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Data Center News Roundup: Billion-Dollar Deals, New Construction Updates
In this week’s top data center news, DigitalBridge will acquire Yondr Group, and hydrogen power takes center stage.
James Walker
November 1, 2024
4 Min Read
Source: Alamy
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.
To keep up to date with all things data centers, subscribe to the Data Center Knowledge newsletter to get content straight to your inbox.
Business Headlines
High-profile data center deals continue to surge as the year draws to a close. This week, DigitalBridge announced it had agreed to buy British data center developer and operator Yondr Group as the investment firm seeks to profit from the boom in artificial intelligence. Financial terms of the deal weren’t disclosed.
Elsewhere, investment firm KKR has formed a $50 billion strategic partnership with Energy Capital Partners to support AI growth. The collaboration aims to accelerate the development of data center power and transmission infrastructure for the rapid expansion of AI and cloud computing globally.
Third-quarter earnings have started to pull through for data center and blue-chip tech companies, with Intel and Amazon highlighting their key financial updates.
Intel’s stock surged as the company forecasted a stronger-than-expected Q4 revenue, signaling optimism in its turnaround efforts. Amazon’s Q3 results also exceeded expectations, with revenue climbing 11% to $158.9 billion.
According to a new research paper (PDF) from DoubleLine, now is a good time to buy asset-backed securities linked to data centers, as the industry supports the technologies that are now “critical to people's everyday lives.”
Breaking Ground
Vantage Data Centers made the headlines in Ohio this week by breaking ground on a 192 MW campus outside Columbus. The OH1 campus is Vantage’s first in the Midwest. The news came as Microsoft was reported to be spending $1 billion to build multiple data centers near Columbus.
In other news, Cologix has secured $1.5 billion in capital through a combination of debt and equity financing to fuel its next phase of growth, and GDS has raised $1 billion for data center operations outside China.
In India, data center firm RackBank has started construction of “India's first state-of-the-art, purpose-built AI data center.” According to the company, the facility will be capable of housing 60,000 GPUs with 80 MW of power.
CDC Data Centres has started work on its 504 MW facility in the Marsden Park Industrial Precinct in Sydney, Australia.
Hydrogen-Powered Data Centers
In other news this week, Data Center Knowledge writer Nathan Eddy took a closer look at an ambitious hydrogen fuel cell project that underscores the rising interest in sustainable power solutions for data centers.
Caterpillar, in collaboration with Microsoft and Ballard Power Systems, recently won the ‘Systems Development and Integration’ award at the US Department of Energy’s (DOE) 2024 Hydrogen Program Merit Review Awards.
The project, hosted at Microsoft’s Cheyenne, Wyoming, data center, tested the feasibility of large-format hydrogen fuel cells for reliable backup power over a simulated 48-hour outage.
The initiative highlights a growing focus on hydrogen as a pathway toward zero-emissions data centers and sustainable energy alternatives in the data industry. Read more.
Maximize Your Curb Appeal
For data center operators looking to attract investors and maximize their potential, effectively communicating their brand's vision and growth strategy is more crucial than ever.
This is according to Lucia Barbato, CEO of Ilex Content Strategies, who this week said a well-defined narrative will highlight the unique value proposition of a data center business and position it as an attractive acquisition target in an increasingly competitive landscape.
“A robust data center infrastructure is recognized as an essential backbone for future readiness,” Barbato said. “But if the goal is to exit the business and make a sale, how do you stand out from other players in what is becoming an increasingly crowded space?” Read on to find out how.
Other Great Reads in DCK This Week
How Insecure Network Devices Can Expose Data Centers to Attack. Network hardware could be the hidden weak link in data center security, exposing workloads to attack. Learn why these risks matter – and how to prevent them.
Switchboards vs. Switchgears: What’s Best for Data Centers? Discover the key differences between switchboards and switchgears in data centers to ensure optimal power management and infrastructure.
Fragile Connections: Why Subsea Cables are the Weak Link in Global Infrastructure. Concern is rising over global risks to submarine communications cables. How justified are those fears?
Optimize Text Search: Master the grep Command in Linux. Learn how to unlock the power of precision text search and processing in Linux-based data center software with the small-but-mighty grep command.
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang Discusses Leadership, Future of Generative AI. The GPU chipmaking giant’s CEO says it’s important for CIOs to get started with AI and called for a more positive outlook on the emerging tech’s impact on the workforce.
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