Data Center News Roundup: Brookfield Snaps Up Cyxtera Assets, AI Declaration Signed

With data center news moving faster than ever, we want to make it easy for industry professionals to cut through the noise and find the most important stories of the week. 

The Data Center Knowledge News Roundup brings you the latest news and developments across the data center industry – from investments and mergers to security threats and industry trends. 

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Changing Hands 

Following weeks of speculation, Canadian asset management firm Brookfield has confirmed it will acquire most of the assets of bankrupt data center firm Cyxtera Technologies for $775 million. 

The Toronto-based firm signed a deal to buy the real estate at which seven of Cyxtera's US data centers are located from several landlords, according to a statement this week. The transaction includes Brookfield buying assets from Digital Realty Trust and Digital Core REIT. 

"We are pleased to reach this agreement with Brookfield, which represents a favorable path forward for our customers, partners, and employees," said Cyxtera CEO Nelson Fonseca. 

Cyxtera also signed an agreement to sell its business in its Montreal and Vancouver data centers to Cologix. 

Related:What Is Data Center PUE? Defining Power Usage Effectiveness

In other high-profile business news this week, Singapore's financial regulator is set to direct DBS Group Holdings to take further steps to resolve a spate of digital banking service outages. 

As previously reported in Data Center Knowledge, a technical issue at an Equinix data center on October 14 left DBS customers unable to withdraw funds. Singapore's financial regulator says it expects banks to have contractual agreements with data center providers that incorporate its requirements on system availability.  

AI Flashpoint

Artificial intelligence (AI) continued to dominate the global headlines this week, as governments from six continents finally agreed to a broad road map to limit the risks and harness the benefits of the technology. 

Coming together in the UK's Bletchley Park, the symbolic birthplace of the digital era, global adversaries the US and China hashed out a series of guiding principles with the European Union and 25 other nations. 

The so-called 'Bletchley Declaration' aims to support "internationally inclusive" research on the most advanced future AI models and help prevent risks ranging from disinformation to the potential for "catastrophic harm either deliberate or unintentional." 

The signing of the declaration came just days after US President Joe Biden signed an executive order on AI that establishes standards for security and privacy protections and requires developers to safety-test new models – casting it as necessary regulation for the emerging technology. 

Related:What Is Technical Debt? Definitions, Examples, and More

"To realize the promise of AI and avoid the risk, we need to govern this technology," Biden said at a White House event this week, detailing his most significant action yet on a technology whose practical applications and public use have skyrocketed in recent months. 

In With the New 

The stream of new data center developments continued at pace this week, with DC Blox announcing the purchase and commencement of construction of a new campus in Douglasville, Georgia. 

Designed to meet demanding hyperscale requirements, the $1.2 billion data center campus will feature 12 data halls, totaling 750,000 sq.ft of gross space on 55 acres. 180 MW of power has been committed for the campus, with initial customer move-in expected in mid-2025. 

Staying in Georgia, DataBank said it had acquired nearly 100 acres of land in Atlanta for a new data center campus. The site is located within a half-mile of the existing 18 acres DataBank already owns nearby, and upon which it is constructing its ATL4 facility.  

The company is also planning on expanding its facilities in Bluffdale, Utah, and Dallas, Texas. 

The Peach State featured in data center headlines once again this week after it was announced that Microsoft will invest $1 billion in a data center campus in Rome, Georgia.

The data center will support the company's cloud technologies and Azure business.  

In Latin America, meanwhile, online gambling firm Continent8 Technologies is planning on cutting the ribbon on a new data center in Curaçao.  

According to the company, the "strategic site expansion" comes on the heels of numerous initiatives set out by the Curaçao Gaming Control Board, including revising the licensing procedure for operators on the island. 

Digital infrastructure company Cirion Technologies has announced the expansion of its data center complex in São Paulo, Brazil with a new 3,600 sq.m building. According to the company, the expansion of the SAO1 complex allows Cirion to continue supporting the demands of diverse hyperscalers, carriers, and content providers. 

And in Asia, real estate private equity firm Gaw Capital Partners has entered into a strategic partnership with Sinar Primera for the development of a data center in Batam, Indonesia. 

The data center campus in Nongsa Digital Park "will enable the near-shoring strategy for data center operators based in Singapore and fortify the digital bridge' that connects Singapore and Indonesia," the companies said. 

For more of the latest data center developments, check out our November roundup. 

Open Source Data Center Challenge 

OpenUK has partnered with the United Nations (UN) to launch the 'Patchwork Kilt' challenge, a worldwide competition that's aimed at stimulating innovation in the field of open source sustainability solutions for data centers. 

Running from October 10 to November 11, participants in the Patchwork Kilt data center challenge can make open source contributions across numerous different fields for developing carbon-neutral solutions for data centers. 

The winning contributor will be invited to present their solution at OpenUK's State of Open Con 24 on February 6-7, 2024. 

Other Great Reads on DCK This Week 

New Data Center Developments: November 2023. We look at some of the latest data center developments that have been announced over the past month. 

How the Right Data Center Floor Can Improve Efficiency, Reliability. The right floor can have a significant impact on energy efficiency, among other things. Here's how you can optimize your data center's floor design and construction. 

Think Tank Urges US to Get Even Stricter With China Over Chips. China is building up a massive production capacity of foundational chips, which are widely used in smartphones and data centers. 

Atom Computing Quantum Computer Breaks 1,000-Qubit Barrier. The array sets a new record for universal gate-based quantum computers. 

AI Powers Growth of Big 3 Public Cloud Providers. Even with the current economic challenges, Amazon, Google, and Microsoft are optimistic, thanks in no small part to the power of generative AI.