Insight Type: Press

Datum partners with Bryt Energy - 100% renewable electricity for its data centres

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The announcement

18 April 2024, Farnborough – Datum Datacentres, a sustainable enterprise grade data centre and colocation provider with facilities in Farnborough and Manchester, has partnered with Bryt Energy to provide zero carbon, 100% renewable electricity for its facilities.

About Bryt Energy

Bryt Energy, part of the Statkraft group – a leading international hydropower company and Europe’s largest generator of renewable energy – is a zero carbon, 100% renewable electricity supplier to British businesses (compared to the UK average of 40.8% of electricity from renewable sources).

The firm’s zero carbon, 100% renewable fuel mix currently comprises 76.4% from wind power, 21.2% from solar power, and 2.4% from hydro power. Bryt Energy’s products have been audited and verified by an independent third party, EcoAct, who have certified that their electricity supply is backed by guarantee of origin certificates (REGOs). This means that Datum Datacentres can report its electricity consumption (Scope 2) as zero carbon under the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol market-based method.

These REGOs demonstrate that Datum has procured renewable electricity to match its consumption volumes supplied via the National Grid transmission network and local distribution networks. This is currently the only official method for recognising renewable electricity supply in the UK, as mandated and operated by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero – and Ofgem.

The partnership

Datum Datacentres provides enterprise grade colocation through its network of sustainable, carrier neutral data centres. A platform for digital transformation, the firm works with its ecosystem of partners to provide solutions that support long-term business growth whilst helping clients to achieve their ESG goals. Datum is backed by UBS Asset Management after being acquired by UBS Asset Management (UBS-AM) Real Estate & Private Markets (REPM) in 2021.

Part of the Statkraft group, Bryt Energy provides British businesses with zero carbon, 100% renewable electricity, sourced solely from solar, wind and hydro power. Through pioneering products and services, they empower businesses to create value from their electricity usage by optimising their consumption and challenging the way they interact with the electricity system.

About Datum Datacentres

Datum Datacentres provides enterprise grade colocation through its network of sustainable, carrier neutral data centres. A platform for digital transformation, the firm works with its ecosystem of partners to provide solutions that support long-term business growth whilst helping clients to achieve their ESG goals. Backed by UBS Asset Management, Datum acquired Manchester data centre provider, Teledata, in 2022. The Datum Group’s data centre portfolio consists of two built and operational data centres (FRN1 in Farnborough and MCR1 in Manchester) with two further facilities in the pipeline (FRN2 and MCR2). The firm’s secure and resilient facilities are trusted by an impressive and growing client list of organisations from the private and public sectors, serving vertical markets from finance and insurance through IT security services, defence, and engineering, and including companies from the FTSE 250 and Fortune 500.  

www.datum.co.uk

Media contact:
Anna Nicholls 
Group Head of Marketing 
anna.nicholls@datum.co.uk 
T: 0161 498 1200 
M: 07598 790 468 

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Councillor Akbar visits site of new data centre development in Wythenshawe

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The new data centre facility

Datum Datacentres, formerly Teledata, is investing £30 Million into a new data centre facility which will harness heat re-use capabilities to support the local community. The site was visited by Councillor Rabnawaz Akbar, Executive Member for Finance and Resources at Manchester City Council, and Labour Member for Rusholme Ward. Also present were Matt Edgley (Chief Operating Officer for Datum Datacentres) and Andrew Morris (Managing Director and Head of Infrastructure Equity at UBS Asset Management, who acquired Datum Datacentres in 2021.

About the new data centre facility

26 March 2024, Manchester – Datum Datacentres welcomed Councillor Rabnawaz Akbar, Executive Member for Finance and Resources at Manchester City Council and Labour Member for Rusholme Ward, to the site of the firm’s new facility in Wythenshawe. The £30 Million project will see Datum build a new data centre which will harness the waste heat that is created by the facility for conditioning, reuse and delivery to local projects in the Wythenshawe area.

The new data centre will be situated in the heart of the Wythenshawe Civic Centre which is earmarked for regeneration. Joined by techUK earlier this month, the firm hosted a round table event which saw industry representatives from across Manchester come together with council members to discuss the important role that data centres play in the tech ecosystem, the opportunities provided by data centres for Manchester and how the sector can support new industries in the North West’s digital economy.

Sustainability initiatives

The new data centre (MCR2) is being developed next door to Datum’s existing Manchester facility and the most up to date sustainability best practices and standards are being embedded across all parts of the build process, from design to implementation.

The system is being designed so that heat exchangers can be used to transfer the thermal load of the data centre cooling loop to a local community heating network via a heat pump system, which will also reduce the amount of energy needed to deliver the required data centre cooling operation.

The facility will be powered using clean energy from renewable sources with green certificates and solar PV roof panels. The PV system will generate over 83,000 kWh/yr with a CO2 emissions reduction of over 7.4 tonnes annually.

Datum's financial backing

Datum is backed by UBS Asset Management after being acquired by UBS Asset Management (UBS-AM) Real Estate & Private Markets (REPM) in 2021. Providing sustainable, enterprise grade colocation to businesses across the UK through its network of purpose-built, highly secure, highly connected carrier neutral data centres, Datum works to support the responsible long-term growth of its clients.

About Datum Datacentres

Datum Datacentres provides enterprise grade colocation through its network of sustainable, carrier neutral data centres. A platform for digital transformation, the firm works with its ecosystem of partners to provide solutions that support long-term business growth whilst helping clients to achieve their ESG goals. Backed by UBS Asset Management, Datum acquired Manchester data centre provider, Teledata, in 2022. The Datum Group’s data centre portfolio consists of two built and operational data centres (FRN1 in Farnborough and MCR1 in Manchester) with two further facilities in the pipeline (FRN2 and MCR2). The firm’s secure and resilient facilities are trusted by an impressive and growing client list of organisations from the private and public sectors, serving vertical markets from finance and insurance through IT security services, defence, and engineering, and including companies from the FTSE 250 and Fortune 500.
www.datum.co.uk

Media contact:
Anna Nicholls
Group Head of Marketing
anna.nicholls@datum.co.uk
T: 0161 498 1200
M: 07598 790 468

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Heat re-use at Datum's Manchester site

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Datum is harnessing heat re-use capabilities in the development of its new Manchester data centre as part of project to maximise efficiencies and uphold ESG principles.

Datum has announced that its new Manchester data centre is being developed with heat re-use capabilities as part of the company’s wider sustainability strategy. The scheme will see the new facility harness waste heat for conditioning, reuse and delivery to local projects in the Wythenshawe area of Manchester.

The system is being designed so that heat exchangers can be used to transfer the thermal load of the data centre cooling loop to a local community heating network via a heat pump system, which will also reduce the amount of energy needed to deliver the required data centre cooling operation, therefore providing a double benefit. The new facility is targeting a PUE of 1.2.

The new data centre (MCR2) is being developed next door to Datum’s existing Manchester facility and the most up to date sustainability best practices and standards are being embedded across all parts of the build process, from design to implementation.

The facility will be powered using clean energy from renewable sources with green certificates and solar PV roof panels. The PV system will generate over 83,000 kWh/yr with a CO2 emissions reduction of over 7.4 tonnes annually. A chilled water-cooling system with free cooling technology will be adopted and renewable HVO (hydrogenated vegetable oil) biofuels will fuel the emergency generators. The new data centre has been specifically designed to handle an external ambient temperature of 40+°C, to help mitigate climate change risks related to extreme heat.

The new site involves demolishing an existing building and designing a newer, more modern, energy efficient facility. This was determined to be the most environmentally efficient solution to support expansion. During construction, materials will be sourced from local suppliers wherever possible. The works will avoid nighttime and high traffic hours to minimise noise impact. The waste management program will ensure that all waste from the demolished building is handled efficiently and recycled where possible. The project also includes a biodiversity plan to protect nature and reverse the degradation of ecosystems.

The project is expected to support jobs for 15 full time employees including suppliers, and the data centre facility will offer over 50,000 sq ft of enterprise-grade colocation space with 2N power redundancy, 100% 24/7 uptime, ISO27001 certification and NSI Gold Approved BS5979 security.

About Datum

Datum Datacentres provides enterprise grade colocation through its network of sustainable, carrier neutral data centres. A platform for digital transformation, the firm works with its ecosystem of partners to provide solutions that support long-term business growth whilst helping clients to achieve their ESG goals. Backed by UBS Asset Management, Datum acquired Manchester data centre provider, Teledata, in 2022. The Datum Group’s data centre portfolio consists of two built and operational data centres (FRN1 in Farnborough and MCR1 in Manchester) with two further facilities in the pipeline (FRN2 and MCR2). The firm’s secure and resilient facilities are trusted by an impressive and growing client list of organisations from the private and public sectors, serving vertical markets from finance and insurance through IT security services, defence, and engineering, and including companies from the FTSE 250 and Fortune 500.

Media contact:
Anna Nicholls
Head of Marketing
anna.nicholls@datum.co.uk
T: 0161 498 1200
D: 0161 499 6107
M: 07598 790 468

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Datum installs high efficiency free cooling chillers

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High efficiency free cooling chillers to save water and reduce power consumption

The new chillers have replaced the firm’s previous adiabatic cooling system as part of a lifecycle replacement project. The firm predicts it will decrease water usage by up to 70% in a project which forms part of its sustainability strategy.

Progress on the company's sustainability strategy

Datum Datacentres, an enterprise grade colocation provider with facilities in the south east and north west, has installed a high efficiency free cooling chiller system at its Farnborough facility to reduce water and energy consumption as part of its sustainability strategy.

The new technology will utilise ‘through wall’ recirculating airflow topology, enabling flexible rack power densities for clients. High efficiency free cooling chillers with optimised controls will leverage free cooling capacity and dynamic set points. The chillers use EC (Electronically Commutated) fans, inverter-driven motors and electronic expansion valves to reduce power consumption and improve control at part loads.

This new system supports the required water management criterion of Datum’s sustainability plan, and the firm expects to see a 70% reduction in water usage.

The project was undertaken by critical environment specialists, Keysource – one of the world’s leading specialists in critical environments.

About Datum

Datum Datacentres provides enterprise grade colocation through its network of sustainable, carrier neutral data centres. A platform for digital transformation, the firm works with its ecosystem of partners to provide solutions that support long-term business growth whilst helping clients to achieve their ESG goals. Backed by UBS Asset Management, Datum acquired Manchester data centre provider, Teledata, in 2022. The Datum Group’s data centre portfolio consists of two built and operational data centres (FRN1 in Farnborough and MCR1 in Manchester) with two further facilities in the pipeline (FRN2 and MCR2). The firm’s secure and resilient facilities are trusted by an impressive and growing client list of organisations from the private and public sectors, serving vertical markets from finance and insurance through IT security services, defence, and engineering, and including companies from the FTSE 250 and Fortune 500.

Media contact:
Anna Nicholls
Head of Marketing
anna.nicholls@datum.co.uk
T: 0161 498 1200
D: 0161 499 6107
M: 07598 790 468

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Datum Datacentres announces completion of new data hall at its flagship London edge data centre

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Farnborough, UK 19 July 2023

As part of a £7 million investment, a major expansion project has been completed at Datum’s flagship Farnborough data centre (FRN1).

The design and build activities were carried out by Keysource, a global critical environment specialist and Datum’s infrastructure partner since Datum’s inception in 2013. Since designing and building Datum’s leading-edge Farnborough data centre facility, Keysource has been integral to all upgrade and development projects throughout Datum’s growth.

About the new data hall

The new data hall – Hall 4 – provides 380 rack positions, a cooling infrastructure for 1000kW of IT load with N+1 resilience, and a power infrastructure for 1000kW of IT load with 2N resilience. This extra capacity comes at a time when many companies are struggling to find data centre capacity due to the increase in demand for digital services, cloud computing and data storage.

Hall 4 has been designed to deliver efficiency and support net zero targets, including:

  • the use of sustainable Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) in the backup generators;
  • an optimised cooling solution;
  • lithium-ion batteries in the UPS system for longer battery life and the removal of the need for additional cooling.

Datum became the Datum Group in 2022 with its acquisition of leading Manchester-based colocation provider Teledata as part of its regional expansion strategy. The completion of Hall 4 at FRN1 is a precursor to an even larger design and build project that will be commencing soon at Datum’s Farnborough and Manchester sites. Datum Group will build new data centre facilities at both locations in the coming year. FRN2 in Farnborough will provide 600 footprints on the ground floor with scope to double this capacity on the first floor. MCR2 at the Teledata site in Manchester will offer up to 1,000 new server racks.

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Datum wins prestigious Megabuyte award - the ultimate quality benchmark for UK technology companies

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Farnborough, UK 20 March 2023

Datum Datacentres has won the prestigious Megabuyte ‘Best Performing Company – IT Managed Services’ Emerging Stars award at this year’s Megabuyte100 awards. This was Datum’s third nomination for a Megabuyte award, and the company’s first win.

About the Megabuyte awards

The Megabuyte Emerging Stars awards are part of the Megabuyte100 award series, which collectively celebrates the 100 best performing technology companies in the UK. The Emerging Stars awards recognise the 25 best-performing, scale-up technology companies within the Megabuyte100 winning company universe.

Companies’ performance is determined by their Megabuyte Scorecard rating – a proprietary, and wholly independent benchmarking methodology that assesses companies’ performance against five key financial KPIs.

The rigour of the Megabuyte Scorecard methodology, combined with a specific focus on technology companies, have made Megabuyte’s award series the most influential and authoritative awards in the UK technology sector.

Datum’s win this time around sees its ranking increase to fourth out of 25 in Megabuyte’s list of the UK’s 25 best-performing scale-up technology companies. Previous nominations in 2020 (‘Best Performing Company – Data Centre & Hosting Services’) and 2022 (‘Best Performing Company – IT Managed Services’) saw final rankings of seventeenth and eighth respectively.

Datum was acquired by UBS Asset Management in 2021, giving the company the financial backing to embark on its regional expansion strategy. This led to Datum’s acquisition of Manchester-based colocation facility Teledata in September 2022, creating the Datum Group with colocation facilities in the two most economically active regions of the UK.

About Datum Datacentres

Datum Datacentres provides enterprise grade colocation through its network of sustainable, carrier neutral data centres. A platform for digital transformation, the firm works with its ecosystem of partners to provide solutions that support long-term business growth whilst helping clients to achieve their ESG goals. Backed by UBS Asset Management, Datum acquired Manchester data centre provider, Teledata, in 2022. The Datum Group’s data centre portfolio consists of two built and operational data centres (FRN1 in Farnborough and MCR1 in Manchester) with two further facilities in the pipeline (FRN2 and MCR2). The firm’s secure and resilient facilities are trusted by an impressive and growing client list of organisations from the private and public sectors, serving vertical markets from finance and insurance through IT security services, defence, and engineering, and including companies from the FTSE 250 and Fortune 500.

About Megabuyte

Megabuyte analyses the financial and corporate strategy of early stage, scale-up and mid-market companies in the UK tech and digital sectors, providing data, insights and expert analyst opinion on individual companies, their peer groups and broader sector trends. The proprietary nature of their content, unavailable through other data or information providers, its independence, and its focus on actionable insights have made Megabuyte an indispensable resource for over 3,000 of the sector’s leading CxOs, investors and advisers.

www.megabuyte.com

Media contact:

Anna Nicholls
Datum Group Marketing Manager
anna.nicholls@datum.co.uk
T: 0161 498 1200
M: 07598 790 468

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UBS Asset Management acquires Datum Datacentres

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London, 14 September 2021

UBS Asset Management (UBS-AM) Real Estate & Private Markets (REPM) today announces the acquisition of Datum Datacentres in Farnborough. The transaction represents a 100% acquisition of the company and will allow UBS REPM to pursue site expansion and opportunities to develop the successful business into a broader platform.

This is UBS REPM’s second infrastructure data transaction of 2021, having previously financed a facility in the re-purposed Lefdal olivine mine in western Norway in May 2021.

UBS REPM was advised on the transaction by Arup, Pinsent Masons, Quantuma and Eight Advisory. Datum was advised on the transaction by Grant Thornton and Travers Smith.

About the acquisition

The existing capacity is largely contracted by a diverse range of occupiers, including large public and enterprise sector clients and managed IT service providers – many of which hold long-term contracts. The current facility is being expanded to provide additional capacity to clients and there is also potential to develop an additional facility on-site. The site is highly secure, with an equivalent resilience specification to Tier 3+ under Uptime Institute classifications. The facility also boasts strong ESG credentials, with market-leading energy efficiency, as well as using 100% renewable energy alongside an active carbon-offsetting programme:

Transaction represents 100% acquisition of Datum Datacentres, a datacentre operator located in London Edge site Farnborough, South West of London

Datum Datacentres operates a fully-contracted brownfield facility with potential for further capacity expansion on site and development of a multi-site platform

Datum demonstrates strong ESG credentials – market-leading power usage effectiveness (PUE), and 100% use of renewable energy and carbon offsetting

Media contacts

Headland Consultancy
UBSREPM@Headlandconsultancy.com
+44 (0)78 2655 0797

UBS Asset Management
Krystal Miller – ol-am-mediarelations@ubs.com+44 (0)20 7901 5537

Press contact

Anna Nicholls
Datum Group Marketing Manager
anna.nicholls@datum.co.uk
T: 0161 498 1200
M: 07598 790 468

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