL

Cable

Fiber

Satellite

Fixed wireless

Other

Total

Total subscriptions

Norway

0,6

9,2

31,7

0,0

3,9

0,2

45,66

2 491 793

Denmark

6,8

15,2

22,2

0,0

0,3

0,4

44,80

2 645 902

Sweden

1,1

6,4

0,01

0,1

40,61

4 258 836

Iceland

6,6

30,7

0,0

0,1

0,0

37,44

142 334

Estonia

6,6

6,2

17,6

0,0

6,4

0,2

37,11

494 173

Finland

2,5

9,5

21,6

0,0

0,7

34,41

1 912 000

Lithuania

0,6

22,6

0,0

1,2

0,1

28,56

809 162

Latvia

4,5

0,7

19,6

0,1

0,4

0,7

25,90

488 603

Source: OECD, Broadband Portal, www.oecd.org/sti/broadband/broadband-statistics/

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The Baltics also presents a cost-effective option due to competitive operating costs, including labor and real estate. With improved regional and international connectivity and supportive governmental policies, including potential tax incentives and grants, the Baltic states emerge as an interesting strategic choice for data center investments.

EYE CATCHERS 2022-2023 Norway

Denmark

•

AQ Compute is building a new 40 MW facility, with 6 MW of initial capacity

Stack is developing a 48 MW campus, a potential home for 5 data centers

•

Stack is developing a new 36 MW Oslo campus

•

Green Mountain is developing a €4 billion

a 124 MW campus that should house three

built-to-suit in Kalberg for a hyperscaler, delivered

hyperscale built-to-suit data centers

in stages in the 2025-2027 period

•

phase by the end of 2024

Hyperco is developing two new 50 MW data center campuses in the Helsinki region, focusing on

Iceland

built-to-suit opportunities

•

atNorth has bought 2 data centers from Advania •

15 MW of initial IT capacity

Baltics

EcoDataCenter is planning for a 20 MW first phase

•

Telecentras is opening two new data centers,

data center opening, looking to grow to 150 MW by

with two more to come, to support Lithuanian

2033

government data center consolidation

Stack is building a new 18 MW data center at its

•

Stockholm campus •

Verne Global has secured funding to expand from 40 MW to 96 MW over the coming 5 years

Sweden

•

atNorth has opened its third Icelandic data center with an initial capacity of 10MW (eventually: 50 MW)

and will be opening a third data center in 2024 with

•

atNorth expands to Denmark, constructing a 30 MW data center, planning to complete the first

Finland •

Prime Data Centers announced plans to develop

DEAC is looking to open a 10 MW data center in Riga, Latvia in 2024.

Google has obtained planning permits for a campus in Horndal

Source: OECD, Broadband Portal, http://www.oecd.org/digital/broadband/broadband-statistics/

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DCP

NORWAY $403.3 BILLION

GDP

DATACENTERS

DESI INDEX

#17

INTERNATIONAL TAX COMPETITIVENESS INDEX

AMOUNT OF IX-MEMBERS

DCP

Datacentered

Most Connected GlobalConnect Norway • GlobalConnect Trondheim Verizon Enterprise Norway • Verizon Communications Inc. Astrofarm Norway Astrofarm Nordavind DC Sites Norway • Nordavind Hagen IPI Data Center Partners • STACK Infrastructure OSLL4 •

Largest Sites StoreSpeed Norway • StoreSpeed AS GlobalConnect Norway • GlobalConnect Trondheim Verizon Enterprise Norway • Verizon Communications Inc. Astrofarm Norway • Astrofarm Nordavind DC Sites Norway • Nordavind Hagen Most Locations • Nordavind DC Sites Norway (12) • Digiplex Norway (5) • Blix Solutions (5) Cloud On-Ramps • DigiPlex Oslo Ulven • Green Mountain DC1 Stavanger

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DCP

SWEDEN $530.9 BILLION

GDP

DATACENTERS

DESI INDEX

#13

INTERNATIONAL TAX COMPETITIVENESS INDEX

206

AMOUNT OF IX-MEMBERS

DCP

Datacentered

Most Connected Digital Realty Norway (94) • Digital Realty STO6 • Digital Realty STO1 • Digital Realty STO2 • Digital Realty STO3 • Digital Realty STO4 Largest Sites 31173 Services Sweden • 31173 Services Data Center Lund Mobilvägen Bahnhof Sweden • Bahnhof Thule Digital Realty Sweden • Digital Realty STO6. Digital Realty Sweden • Digital Realty STO1 EcoDataCenter Sweden • EcoDataCenter 1 Most Locations • Digital Realty (11) • EcoDataCenter Sweden (8) • Glesys Sweden (6) Cloud On-Ramps • AWS • Google Cloud

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DCP

FINLAND $269.3 BILLION

GDP

DATACENTERS

DESI INDEX

#1 #19

INTERNATIONAL TAX COMPETITIVENESS INDEX

127

AMOUNT OF IX-MEMBERS

DCP

Datacentered

Most Connected Digita Finland (26) • Digita Helsinki Equinix Finland (9) • Equinix HE6 - Helsinki, Sinimäki • Equinix HE3 - Helsinki, Suvilahti • Equinix HE1 - Helsinki, Hiomo Telia Company Finland (7) • Telia Helsinki Largest Sites Verne Global Finland • The Deck Mediam Oy Finland • Mediam Helsinki Data Center Equinix Finland • Equinix HE7 - Helsinki, Sinimäki Oy Capnova Ltd. • Pyhäjärvenkatu 5A Datalahti Finland • Datalathi Helsinki Most Locations • Equinix Finland (6) • Telia Company Finland (5) • Verne Global Finland (3) • CenterServ Finland (3) Cloud On-Ramps • Google Cloud (Equinix HE7) • Google Cloud (Telia Helsinki)

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DCP

DENMARK $350.1 BILLION

GDP

DATACENTERS

DESI INDEX

#29

INTERNATIONAL TAX COMPETITIVENESS INDEX

147

AMOUNT OF IX-MEMBERS

DCP

Datacentered

Most Connected Digital Realty Denmark (72) • CPH1 Copenhagen GlobalConnect (53) • GlobalConnect Taastrup 2 Arelion (18) • Telia Copenhagen Uni-C Denmark (10) Largest Sites DLX A/S Denmark • DLX.DK Colt Denmark • Colt Copenhagen team.blue Denmark • Zitcom Skanderborg GlobalConnect Denmark • GlobalConnect Glostrup GlobalConnect Denmark • GlobalConnect Taastrup 2 Most Locations • GlobalConnect (9) • Digital Realty (4) • Arelion (3) • IT Relation Denmark (2) Cloud On-Ramps • AWS • Digital Realty • Microsoft Azure • Google Cloud Platform

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DCP

ESTONIA GDP

Most Connected Telia Company (25) • Telia Telehouse KJJ • Telia MUS CITIC Telecom Estonia (2) • Citic Telecom CPC Datacenter Tallinn

$31.47 BILLION DATA CENTERS

Largest Sites EstNOC OY • EstNOC OY Fairy Hosting Estonia • Narva DC Greenergy Estonia • Greenergy Data Centers Levira AS Estonia • Tallinn TVTower DC Sierra Wireless Estonia • WaveCom DC

DESI INDEX

INTERNATIONAL TAX COMPETITIVENESS INDEX

Most Locations • Telia Company (3) • Fairy Hosting Estonia (1) • EstNOC • Elisa Estonia

AMOUNT OF IX-MEMBERS

DCP

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ICELAND GDP

Most Connected Verne Global Iceland (5) • Verne Global Reykjanesbær atNorth Iceland • ICE-2: Mjolnir DC Dade2 Iceland

$23.5 BILLION

Dade2 Reykjavik Reykjavik DC • Reykjavik Data Center Míla ehf Iceland • Míla ehf Reykjavik •

DATA CENTERS

DESI INDEX

Largest Sites AtNorth Iceland • ICE-2: Mjolnir DC Dade2 Iceland • Dade2 Reykjavik Reykjavik DC • Reykjavik Data Center Míla ehf Iceland • Míla ehf Reykjavik Datacell Iceland • Datacell Reykjavik

#32 AMOUNT OF IX-MEMBERS

Most Locations • ISNIC Iceland (3) • 360 Capital Reit Iceland (2) • AtNorth (2)

Datacentered

DCP

LATVIA GDP

Most Connected & Largest Sites Alpha Host • AlphaHost Riga Arelion • Telia Riga 2 BITE One IT • Latnet Tet Cloud • LTT Dattum Data Center Cloud Hosting • CloudHosting

$34.01 BILLION DATA CENTERS

DESI INDEX

Most Locations • Tet Cloud (5) • DEAC (2) • Versija SIA (2) • Abcidea (2) • Bite One IT (1)

#17 INTERNATIONAL TAX COMPETITIVENESS INDEX

AMOUNT OF IX-MEMBERS

DCP

Datacentered

LITHUANIA GDP

Most Connected Data Logistics Center Lithuania (25) • Data Center J13 Baltneta Lithuania (6) • Baltneta TIER3 Data Center RackRay Lithuania (3) • RockRay DC Hostline Lithuania (3) • Hostline Vilnius HSTL-DG42A DC1 Data Logistics Center Lithuania (2) • Data Center DATA INN

$54.63 BILLION DATA CENTERS

DESI INDEX

Largest Sites ESnet Lithuania • ESnet Vilnius Telecentras Lithuania • Telecentras Kauna Data Logistics Center Lithuania • Klaipėdos DC Telia Lithuania • Telia Vilnius 1 Hostline Lithuania • Hostline Vilnius HSTL-DG42A DC1

#14 INTERNATIONAL TAX COMPETITIVENESS INDEX

AMOUNT OF IX-MEMBERS

Most Locations • Data Logistics Center Lithuania (6) • Telia Lithuania (4) • Baltneta Lithuania (3)

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JAN WILLEM NIBC

VAN ROGGEN 66

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AI-POWERED EVOLUTION: NAVIGATING THE FUTURE LANDSCAPE OF DATA CENTERS IN THE NORDICS

In the realm of ever-evolving technology, dynamic

growth between 2023-2028 shows that the region will be

developments tend to shape new narratives, and the

well suited to accommodate the dynamic intersection of

synergies between Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Data

Data Centers and AI, fostering innovation and sustainable

Centers appear to be one. As the Nordics is able to provide

technological growth.

the industry with abundant, low-cost power, largely derived from renewable sources, coupled with expansive available

This technological growth can have a very positive impact

land, a cool climate, robust digital infrastructure and

on the way Data Centers operate. Machine learning

government support, they position themselves as an ideal

algorithms not only optimize energy consumption,

hub for energy-intensive AI workloads and at the forefront

but also enhance overall operational efficiency. From

of a transformative journey in light of AI deployment.

predicting equipment failures to proactive maintenance and enhanced cooling systems, AI-driven analytics

A changing market

contribute to economic sustainability, a crucial factor in

Rapid technological advancements are causing shifts and

the dynamic tech landscape. Additionally, the predictive

surges in demand for Data Center solutions. Increasing

algorithms offer real-time identification and response

needs for more computational power and lower latency

to cyber threats. This proactive defense aligns with the

are the main drivers behind this change. While traditional

region’s strong commitment to data privacy, fortifying

co-location companies and enterprises still require Data

the integrity of sensitive information.

Center services, more and more hyperscale clients continue to own and build their own Data Centers.

The Nordic Edge

Hyperscalers, such as major cloud providers, are likely

As the Nordics embrace AI-driven innovations, their

to seek locations that offer not only adequate capacity

Data Centers embark on a journey towards unparalleled

but also sustainable and cost-effective operations.

efficiency, sustainability, and resilience. The marriage of cutting-edge technology with the region’s commitment

The evolving landscape of Data Centers and AI

to ecological and digital sustainability signifies not just a

development requires a strategic approach to

trend but a visionary blueprint for the future. The Nordics,

infrastructure facilitation. The surge in AI workloads

with their unique combination of factors, are poised to

will drive the need for increased capacity, paving the

play a pivotal role in shaping this future. Navigating the

way for new modular Data Center designs tailored

challenges will be key, but the promise of a technologically

to accommodate evolving technological demands.

advanced, sustainable, and innovative Data Center

Luckily, the Nordics presents ample opportunities for

landscape beckons on the horizon.

the establishment of specialized infrastructure. At 7,3% CAGR, the forecasted Data Center construction market

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EU Focus

THE ONE TO WATCH: ESTONIA The Baltics have become an interesting market for data center developments. For example, Estonia leads the International Tax Competitiveness Index and is a top-10 country in the Digital Economy and Society Index. Aarne Pärnsalu, COO of Greenergy Data Centers, explains the country’s position in the data center industry.

WRITTEN BY PIM KOKKE

Over the years, Estonia has built a solid digital ecosystem.

“The idea of building a world-class data center in Estonia

For example, e-Estonia has been used for two decades

was conceived in 2015, and it took several years to get

and facilitates the citizens’ and residents’ interactions with

the investors behind it and to find the best location for a

the state through the use of ICT solutions. Mobile parking

data center,” explains Aarne Pärnsalu, COO of Greenergy

(2000), electronic voting (2005) are just two examples of

Data Centers. The build-out of the most modern and

public services. However, a large-scale data center was

energy-efficient data center in the region was completed

not established yet.

with the support of the Three Seas Initiative Investment Fund in February 2022. The international Fund owns the majority of the company today, as well. The facility in Hüüru is 14,500 m2 with a maximum capacity of 31.5 MW..

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EU Focus

Educating the market As with many upcoming EU-markets, there is a lot of potential because of the rising demand for data center services outside the offices. Historically, many organizations had installed their own equipment rooms in their buildings, with a couple of racks set up for their own use and for clients. “We see that companies are moving to new locations, where there is no space allocated for server rooms. Therefore, we experience a shift in this matter by organizations who are now exploring the possibilities of outsourcing. “One of the biggest challenges is that many companies in Estonia are only beginning to get accustomed to outsourcing data center services. “Therefore, there is a need for information and know-how on what to expect when interacting with a top-class data center. Furthermore, we are working closely with telecom operators by establishing partnerships, allowing us to offer their services as well.” Another interesting insight in the Estonian market is the role of the government. At the moment, Estonia is internally discussing whether it is allowed to store their cloud services in external data centers. “Now, the government is still using their own servers for their services, but the expectation is that this will change over time.” For now, Estonia remains a one to watch because of their climate conditions that are similar to the other countries in the Nordics. Greenergy Data Centers are now looking forward to further enabling digital growth by building a network of sustainable data centers in Central and Eastern Europe.

EU Focus

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Event

DIGITALIZATION KEY FACTOR IN ECONOMIC AND SUSTAINABLE GROWTH For the first time, the Green Data Center Conference and the Fiber Trade Day were held simultaneously at one location. At the Royal Dutch Jaarbeurs in Utrecht (The Netherlands), more than 600 visitors from the data center and fiber industry gathered to discuss the latest developments in both industries.

WRITTEN BY PIM KOKKE

The data center and fiber optic sectors each have their

Energy transition & data centers

own large-scale events. For example, the Dutch Data

One of the most discussed topics at the Green Data

Center Association (DDA), the trade association for data

Center Conference & Fiber Vakdag was energy transition

centers in the Netherlands, has been organizing the Green

and how digitalization can accelerate this transition. For

Data Center Conference for seven years where the focus

example, Dr. Martien Visser, professor in Energy & Networks

is on sustainable data center developments. On the other

at Hanze University of Applied Sciences, put the energy

hand, you have the Fiber Carrier Association (FCA), which

consumption of Dutch data centers into perspective.

has been organizing the Fiber Vakdag for fiber industry

Figures show that the energy use of data centers has

professionals since 2018. This year, both organizations

been stable for many years. Furthermore, he indicated that

decided to hold their events together at the Royal Dutch

the prospects and impact of green energy are good, but

Jaarbeurs to strengthen the synergy between the fiber

that challenges regarding the energy translation remain

and data center industry.

large. One of the challenges, for example, is the availability of solar energy. In addition, Visser also mentioned how

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Event

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Event

overcapacity has a negative effect on power prices and investments in this area. During the morning program, Rudolf van der Berg, partner at Stratix, gave a keynote about the emerging discussions and associated misconceptions, regarding the energy consumption of the digital sector. For example, many discussions appear to be held on the basis of figures that are misinterpreted. “The amount of data continues to grow, and yet telecom operators like the Dutch KPN consume less energy.”

European Green Deal At the event, there were 28 breakout sessions that were divided into seven tracks. In this way, visitors could choose to attend both data center industry presentations and fiber industry sessions. For example, Jasper Mattijssen (Stroomk8) gave a presentation about Power Purchase Agreements (PPA) and Niek van der Pas (Legrand Data Center Solutions) shared more about what impact the European Green Deal will have on data centers. In sum, both sectors have already made significant steps towards a more sustainable and digital future. With sustainability becoming even more prominent on the agenda, and regulation also playing an even more important role in this, the question remains how companies in the digital ecosystem will act on this.

Event

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Cloud Insights

CLOUD

Cloud Insights

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INSIGHTS

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AMAZON WEB SERVICES LAUNCHES AWS EUROPEAN SOVEREIGN CLOUD

Amazon Web Services (AWS) will launch the AWS

Peterson, vice president of Sovereign Cloud at AWS. “For

European Sovereign Cloud, a new, independent cloud

more than a decade, we’ve worked with governments

for Europe designed to help public sector customers

and regulatory bodies across Europe to understand

and those in highly regulated industries meet the most

and meet evolving needs in cybersecurity, data privacy

stringent regulatory data residency and operational

and localization, and more recently, digital sovereignty.

requirements.

With this new offering, customers and Partners across Europe will have more choice to achieve the operational

The AWS European Sovereign Cloud will launch with its

independence they require, without compromising on

first AWS Region in Germany and will be available to

the broadest and deepest cloud services that millions

all European customers. The region will offer the same

of customers already know and use today.”

services and use the same APIs as other regions but will require a fresh AWS account. The company said that metadata created – such as data labels, categories, permissions, and configurations – will be stored within the EU. “The AWS European Sovereign Cloud reinforces our commitment to offering AWS customers the most advanced set of sovereignty controls, privacy safeguards, and security features available in the cloud,” said Max

Cloud Insights

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MICROSOFT AND TIETOEVRY REINFORCE COLLABORATION ON AZURE TO ACCELERATE CLOUD TRANSFORMATION IN THE NORDICS

Microsoft and Tietoevry are

“We are living in an exciting era, where

Through the collaboration, Microsoft

reinforcing their collaboration to

technology plays an ever-increasing

and Tietoevry help customers

enable faster and more secure

role in making people, businesses and

accelerate their cloud journey,

cloud transformation for Nordic

societies thrive. As a company we

leveraging

enterprises and public sector

have helped our customers harness

scale, security, and reliability of

organizations.

the power of technology through

Microsoft Azure, and Tietoevry’s

several evolution cycles, latest ones

local presence, industry knowledge

The collaboration will combine

centered around data, cloud and

and customer-centricity. “We are

Microsoft’s cloud platform, Azure, with

artificial intelligence. We already have

thrilled to announce this reinforced

Tietoevry’s industry and technology

several live implementations or use

strategic collaboration with Tietoevry,

expertise to enable innovative

cases realizable in the near future

a valued and respected partner of

solutions and services to customers.

on how to fuel the benefits of cloud

Microsoft in the Nordics. Together, we

Tietoevry is also exploring Microsoft

with AI, for example within healthcare.

will enable our customers to harness

Artificial Intelligence solutions in

Combining the best of Microsoft’s and

the power of the cloud, unlocking new

driving productivity, innovation and

our expertise we can accelerate our

opportunities for innovation, growth,

scale in its own operations. At the very

customers’ ability to fully embrace

and resilience in their businesses and

moment, Tietoevry is participating

the cloud transformation, and by this

organizations”, Joacim Damgard,

in the Microsoft 365 Copilot Early

advance the digital competitiveness

President, Microsoft Western Europe.

Adopters program.

across the Nordic societies”, says Kimmo Alkio, President and CEO, Tietoevry.

Microsoft’s

global

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EVROC REVEALS PLANS TO BUILD SOVEREIGN HYPERSCALE CLOUD

evroc presents its plans to build Europe’s first secure,

Cloud services play a key role in critical digital

sovereign, and sustainable hyperscale cloud, putting

infrastructure. Between 2017 and 2022, the European cloud

an end to the foreign dominance of the European cloud

market grew five-fold. During the same time, the market

market.

share of European cloud players fell from 27% to 13%.

Backed by global technology investor EQT Ventures and

A competitive European hyperscale cloud is critical

impact investor Norrsken VC, evroc recently closed a seed

to enable the continent’s digital economy, keeping

funding round to build its launch team. The company now

investments, job creation, technology development and

plans to raise and invest €3 billion over the next couple

intellectual property rights within its borders. It will also give

of years to develop and operate two hyperscale data

Europe digital sovereignty that is compliant with European

centers – one in Northern Europe and one in Southern

privacy legislation, settling a long standing problem.

Europe. By 2028, evroc’s aims to establish eight hyperscale data centers, as well as three software development hubs,

“evroc has spotted an exciting opportunity to make Europe

across the continent, employing over 3,000 people in total.

a leader in cloud technologies by bringing together the continent’s brightest minds, ambitious thinkers, and

“The lack of home-grown hyperscale cloud providers

experienced entrepreneurs. We believe the next generation

poses a serious challenge for Europe. Not only because

of European tech companies will be built on evroc’s cloud

our citizens’ data is placed under foreign ownership

services,” says Ted Persson, Partner at EQT Ventures.

by companies operating under laws that conflict with European privacy legislation. It is also a real threat to our

In 2024, evroc will establish a pilot center in the Stockholm

long-term competitiveness in a digital world where others

region, while initiating a site selection process to determine

are advancing much faster. Europe’s digital economy

the location of its first hyperscale data centers and

must be built on a European foundation,” says Mattias

additional software development hubs.

Åström, founder and CEO, evroc.

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Datacentered

ABB INVESTS IN EDGETO-CLOUD PLATFORM INNOVATOR PRATEXO

ABB is investing in a strategic partnership with Pratexo, an edge-to-cloud acceleration platform company. The partnership involves a minority investment in Pratexo through ABB’s venture capital unit, ABB Technology Ventures (ATV). Financial details of the investment were not disclosed. Pratexo’s technology platform supports IoT and artificial intelligence initiatives which demand compute power at the edge. The company’s technology enables the rapid set up of systems that can process huge amounts of data generated by IoT sensors and run advanced analytics in real time close to the location of the device, rather than in the cloud. ABB’s Electrification Service will leverage Pratexo’s industry-leading, no-code development platform, Pratexo Studio, to accelerate and revolutionize how edge-to-cloud digital solutions are designed for customers, allowing them to make better decisions for future operations. “We are in a unique position to support customers in their digital transformation regardless of what stage they are at. Investing in and partnering with innovative startups like Pratexo advances our technological services capabilities to provide enhanced industry 4.0 business outcomes to our customers,” said Stuart Thompson, President of ABB’s Electrification Service Division. “With the open technology stack from Pratexo, we can deploy and scale the transition seamlessly, securely and in a bespoke manner.” “The last 20 years of IT have been mostly about centralizing computing into the cloud. The next 10 will be about balancing that with a hybrid edge-to-cloud approach – doing the right compute at the right place and at the right level. Our close collaboration with ABB will further enable and accelerate that transition,” explains Blaine Mathieu, CEO of Pratexo.

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MICHAEL EUDCA

WINTERSON 86

Expert Insights

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SUSTAINABILITY LAWS & NEW ADMINISTRATION ACROSS EUROPE The Energy Efficiency Directive (EED) is finalised, now

platform pledges during Q4. This gives all of us the chance

national governments have to implement this directive

to lay out some key positions on the data center of the

into law. The real difficulties start now as we try to avoid

future. Example issues may include: changing operating

nationalistic policies while driving an open, transparent

environmentals; the liquid cooling transformation; the

and ultimately more sustainable industry.

critical role of digital infrastructure; data centers in the community - district heating and job creation; key design

At the European level, we are still required to deliver our

changes in light of resource challenges - PFAS regulations,

first reports this year using 2023 data. The European Data

GWP in coolants, scarce water resources, secondary

Centre Association (EUDCA) believes we can and should

energy systems and energy storage.

get ahead of this by building a reporting regime that minimises work and differentiation. We should be proud

Though sustainability will continue to loom large, a higher

of our efficiency improvements over the past 25 years

level of engagement with the public sector (and the public

and should share this more openly.

at large) around the role of digital infrastructure and the issues behind it. Data centers don’t just consume land,

Meanwhile, our customers are also grappling with the EU

water, electricity and renewables - we do it by providing

Taxonomy for Sustainable Finance (Taxonomy) and the

the most efficient method of IT to evolve. We are part

impending Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive

of a larger infrastructure - all of which is needed - fibre

(CSRD). We need to be sensitive to these changing

optics, cell towers, and data centers are all part of what

customer needs, especially in reporting and responding

makes the internet run. Mutualised physical infrastructure

to requests for information. If we work together and with

housing IT systems in close proximity allows the creation

our customer base, we could create a master data file

of the key applications and their interconnection needed

that could allow us to report to the EU against the EED while

for a seamless internet, cloud, and IT solutions.

giving our customers the data they need for Taxonomy and CSRD.

What does this mean for all of us? Operators will continue to build out strong sustainability programs and prepare

Going one step further - we need to engage other

for a level of transparency not seen in the past. Operators,

members of the IT community, such as server and

through their participation in National Trade Associations

equipment OEMs, chip vendors, networks, clouds and

(NTAs), will need to work hard to ensure targets and

software companies to ensure the way we report data

reporting regimes are streamlined and effective. NTAs

makes it easier for our customers to build their complete

need to lobby governments hard during this Directive

IT overview - both capacity and resource utilisation.

transposition period. The European Data Centre Association (EUDCA) will continue to share information

This year sees a bit of a breather with European legislation

with Brussels on “how its going” as well as laying out some

slowing down (a bit). Elections will take up much of the first

of the new issues we wish to see addressed in the new

half of 2024, with the new administration laying out key

administration.

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CHOOSE FACTS & FIGURES

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Leading organizations from our industry publish various reports about trends, investments and more. In this section, we chose the must read reports and whitepapers and selected the main highlights for you.

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STATE OF THE DIGITAL DECADE: EU COMMISSION

The first State of the Digital Decade report takes stock of the EU’s progress towards a successful digital transformation as set out in the Digital Decade Policy Programme 2030. This report highlights the need to accelerate and deepen the collective efforts, including through policy measures and investment in digital technologies, skills and infrastructures. On this basis, the report includes concrete recommendations to Member States ahead of the adoption of their national strategic roadmaps and for their future adjustments. This report also includes the monitoring of the European Declaration on Digital Rights and Principles for the Digital Decade, which translates the EU’s vision of digital transformation into principles and commitments. Scan the QR-code to get more information about the report:

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RISE AND LTU A REALISTIC VIEW ON HEAT REUSE FROM DIRECT FREE AIR-COOLED DATA CENTERS RISE and LTU got the article about excess heat reuse from direct air-cooled data centers with multiple utilizations published in Energy Conversion and Management, Volume 20, October 2023. The paper examines the opportunities to reuse excess heat from direct free air-cooled data centers without incorporating heat pumps to upgrade the heat. The operation of a data center in northern Sweden, Luleå, was simulated for a year. It was established that heat losses through the thermal envelope and from the humidification of the cooling airflow influenced the momentary energy reuse factor, iERF, with up to 7%. However, for the annual energy reuse factor, ERF, the heat losses could be neglected since they annually contributed to an error of less than 1%. It was shown that the ideal heat reuse temperature in Luleå was 13, 17, and 18 °C with an exhaust temperature of 30, 40 and 50 °C. The resulting ERF was 0.50, 0.59 and 0.66, meaning that a higher exhaust temperature resulted in potentially higher heat reuse. It could also be seen that raising the exhaust temperature lowered the power usage effectiveness, PUE, due to more efficient cooling. Using heat reuse applications with different heat reuse temperatures closer to the monthly average instead of an ideal heat reuse temperature for the whole year improved the ERF further. The improvement was 11–31% where a lower exhaust temperature meant a higher relative improvement. Scan the QR-code to read the full paper.

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DATA CENTERS & THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY

The demand for data center services continues to grow as businesses and individuals seek to store and process larger amounts of data. In Data Centers & the Circular Economy, the Dutch Data Center Association and Sims Lifecycle Services focus on the environmental impact of IT equipment present in data centers and the steps data centers can take towards a circular economy model. Implementing sustainable practices is a priority for the data center industry. Data centers invest in renewable energy sources and implement energy-efficient technologies to reduce their impact. However, data centers still have plenty of opportunities to minimize their environmental impact concerning the end-of-life treatment of IT equipment. The circular economy model promotes sustainability and reduces environmental impact. For data centers, it involves design, production, use and disposal of IT hardware. To achieve a circular economy, practices such as refurbishing, repairing, and recycling, should be introduced. With the introduction of reusing and responsible disposal of IT equipment, data centers can reduce their environmental impact. This white paper includes results from a survey, conducted amongst Dutch data center operators, reflecting the current IT circularity status in the region. Furthermore, the paper illustrates the steps the industry needs to take to become circular.

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Expert Insights

NATASCHA EVERSHEDS SUTHERLAND

GERAEDTS 94

Expert Insights

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HOW THE EED WILL INFLUENCE THE DATA CENTER INDUSTRY

As portrayed in my previous column, increasingly stringent

to make most of the information publicly available, also

and changing establishment conditions have been set for

adding to the administrative tasks regarding monitoring

data centres in the Netherlands in recent years. European

and reporting.

wide, it has become clear that 2024 will in a whole be another turbulent year as new European legislation is

Another highlight of the EED is the obligation for data

targeting data centers.

centers with a total rated energy output exceeding 1 MW to recover their waste heat or prove that it is technically

An important piece of European legislation is the European

or economically not feasible to do so. The EED further

Energy Efficiency Directive (EED), which was published in

stipulates that the European Commission shall establish

the EU Official Journal. The Directive entered into force on

a European database on data centers that includes

10 October 2023. The Directive requires immediate action

information communicated by the obligated data centers.

from data center operators in Europe to reduce their

By 15 May 2025 the European Commission will assess the

energy use. This is very much part of the strategy from

available data on the energy efficiency of data centers

the European Commission to reduce energy inefficient

and shall submit a report to the European Parliament

and unsustainable data centers. With an increase of

and the Council.

data center energy consumption in recent years and the expectation that this will only continue, the Directive

It will be interesting to monitor how the implementation

is seen as a policy tool in trying to optimize data centers

of the Directive will take shape in the respective countries.

operations.

Biography

The Directive requires implementation by the EU member

Natascha Geraedts is a Partner at Eversheds Sutherland

states in their respective laws. The EED obliges owners

and part of Eversheds’ renowned Global Datacenter and

and operators of data centers above 500kW to publish

Digital Infrastructure team. Natascha started her career

their environmental performance once a year (such

at the Council of State and has over 20 years’ experience.

as energy consumption, PUE, temperature, waste heat

Natascha is seen as the “go to expert” in the Dutch market

utilization, water usage and use of renewable energy).

for her knowledge in the data center sector and data

The requirements are set out in Annex VII of the Directive.

center developments. Natascha frequently speaks and

These data will then be analysed and used to measure the

publishes on environmental and regulatory aspects of

basic dimensions of a sustainable data center, so these

data centers and she has been a yearly speaker at the

can later be used as data center sustainability indicators.

Kickstart Europe Conference since 2021.

The reporting obligation needs to be implemented in the legislation of the member states by 15 May 2024. From that moment on the Directive requires the data center industry

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Analyses

‘AI’M HERE TO STAY’ On 30 November 2022, ChatGPT became available for public users and popularized the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI). However, this development raises questions about the potential and challenges of AI.

ARTICLE WRITTEN BY PIM KOKKE

Analyses

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“Convince these people that data centers are crucial for our economy” 97

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Analyses

History in the making. Great artists like Vincent van Gogh and Rembrandt van Rijn are memorized because of their contributions to society. It took years to complete master pieces that these artists are known for. Now, we have another great artist in the making who will have an impact on our lives: Artificial Intelligence (AI),

AI & Data consumption For users and customers, understanding the synergy

“Sustainability”

between AI and data centers is not just a matter of curiosity but a necessity. For example, data centers are no longer just a collection of servers and storage units; they have evolved into sophisticated hubs integral to

process the requests. These requests, however, require

the functionality and efficiency of AI applications that

a lot of electricity capacity in data centers. According to

impact our businesses and personal lives. Furthermore,

the Generative AI Update of a global investment bank

the relationship between AI and data centers is both

RBC Capital Markets, companies must pack thousands

symbiotic and critical. Users, whether individuals relying

of GPUs into data centers and run them at full capacity

on AI for daily tasks or businesses harnessing AI for

for extended periods of time.

competitive advantage, are increasingly dependent on the reliability and capability of data centers. This reliance

AI is seeing integration into multiple aspects of business

translates into a growing demand for more advanced,

operations, including cloud platforms & datacenters

efficient, and resilient data centers.

and even on the opex side (in both sales and marketing, as well as R&D). At the same time, AI is creating new

This growing demand for data and AI raises the

system design challenges around power consumption

question about our data usage. According to a report

and cooling requirements. “For instance, to train GPT-4,

by International Data Corporation (IDC), the global data

Microsoft and OpenAI used more power than it would

sphere is expected to grow to 175 zettabytes by 2025,

take to supply 10,000 homes for two months. Moreover, AI

with a considerable portion of this growth attributed to

inferencing requirements will entail a more decentralized

AI-driven applications.

architecture, with inference nodes arising in varied points in the network.”

The most common AI tool which influences people’s daily life is Generative AI. This technology produces

Interestingly to note, there is a lot of discussion about

types of content such as images, text, video and audio.

how much electricity is used for AI in data centers. The

The user inserts prompts (words) to train the AI model

limited amount of new data that can be analyzed can

into generating the desired outcomes. Examples of this

lead to misinterpreted assumptions that affect companies,

software are ChatGPT, Bard and Dall-E. To use these tools,

governments, media and - more importantly - the

cloud platforms and data centers are needed in order to

perception of society regarding AI. For example, The New

Analyses

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“Provide a list of countries in Europe where we can build a new TIER 3 data center” York Times published an article about how AI could soon

(IEA), the energy demand from data centers and data

need as much electricity as an entire country. The article

transmission networks accounts for 1 to 1,5% of the global

refers to an analysis from Ph.D. student Alex de Vries (Vrije

electricity use, while simultaneously the global internet

Universiteit Amsterdam) who conducted a study based

traffic has expanded 25-fold since 2010. How this will

on (limited) numbers of Google and the projected sales

evolve while taking AI into account is still unclear and

of NVIDIA A100 servers, which is estimated to be used

more monitoring and research is needed in order to make

by the market for AI. “In a middle-ground scenario, by

well-based assumptions about this matter.

2027 A.I. servers could use between 85 to 134 terawatt hours (Twh) annually. That’s similar to what Argentina,

AI & Regulation

the Netherlands and Sweden each use in a year, and is

Another thing that needs to be taken into consideration, is

about 0.5 percent of the world’s current electricity use.”

the influence of governments and regulations regarding

Various industry researchers, however, questioned these

Artificial Intelligence. It was already in March 2018 when

assumptions based on the used numbers.

the European Commission decided to install an expert group who were responsible for drawing a proposal for

In contrast, improvements in energy efficiency have

guidelines on AI ethics. The EU called for “a wide, open and

moderated the growth in energy demand from data

inclusive discussion on how to use and develop artificial

centers. According to the International Energy Agency

intelligence both successfully and ethically sound.” In April 2021, the European Commission proposed the first

“Solve my staff shortage by giving me a list of the most experienced Data Center Engineers in my region”

Datacentered

Analyses

EU regulatory framework for AI. The framework states that AI systems that can be used in different applications are analyzed and classified according to the risk they pose

“Describe that

to users.

Data Centers use

Fast forward to June 2023, the European Parliament

renewable energy

adopted its negotiating position on the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Act with 499 votes in favor, 28 against and 93 abstentions. The rules would ensure that AI

sources”

developed and used in Europe is fully in line with EU rights and values including human oversight, safety, privacy, transparency, non-discrimination and social and environmental wellbeing. The rules follow a risk-based approach and establish obligations for providers and those deploying AI systems depending on the level of risk the AI can generate. AI systems with an unacceptable level of risk to people’s safety would therefore be prohibited, such as those used for social scoring (classifying people based on their social

AI, more capacity is needed for data centers. However,

behavior or personal characteristics). The members of the

the rising demand puts pressure on the electricity grid

European Parliament (MEPs) expanded the list to include

thus impacting the expansion of data centers and AI

bans on intrusive and discriminatory uses of AI, such as:

developments. Therefore, governments have to take rigid actions and decisions in what is considered to be

• •

•

• •

•

“Real-time” remote biometric identification systems

most important for the future of their country. It is in a

in publicly accessible spaces;

way hypocritical when governments want their country

“Post” remote biometric identification systems, with the

to become a digital frontrunner, while their decisions

only exception of law enforcement for the prosecution

(e.g. installing building restrictions) do not contribute to

of serious crimes and only after judicial authorization;

their vision.

biometric categorisation systems using sensitive characteristics (e.g. gender, race, ethnicity, citizenship

The recent elections and upcoming elections in Europe will

status, religion, political orientation);

definitely spark the discussion about digital infrastructure

predictive policing systems (based on profiling,

and AI. In the Netherlands, the far-right party PVV (Party

location or past criminal behavior);

for Freedom) who are known for their Euroscepticism

emotion recognition systems in law enforcement,

won the last elections. The upcoming elections for the

border management, the workplace, and educational

European Parliament in June 2024, Belgium (2024) and

institutions; and

Germany (2025) will become interesting to see the (digital)

untargeted scraping of facial images from the

direction of Europe for the next few years. Collaboration

internet or CCTV footage to create facial recognition

with other countries is needed in order to make digital

databases (violating human rights and right to

and sustainable policy.

privacy). Besides the AI Act that aims to protect people’s safety, the question remains how EU-countries will see their position regarding AI and their digital infrastructure strategy. For

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The future of AI In sum, we need various things to clearly understand how AI will impact our world. First, an open, unbiased debate about the electricity consumption of data centers is needed. This debate must clarify how the digital infrastructure can improve the energy transition, while simultaneously keeping up with the growing demand for AI-tools for business and society. Second, we need to be aware that the popularity of AI in society will provide more attention to the position of data centers in society. Thus, the industry needs to improve the narrative of why data centers are the silent essential factor in people’s daily lives, especially on the AI-matter. As data centers are part of our critical infrastructure, we have to act on that and spread the message of why we are essential more often. And third, we can only acknowledge one thing despite all the challenges, whether it is on the political or sustainability domain: AI is here to stay.

“Write a plan on how governments and the digital industry can improve their collaboration”

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NIEK LEGRAND

VAN DER PAS 104

Expert Insights

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NAVIGATING THE FUTURE OF DATA CENTER STANDARDS: A CLOSER LOOK AT PUE Over the last decade, data center standards have

27°C doesn’t save any energy. A more flexible approach,

matured significantly. Through extensive European and

like using a dynamic setpoint, might be harder to enforce,

global efforts, a comprehensive set of documents has

but it offers better potential for savings. So, implementing

been created that detail how to build, measure, and

a fixed maximum temperature could lead to undesirable

operate data centers. The community actively utilizes

consequences.

these standards for designing, running, and certifying data centers, marking substantial progress toward operational

The above example illustrates our challenges in creating

excellence. And we are now entering the next phase of

usable standards for different stakeholders. My ISO/

standardization.

IEC working group, Resource-Efficient Data Centres, is presently revising the Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE).

With the debut of these standards, valuable feedback

The current version was introduced over seven years

is emerging, and the initial rounds of revisions are now

ago, and the group envisions numerous improvements.

complete. Notably, it’s not just industry players but also

Lively discussions during the initial commenting rounds

legislators who have embraced this new toolkit, resulting

have generated valuable proposals for enhancement.

in the tools being used differently than intended. Here is

In Europe, the focus is now on implementing the recently

an example: The standards refer to environmental classes

released version of the Maturity Model as part of the

A1 to A4 as described in the ASHRAE Thermal Guidelines.

EN 50600 standards series. This comprehensive model

The guidelines are intended to match the settings of the

covers all facets of a sustainable data center and could

data center cooling equipment with the design envelope

serve as an ideal foundation for the EU Taxonomy model,

of the installed IT equipment. The interface of these two

replacing the outdated reference to TR 50600-99-1. As

meets at the front of the equipment. Here’s the catch: If

the Updated EU Energy Efficiency directive undergoes

a server’s maximum intake air temperature is set at 27°C,

per-country implementation in the coming year,

it is not the same as a cooling unit setpoint of 27°C. The

leveraging the work done in standardization will be

air might recirculate between the computer room air

crucial. It is recommended that the same standard, the

handler and the server, leading to a higher front-end

maturity model, be consistently used to avoid unnecessary

server temperature of, let’s say, 29°C. Although most

duplication of efforts.

servers stay within their design specifications for a short time, prolonged elevated temperatures could cause

Germany has taken the lead with a new law mandating

reliability and warranty problems.

a designed PUE of 1.2 for new builds starting July 1, 2026. The forthcoming implementations of the new European

To counteract this, you could consider increasing air

directives and regulations by other EU countries, including

pressure in the raised floor and cold aisle to prevent

the UK, Norway, and Switzerland, are eagerly anticipated.

recirculation. However, this approach can undermine the

This dynamic landscape underscores the need for

energy savings initially intended. The fans of the cooling

collaborative efforts to create usable standards that

units will have to work harder, using more energy. Even

cater to the diverse needs of stakeholders. Your insights

when outside temperatures are low and the cooling

and contributions are welcomed as we shape the future

system is in free cooling mode, raising the temperature to

of data center standards.

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ENERGY MARKET UPDATE

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Stroomkr8 is an independent energy consultancy company. They support their clients on all kinds of energy sourcing activities, from strategic/conceptual matters to daily and operational practice. They buy and sell energy for their clients in 17 different countries with a team of highly experienced colleagues within both supply companies and consultancy. More information: www.stroomkr8.nl

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We are proud to provide you with the latest details in the

Other topics that have never ever been of impact in Europe

energy market and bring you up to speed on possibilities

now hold a greater threat than ever before. For example,

and risks. In this report we will share our view on the

we saw strikes in the Australian LNG production plants in

energy markets to help you understand the energy

September this year. Although Europe doesn’t get any

triggers and provide support to your buying decisions.

Australian LNG delivered, this incident still managed to increase the natural gas prices by 27% in Europe, on the

The Hamas-Israel crisis has been dominating the news

possibility of strikes after negotiations about pay and

all around the European energy markets. The economic

conditions failed.

implications seem to be very small and limited to companies that do not deal directly with this region. It is hard to forecast how the war will develop in the coming months, but if there is further escalation, the impact for the European economy could be more significant. Higher oil prices will lift LNG prices and thereby gas in Europe.

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Global problems These topics now seem to be of major importance to

able to help. Countries like Finland are depending on the

traders and high energy consumers, as these unknown

Baltic-pipeline and with the supply disruption, due to a

scenario’s affect the risk of energy procurement in a

Chinese tanker, just before winter, could harm industry

high manner. Once again, it is becoming clear that our

in Finland as they have been depending on Russian gas

dependence on Russian gas has left Europe open against

for 97%. They now look for LNG options to cover winter

global problems that have not been foreseen as we took

demand. Having reviewed these challenges, we are sure

a stand in the war between Ukraine and Russia. With the

that the threats that the market is worried about are real

current crisis in the Middle East, the focus has faded from

and many energy buyers have already forgotten about

the still problematic situation in Eastern Europe. Ukraine’s

the prices that go with it. Small disruptions in the supply

surrounding countries are struggling with energy supply,

chain for new LNG terminals could harm us all.

finding new resources for gas demand, and not knowing how the situation will impact them. The Ukraine flow of

The good news is that in central Europe we were saved

gas and their own storage is at an all-time low. Therefore,

by not having a cold winter in 2022/2023 and LNG flows

the upcoming winter could be very problematic, and the

were kept at a good import level all year to secure gas

question arises whether other European countries are

for winter 2023/2024, securing 99% stock level in all major storage countries.

GAS STORAGE INVENTORY EU Gas Storage inventory EU

-1 1-

3 0-

01 -1

20 23

01 -0

23 -0 01

23 01

-0

23 -0

4-0

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109

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20 23 2-

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20 22

100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0%

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Energyy Market Update

This was seen in the development of the power and

Furthermore, new LNG installations will also be

gas prices on spot and futures, giving everybody

commissioned. The market could benefit from this

the opportunity to recover from the extreme price

development.

developments in Europe in 2022. Although the market is still about double the price compared to long term

Developments 2023

averages, it still hurts high energy intensive companies and

The correlation between natural gas prices and the

impacts the company’s profits. We should not forget that

power prices is very strong. It is clear that gas controls

the market is in anticipation of what will happen if we do

the market. As the North-West Europe’s markets are highly

encounter a normal or stronger winter against average.

connected, we see similar price developments in Belgium

At this time, we cannot foresee if Europe will manage to

and Germany (both on spot and future markets). There

keep all systems up and running if it gets colder than

are low spot prices when wind and solar production is

the expected average temperature for that time of year.

high and, more times than ever, giving negative prices on the spot-markets. This is not translated in the forward

Nevertheless, it will help if the current warmer period we

prices yet. Investments in battery storage to optimise

experience is extended to February or March. After this

profits from renewable installations could affect the

winter, we will have a good view on how gas storage

market and cause less negative pricing as demand to

levels will end up and assuming similar LNG flows towards

store power is done at low pricing. This will provide fewer

Europe. By that time the market will have a clear view

peak prices as well because storage capacity will unload

whether we can handle the winter of 2024/2025.

and flatten the spot market.

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This will provide fewer peak prices as well because storage

more and more because of this. We see many risks avers

capacity will unload and flatten the spot market. This

companies turning to the spot market because of the

new interaction from more players is providing risk and

future market development.

uncertainty resulting in higher premiums from suppliers for imbalance risk. This uncertainty in imbalance risk could

Using the market to your benefit could be one of the main

provide support for long term decisions in contracting

take-a-ways from 2023, as spot opportunities provided

a supplier.

low prices due to renewable production by solar and wind, giving more than 300 negative hours already this

With the spread of 85 Euro/MWh from January’s top price

year, against 85 in 2022 and 52 in 2021. Especially in the

towards the lowest point in June, the market is a long

second and third quarter of the year, we would expect

way from historic prices. This once again gives a good

this more often due to growing renewable capacity

view of the risk in the current market, with low moments

in 2024. Companies will benefit from this even more.

being short and price jumps being explosive, making

Making choices for hedging and providing good prices

strategic decisions more difficult and quick response

to customers will become difficult as more people are

on opportunities are key. Energy-intensive users are

aware of the dynamic market of power these days with

employing hedging practices to manage price volatility

domestic suppliers getting more active in this market area.

EUA EUR/Tonne

€ 100 € 95 € 90 € 85 € 80 € 75

23 n2 fe 3 b fe 23 b -2 m 3 a rm 23 a ra 23 p ra 23 p r2 m 3 a y m -2 a 3 yju 23 n2 ju 3 nju 23 n2 ju 3 l23 ju l2 a 3 ug a 23 ug se 23 p se 23 p oc 23 t2 oc 3 tno 23 v2 no 3 v23

€ 70

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EUA Traders and Carbon issuers of non-sustainable power

the prices could well be on their way down. This will cause

generation plants have been looking at regulation this

the European regulator to interact once again, as lower

year because there are plans to auction 2024 rights

CO2 (EUA) certificates prices will most likely cause less

to lower prices by the European Union. This plan has

willingness to invest in carbon emissions reductions

been postponed several times but will be effectuated in

throughout Europe. The benefit would be that power

2024 and will provide room for price reduction as many

prices could drop slightly because of gas production

industrial gas users have taken reduction actions already

being less expensive, while taking into consideration

in usage or shutting down due to the high gas prices of

that CO2 (EUA) certificates have less influence than the

2022. Together with the possibility of economic downfall

bottom-line gas price.

SOLAR PRODUCTION NL 2017-2023 MW

4.500 4.000 3.500 3.000 2.500 2.000 1.500 1.000 500

ok t

-1 7 ja n18 ap r18 ju l18 ok t18 ja n19 ap r19 ju l19 ok t19 ja n2 ap 0 r20 ju l20 ok t2 ja 0 n2 ap 1 r21 ju l21 ok t2 ja 1 n2 ap 2 r22 ju l22 ok t2 ja 2 n2 ap 3 r23

-1

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Impact renewables The growth of solar capacity in The Netherlands has

With the recent elections, the outcome will be most

reduced due to the overcapacity against demand in

relevant to the renewable goals set for 2050. Decisions

the Spring and Summer. Congestion in the network has

about new grants for new projects and the feasibility

made it almost impossible to install new large solar

will depend on it as the market at this time allows less

installations as grid operators are struggling with the

room for beneficial investments. This once again could

demand on the grid. New investments need to carry out

cause GO’s (Guarantees of Origin) to go up in price as

by grid operators before the grid network will be able to

more users need to claim the use of renewable energy.

effectively manage the imbalance between renewable

Here the opportunity for signing an PPA (Power Purchase

production and demand. Large new wind production

Agreement) would help to secure long term GO’s that

offshore will produce an additional 40% power against

need to be included in the deal. NGO’s (Non-Governmental

current offshore production when fully commissioned

Organization) are promoting the growth in PPA’s between

in 2025.

end users and producers, improving on new renewable production sites that would not be feasible without the support of a PPA contract.

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Outlook

Economic

Key words have been price volatility, liquidity of volumes

Goldman Sachs reports a positive outlook on 2024 with

and the winter of 2023/2024. But what will the impact be

a potential growth of 7% in Europe, with a growth in

on gas storages, electricity and gas prices? What are the

GDP of 0,9% in 2024 against the expected 0,5% in 2023.

important issues that we can’t control, but that might

To support this, they provide the information that the

have a significant impact for the coming months? The

European Central Bank is delivering interest rate cuts

difficulty is that there might be realistic scenarios to let

in a disinflationary environment. Even if we look at the

gas prices jump above 100 euro/MWh (1 euro/m3) and

bankruptcy numbers that are lower than last year and

power to reach 300 euro/MWh, considering the tension

the expected bankruptcy that did not happen yet, we

on current energy commodity markets. Taken this in

could be on our way up.

consideration it becomes clear that this market provides opportunities. For example, you do not need to combine

Conclusions

energy supply services and commodity sourcing in one

Do not wait for the market to come back to pre-corona

contract in these relatively more volatile times. Try to take

price levels. The risk in the market is high and everyone

a step out of the path walked before the market became

needs to be aware of this. If your business is high energy

like it is today and adjust your strategic decisions. You

intensive, make sure that you mitigate risk and are not

can do this for example by securing prices to make sure

open fully for market uncertainties. Current pricing seems

operations will not be hurt by unexpected events even

to be the new normal level and waiting for prices before

when the market does not seem to be low, as it might

COVID would not make sense at this time as the outlook

become the new normal price for upcoming years.

shows similar price levels as last year. A strategic plan with a 4-5 year horizon on energy will benefit most companies.

Supply

As revenues from energy reduction investments are

In North-West Europe, the supply is dominated by gas

becoming economically more beneficial, it would be

development where in Spring and Summer renewable

smart to invest early in PPA’s, battery capacity or energy

production (both wind and solar combined) give the

reduction optimisations.

opportunity for the best beneficial prices. We have good resources on the supply side. However, the problems are seen on net congestion by capacity availability problems, resulting in limited growth for companies. On the positive side, we seem to manage this without Russian pipeline gas and the new flow of LNG towards Europe has effectively been implemented. With the growth of new LNG terminals throughout Europe and the need to decrease gas usage for sustainability targets, we could be on our way to reach the European targets for cutting carbon emissions.

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STIJN DUTCH DATA CENTER ASSOCIATION

GROVE 116

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THE RISE OF NATIONAL TRADE ASSOCIATIONS: A MARKER OF PROGRESS A decade ago, the landscape of the data center industry,

scrutiny. Associations can lead the way in adopting

particularly in Europe, was markedly different. With only

and advocating for sustainable practices, ensuring the

four national trade associations, the industry was in its

industry’s growth is environmentally responsible.

nascent stages of organization. Fast forward to today, and the picture is strikingly different – we now have 24

The shortage of skilled professionals is another issue

associations in Europe, with others emerging in Africa, the

that transcends borders. Associations can develop

Middle East, the U.S., Brazil, and beyond. This rapid growth

initiatives to attract and train talent, ensuring the industry’s

in national trade associations signals a maturation of the

sustainable growth. Shared educational programs and

industry, but it also highlights a critical need: the necessity

certifications can be established, benefiting from the

of organization and cooperation on a global scale.

collective knowledge and experience of different regions.

Despite geographical and cultural differences,

As data centers become increasingly integral to global

approximately 80% of the challenges and opportunities

infrastructure, they are subject to a growing body of

faced by the data center industry are universal. From the

legislation. This ‘tsunami of new legislation’ requires a

explosive growth in AI and digital infrastructure needs,

coordinated response. National associations can better

to the ongoing energy transition, skill shortages, and

understand and navigate these legal landscapes,

legislative changes, the issues are global. Moreover, the

advocating for regulations that support industry growth

industry often contends with misconceptions and negative

while ensuring compliance and ethical practices.

perceptions. These commonalities underscore the importance of not just forming national trade associations

As we witness an unprecedented wave of digitization and

but also fostering cooperation among them.

the rise of AI, the demand for robust digital infrastructure skyrockets. This trend presents both an opportunity and a

The collective strength of these associations cannot be

challenge. A cooperative approach can foster innovation,

overstated. When these bodies come together, they create

enabling the industry to meet these demands effectively.

a formidable force capable of tackling these pervasive challenges more effectively. By sharing insights, strategies,

The growth of trade associations in the data center

and best practices, they can accelerate progress towards

industry is a positive development. However, the true power

solutions. This collaboration becomes especially crucial

of these organizations lies in their ability to collaborate

when dealing with issues like legislative changes, where

and address the challenges and opportunities that face

a unified voice can significantly influence policy-making.

the industry. By working together, these associations can accelerate the industry’s development, ensuring it meets

One of the most pressing concerns for the data center

the demands of a rapidly digitizing world responsibly and

industry is the energy transition. As the world moves

sustainably. This united approach is not just beneficial; it

towards renewable energy sources, data centers,

is essential for the industry’s future.

notorious for their high energy consumption, are under

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CONNECTIVITY

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INSIGHTS

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TELIA ESTONIA EXPANDS 5G NETWORK TO 75% OF ESTONIAN POPULATION

Telia’s 5G network covered approximately 75 percent of the population of Estonia at the beginning of October, whereas by the end of next year, 5G coverage is planned to expand to nearly 95 percent of the population. Andre Visse, chief technology officer at Telia Estonia,

According to the CTO, the 5G network is developed using

said the company has installed more than 500 5G base

different frequency bands to deliver the potential, quality

stations in Estonia, and expanding the 5G network and

and speeds enabled by 5G to customers in rural and

increasing its density is now one of the main priorities for

urban areas alike.

the company. During 2023, Telia has installed nearly 175 5G stations at various locations across Estonia.

“Different frequencies have different propagation characteristics, and when combined in the right way,

“At present, Telia’s 5G coverage area covers about three

the result is a high-quality network with a good user

quarters of the Estonian population, and we have covered

experience”, he said, adding that the Telia operations in

about 60 percent of the country’s territory with 5G. As we

different countries are working together to develop 5G

are constantly expanding the 5G network, these numbers

networks. Visse added that already in the near future, the

are rising every week”, Visse said in a press release.

company plans to open the first ultra-fast over-the-air home internet pilot area, which has the technical

To build the 5G network, Telia has so far used four different

prerequisites to start offering download speeds of more

frequency bands: 700 megahertz, 2,100 megahertz, 3,500

than 1 gigabit per second in the future.

megahertz and 26 gigahertz. In the 26-gigahertz band, Telia clocked in a new 5G network speed record at 2.2 gigabits per second during download.

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6G FLAGSHIP TEAM EVALUATES STARLINK’S PERFORMANCE IN FINLAND

A recent study led by the 6G Flagship programme at the University of Oulu set out to gauge the effectiveness of Starlink’s satellite internet service in Finland’s rural and remote areas.

the rates dipped to around 65 Mbps

Covering a geographical stretch

in more wooded settings. Uplink

from Oulu to Suomussalmi on the

speeds ranged between 15 and 40

eastern border, the team aimed

Mbps. Connection times were also

to determine whether Starlink

reasonable, varying from under 10

could provide reliable internet

minutes to a maximum of 15 minutes.

connectivity in typical Finnish

This is an important consideration

cottages.

given Starlink’s relatively sparse

Overall, the study suggests that

satellite coverage over Finland.

Starlink could serve as a reliable

For the study, the team chose a

internet option for Finland’s rural and

mix of locations, from open fields to

The study encountered a limitation

remote regions, with some caveats.

wooded areas. It’s worth noting that

near the Russian border, where the

While the service offers robust data

the selected wooded areas were not

connection failed. This occurred

rates, these can be affected by

densely forested, and the trees were

because Starlink does not serve

environmental factors like forest

relatively small.

Russian territory, and the beams

density. Additionally, the time needed

intended for this area also cover

to establish a connection remains

Starlink performed well in most test

parts of Finland, causing the service

within acceptable parameters, even

locations, delivering downlink data

to be unavailable.

with Finland’s lower satellite coverage.

rates exceeding 100 Mbps. However,

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ATNORTH BUILDS NEW 30MW DATA CENTER IN DENMARK

atNorth has announced its expansion into Denmark with a new state-of-the-art data center in Ballerup, Greater Copenhagen. The first phase will go live in Q4 2024 following a swift 12 month build. The site, called DEN01, will be atNorth’s ninth data center and marks its presence in four of the five Nordic countries. When fully built, DEN01 will be capable of providing 30MW capacity for high performance workloads and is located on a sizable plot to allow atNorth to scale effectively with client demand. It will also be ISO27001 and ISO14001 compliant and will adhere to Tier 3 standards. The new site will benefit from Denmark’s cool climate and good connections to mainland Europe and is strategically located near the waste and energy company Vestforbrænding, which currently supplies district heating to the equivalent of 70,000 households. It will be able to utilize the data center’s heat recycling technology, which could potentially supply heat to thousands of Ballerup citizens once complete. The announcement of another significant build evidences atNorth’s substantial growth strategy and supports its ambition to meet the increasing demand for cost-effective, high performance computing services whilst embracing energy efficiency and sustainability. “Our data center locations are very carefully selected in order to adhere to our stringent requirements for scalability and energy efficiency,” states Eyjólfur Magnús Kristinsson (atNorth’s CEO). “We are delighted to invest in Denmark’s data center market and expand our facilities into the country at a time when the demand for high performance digital infrastructure is continually increasing.”

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NOKIA AND MILA BRING 10G BROADBAND TO ICELAND WITH FIBER NETWORK UPGRADE

Nokia announced it has been selected as the sole supplier by Mila to upgrade its fiber network to support new multi-gigabit services for more than 60,000 customers across Iceland. Nokia’s multi-PON solution will initially be deployed in the capital city of Reykjavik before being expanded to other cities and regions. As Iceland’s leading telecommunications provider, Mila has built an extensive access network that connects nearly every company and household in the country. Currently more than 90% of the homes have access to 1Gb/s internet services. However the growth of homeworking, gaming, enterprise applications and the digital economy is pushing the need for new multi-gigabit services. Leveraging Nokia’s multi-PON fiber broadband solution, Mila will establish a future-ready network that is capable of addressing growing consumer demand for more capacity and enhanced broadband services. The deployment, which includes the upgrade of existing Nokia fiber access nodes and optical line terminals, will be completed in 2024 Nokia’s fiber access solution is powered by its Quillion chipset, which currently supports three generations of PON technologies including GPON, XGS-PON and 25G PON. With Nokia’s Quillion chipset at the heart of the solution, Mila will be able to quickly upgrade its network to the next generation PON technology when it wants to add more capacity. It will also help Mila lower its power consumption by 50% and establish a smaller carbon footprint due to energy efficiency gains that help reduce operational expenses.

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ISABELLE SWEDISH DATA CENTER INDUSTRY

KEMLIN 124

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ICE DATACENTER: A HOTSPOT FOR DATA CENTER RESEARCH AND INNOVATION Data centers are the backbone of the digital economy,

Examples of performed projects with hands-on tests built

and the heart of the digital infrastructure. The tremendous

in the test-facility are:

growth of digital services and products, even more so with the entrance of generative AI, create a need for a

•

WeDistrict project: The objective was to show a

robust and reliable digital infrastructure, which also is

recovery process using liquid cooling and a fuel cell

built for being efficient and sustainable. The increasing

and in addition, use the electricity from the fuel cell

energy consumption, environmental impact, security,

to run the datacenter.

and scalability are some of the challenges to address.

•

Developing the most energy and cost-efficient data

Therefore, data center research and innovation are

center in the world. Holistic cooling was used to reach

essential and require collaboration between different

a PUE of 1,015.

stakeholders, such as academia, industry, and public

•

sector.

Designing controllable server dampers to enable load balancing and turning off servers for holistic cooling.

• In Sweden, one of the leading countries in sustainable data center development and operations, there is a

chassis hybrid air and on-chip liquid cooling solution. •

unique test-facility that fosters such collaboration: the ICE Datacenter. ICE stands for Infrastructure and Cloud

Developing edge hardware and software node designs and testing it in a 5G network.

•

research & test Environment and is a part of the stately owned RISE - Research Institutes of Sweden.

Testing performance and evaluate design of a closed

Evaluating cooling performance of dielectric liquids in immersion cooling of servers.

•

Developing automation of a network of edge nodes

The ICE Datacenter, located in Luleå near the Meta site in

looking at availability, robustness, optimization and

northern Sweden, is a state-of-the-art data center facility

reliability.

that offers a platform for testing and experimenting with

•

data center solutions, edge computing, cloud applications,

Study challenges with data centers in the arctic region. Showed solutions for heat reuse & operations.

and data analytics. The facility covers an area of 1000 square meters. It is possible to simulate different power

Hundreds of tests have been performed with over one

and cooling scenarios as well as renewable energy

hundred cooperation partners. This allows for a holistic

sources, waste heat recovery, air-, liquid and on-chip

and integrated approach to data center innovation,

cooling.

as well as a close collaboration between researchers, developers, and end-users.

The ICE Datacenter, which was founded in 2016, is open for customers and partners from all over the world, who can use it for their own tests and innovations or join the ongoing projects and activities that are carried out by RISE. Some of the partners are Ericsson, Meta, Vattenfall, Vertiv and BP Castrol.

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Event

TOUCHDOWN MIDDLE EAST Last November, the first edition of Touchdown Middle East brought industry leaders, C-level executives and operators together in the Kingdom of Bahrein.

ARTICLE WRITTEN BY PIM KOKKE

The Touchdown Middle East conference offered more than

was the market growth of the Gulf Cooperation Council

300 attendees the opportunity to gain region-wide insight

(Bahrein, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United

into the latest trends, developments, and opportunities in

Arab Emirates). For example, the capacity in the region

the data centre market through keynote speeches from

that is currently installed is around 400MW. Furthermore,

industry experts, panel discussions from leading voices

the rise in investments and conducive policies of the

and ample business development opportunities.

countries support the assumption of the data center growth in the region.

The event, which is developed by the Gulf Data Centre Association (GDCA) and Digital Gateway to Europe (the organization behind the Kickstart Europe Conference). One of the major takeaways from Touchdown Middle East

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We have highlighted the must-visit events for the data center, cloud and connectivity industry. For the Guide, we have ranked the events by using the following categories:

TIER 1 The ones you must vist this year. These events (multiple days) attracts C-level executives and industry leaders with a focus on strategtic key developments, investments and more.

TIER 2 National events that are focused on a specific themes (e.g. ESG, Telecom, Cloud) and attract a broad audience from the European Digital Infrastructure market.

TIER 3 Local, mostly one day, events that attracts primarly local audience that live near event venue. Furthermore, these events have specified topics.

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1 DAY EVENT TIER 3

1 DAY EVENT - COLOCATION STRATEGIES TIER 3

25-01-2024 - BRUSSELS

21-03-2024 - WARSAW

2 DAY EVENT - DATA CENTERS, CLOUD, CONNECTIVITY TIER 1

2 DAY EVENT - ESG TIER 2

26-02-2024 - AMSTERDAM

17-04-2024 - REYKJAVIK

4 DAY EVENT - CONNECTIVITY TIER 2

1 DAY EVENT - DATA CENTER SUSTAINABILITY TIER 3

26-02-2024 - BARCELONA

17-04-2024 - MILAN

1 DAY EVENT - CONNECTIVITY TIER 3

2 DAY EVENT - DATA CENTERS, CLOUD, CONNECTIVITY TIER 1

27-02-2024 - GENT

10-06-2024 - BRUSSELS

2 DAY EVENT - DIGITAL INFRASTRUCTURE TIER 2

1 DAY EVENT - DATA CENTER SUSTAINABILITY TIER 3

06-03-2024 - LONDON

30-04-2024 - COPENHAGEN

1 DAY EVENT TIER 3

1 DAY EVENT - 5G, AI & DATA CENTERS TIER 3

14-03-2024 - BRUSSELS

14-05-2024 - DUBAI

2 DAY EVENT - DIGITAL INFRASTRUCTURE TIER 1

3 DAY EVENT - BROADBAND & CONNECTIVITY TIER 2

18-03-2024 - NEW YORK

14-05-2024 - COLOGNE

4 DAY EVENT - CLOUD TIER 2

5 DAY EVENT - IT & TECH TIER 2

18-03-2024 - RUST (GERMANY)

16-05-2024 - LEUVEN

CHANNEL AWARDS

DATA CENTER NATION

KICKSTART EUROPE CONFERENCE

DATACLOUD ESG SUMMIT 2024

MOBILE WORLD CONGRESS

DATA CENTER NATION

FITCE.BE

DIGITALX

DATA CENTRE WORLD (DCW) LONDON

DATA CENTERS DENMARK

ESGCT

DATA CENTER NATION

DCD CONNECT

ANGA COM

CLOUDFEST

FLANDERS TECHNOLOGY

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2 DAY EVENT - DATA CENTER INDUSTRY SUPPLY CHAIN TIER 2

5 DAY EVENT - DIGITAL INFRASTRUCTURE TIER 1

21-05-2024 - MADRID

OCTOBER 2024 - PARIS

INFRAWEEK

DCD CONNECT

2 DAY EVENT - DIGITAL INFRASTRUCTURE TIER 2

2 DAY EVENT - CYBERSECURITY TIER 2

22-05-2024 - FRANKFURT

OCTOBER 2024 - THE HAGUE

DATA CENTRE WORLD (DCW) FRANKFURT

ONE CONFERENCE

2 DAY EVENT - CYBERSECURITY TIER 3

3 DAY EVENT - TELECOM TIER 2

29-05-2024 - BRUSSELS

OCTOBER 2024 - PARIS

CYBERSEC EUROPE

NETWORK X

1 DAY EVENT TIER 1

2 DAY EVENT - DATA CENTERS, CLOUD, CONNECTIVITY TIER 1

30-05-2024 - BRUSSELS

NOVEMBER 2024 - BAHREIN

TOUCHDOWN MIDDLE EAST

DNAFE

3 DAY EVENT - DATA CENTERS, CLOUD, CONNECTIVITY TIER 1

2 DAY EVENT - DATA CENTERS TIER 2

03-06-2024 - CANNES

NOVEMBER 2024 - DUBLIN

DATACENTRES IRELAND

DATACLOUD GLOBAL CONGRESS 2024

2 DAY EVENT - DATA CENTER INDUSTRY SUPPLY CHAIN TIER 1

2 DAY EVENT - DIGITAL INFRASTRUCTURE TIER 2

17-09-2024- LONDON

27-11-2024- PARIS

2 DAY EVENT - ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE TIER 2

1 DAY EVENT - DC INVESTMENTS & REGULATION TIER 3

01-10-2024 - AMSTERDAM

DECEMBER 2024 - RIYADH

DCD CONNECT

DATA CENTRE WORLD (DCW) PARIS

AI & BIG DATA EXPO

DATA CENTER NATION

1 DAY EVENT - DATA CENTER SUSTAINABILITY TIER 3

GREEN DATA CENTER CONFERENCE & FIBER TRADE DAY

OCTOBER 2024 - NETHERLANDS

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CONNECTIVITY | DATA CENTER | CLOUD

THE ANNUAL EUROPEAN STRATEGY & NETWORKING SUMMIT

FEBRUARY 26 & 27 AMSTERDAM RAI For more info visit: www.kickstartconf.eu