Modular Data Centres in the UK: Scalable, Smart Infrastructure

Schneider Electric unveils modular AI data centre design

Global energy technology company Schneider Electric has introduced its RapidScale Modular Data Centre Reference Design 115, a pre-engineered blueprint for high-density AI infrastructure based on the NVIDIA Vera Rubin platform. The reference design combines power, liquid cooling, IT, software, and lifecycle services to support the repeatable deployment of AI data centres. It uses liquid cooling and temperature controls to manage heat and power consumption in high-density computing environments and is also intended to simplify site logistics and reduce the need for bespoke engineering. Prefabrication cuts installation time Research co-authored by Schneider Electric and hyperscale developer Compass Datacenters, Prefabricated White Space Module Time Study: Lessons from a High-Density Liquid-Cooled Deployment (White Paper 238), reports that prefabricated modular IT pods reduced on-site installation time from 75.5 hours to 15 hours per pod, an 80% reduction. Adil Attlassy, Chief Technology Officer of Compass Datacenters, explains, “The white space brings together the greatest concentration of systems and trades in the smallest footprint, with each installation dependent on the one before it. "Working jointly with Schneider Electric, we engineered a prefabricated module that integrates these systems into a single assembly, eliminating the need to coordinate multiple scopes of work on site. "By reducing on-site installation time by 80%, we accelerate deployment and help our customers bring their workloads online sooner.” Standardised infrastructure for AI factories The RapidScale approach combines pre-engineered designs with a supply chain spanning eight primary manufacturing sites, covering 1.35 million ft² (125,000m²), alongside three additional facilities and 12 partner sites across 10 countries. Schneider Electric says its manufacturing capacity has grown fourfold since 2025 and that around 90% of the equipment incorporated into RapidScale is manufactured in house. The reference design is intended as an initial step towards supporting the NVIDIA DSX POD reference design, which enables factory integration and validation of AI infrastructure before shipment. It has been validated to ANSI standards for US deployments, with plans to extend the framework to IEC standards for international use. Manish Kumar, Executive Vice President, Secure Power and Data Centres at Schneider Electric, notes, “As AI infrastructure scales at unprecedented speed, customers need solutions that are standardised, reliable, and deployable with certainty. "Through our portfolio of reference designs and prefabricated solutions, combined with global supply chain strength and lifecycle expertise, we help AI factory operators accelerate time to value while building the resilient infrastructure required for next-generation compute.” For more from Schneider Electric, click here.

Armada, Johnson Controls plan 500MW AI infrastructure rollout

Armada, a US provider of modular edge data centres and connectivity for remote sites, plans to work with Johnson Controls, a global provider of smart building technologies, to build 500MW of distributed sovereign super intelligence (SI) infrastructure in 2027, using factory-integrated systems based on NVIDIA’s DSX POD reference design and Vera Rubin platform. Announced at NVIDIA GTC, the collaboration will combine engineering, manufacturing, and deployment to deliver modular infrastructure with cabling, wiring, piping, and functional validation completed before shipment. Factory-built infrastructure aims to accelerate deployment The NVIDIA DSX POD reference design moves repeatable construction work from data centre sites into factories. Compute, networking, rack-level power, plumbing for liquid cooling, and supporting infrastructure are integrated and validated before delivery. On site, the containers are connected to prepared power, water, cooling, and networking infrastructure, with capacity expanded by adding standardised units. Armada will use NVIDIA DSX Air to simulate AI factories and validate its Bridge GPU management software before shipment. Once deployed, NVIDIA DSX MaxLPS will help manage power and workloads to maximise computing throughput within each site’s available power capacity. Dan Wright, co-founder and CEO of Armada, says, “The SI race isn't going to be won by whoever pours concrete the fastest. Companies and nations can have the chips, the land, the power, and the ambition and still be told to wait years for a building. "The NVIDIA DSX POD reference design lets us cut that wait out of the equation. We build the SI factory in one of our Galleon Forge factories, ship it, connect it, and our customers are generating tokens in months on infrastructure they own and control.” Distributed capacity for sovereign AI Armada says conventional 50MW facilities can take years to become IT-ready and require around 600,000 on-site labour hours. It also cites a projected construction workforce shortfall of 288,000 workers by 2027 as a challenge to expanding capacity. The company plans to deploy modular SI facilities close to energy sources, including stranded, renewable, and off-peak power. Its proposed architecture is designed to operate without cloud dependencies, allowing customers to retain control of their models, data, and infrastructure. Charlie Boyle, Vice President of DGX Systems at NVIDIA, notes, “The demand for compute is outpacing the speed at which the world can build the facilities to house it. "By utilising the NVIDIA DSX POD reference design, Armada can deliver factory-built, Vera Rubin-based containers to customers. Together with Johnson Controls, Armada is positioned to bring Vera Rubin-based factories to customers who need capacity now, wherever their energy and data are.” Manufacturing partnership Armada brings experience deploying modular data centre infrastructure in remote and challenging environments, including Alaska, a US Navy littoral combat ship, and desert locations in the Middle East. The company says its manufacturing and deployment capabilities will support the planned rollout, with Johnson Controls contributing thermal management technology, engineering, and global manufacturing capacity. Joakim Weidemanis, CEO of Johnson Controls, comments, “NVIDIA is rapidly advancing the age of intelligence and reshaping the infrastructure required to support it. "Our collaboration with Armada combines their expertise in deploying compute at the edge with Johnson Controls' advanced thermal management technology, engineering capabilities, and global manufacturing scale. This combination delivers high-performance infrastructure engineered to quickly bring capacity online where and when it's needed.” Under the collaboration, NVIDIA will design, test, and validate the DSX POD reference design for the Vera Rubin platform, whilst Armada will engineer, manufacture, integrate, customise, service, and deliver the modular data centres.

Rimac, Ecoblox develop AI data centre power systems

Rimac Technology, a Croatian supplier of electric vehicle batteries, powertrains, and software, and Ecoblox, a provider of modular data centres for AI and high-performance computing, have signed a joint development agreement to develop a modular data centre incorporating battery storage and power electronics technology for AI infrastructure. As demand for AI and high-performance computing increases, the availability of power, cooling capacity, and suitable deployment space is becoming an increasingly important consideration for data centre development. The companies say they aim to address these requirements through an integrated modular design for high-density workloads. The modular data centre will incorporate Rimac Technology’s UNI battery modules, alongside a battery management system (BMS) that provides real-time monitoring and control. Telemetry will feed into Ecoblox’s data centre infrastructure management (DCIM) platform, providing centralised monitoring, alarms, and analytics. The design also integrates power conversion, uninterruptible power supply (UPS) systems, precision cooling, and IT infrastructure within a single modular footprint. The companies say the battery system is intended to improve serviceability and extend backup power duration for critical computing equipment. Battery technology integrated into modular infrastructure Rimac Technology’s battery modules were developed for automotive applications and incorporate thermal management and safety features. The companies are now applying the technology to AI infrastructure, where power density, thermal management, and reliability are key considerations. Ecoblox, an NVIDIA Preferred Partner, provides modular data centres and GPU infrastructure integration, including cluster design, procurement, installation, and managed services. Its offering includes prefabricated air- and liquid-cooled enclosures, DCIM software, and high-performance computing and GPU-as-a-service platforms. Ecoblox says its infrastructure can be deployed in six to eight months, allowing cloud providers, enterprises, and sovereign computing projects to establish capacity close to available power sources. Doug Makishima, CEO at Ecoblox, comments, "Partnering with Rimac Technology allows us to redefine high-density power delivery for the next generation of AI compute. "By integrating automotive-grade energy storage and power electronics directly into our modular data centre architecture, we are removing grid constraints and enabling cloud providers and enterprise customers to deploy scalable, power-resilient AI clusters faster and more efficiently than ever before." Nurdin Pitarevic, CEO of Rimac Technology, adds, "Our battery and power electronics technologies have been developed and industrialised to meet some of the most demanding requirements in the automotive industry. "The same capabilities are increasingly relevant to high-power AI infrastructure, where power density, thermal management, safety, and reliability are critical. "Together with Ecoblox, we are applying these technologies to a new high-power application and bringing automotive-grade technology to AI data centres." The companies plan to install the modular data centre at Rimac Campus in November 2026. It will serve as a live demonstration of the joint system for customers and partners.

Secure I.T. completes UPS and AHU upgrades for NHS

Secure I.T. Environments (SITE), a UK design and build company for modular, containerised, and micro data centres, has completed uninterruptible power supply (UPS) and air handling unit (AHU) upgrades at two live data centres operated by an unnamed NHS Foundation Trust. The projects were carried out while both facilities remained operational and were designed to improve resilience, energy efficiency, and future scalability for the Trust's critical digital infrastructure. The UPS upgrade replaced two end-of-life systems with modular Riello Multi Power infrastructure. SITE installed two 252kVA UPS chassis, each configured at 84kVA N+1 using 42kW power modules. The modular design allows additional capacity to be added in the future without replacing the entire platform. Cooling upgrade improves efficiency The second project involved replacing ageing AHUs at a data centre originally designed and built by SITE during the 2000s. The facility supports a hospital with more than 800 beds, outpatient services, and one of the South East's busiest emergency departments. As part of the works, the existing condenser compound was decommissioned and replaced with a new ground-level installation designed to improve heat rejection performance. The upgraded FläktGroup AHUs were specified to maintain environmental conditions during higher ambient temperatures, whilst also incorporating physical security measures and remote monitoring capabilities. According to SITE, the new cooling equipment is expected to reduce carbon emissions by more than 58,000kg annually and deliver energy cost savings of approximately £32,305 per year, with a projected return on investment of just over three years. Working around ongoing operations The projects were delivered in carefully planned phases to minimise disruption to hospital operations. The UPS systems were replaced one at a time over two weekend shutdowns, with construction work for the cooling upgrade being scheduled to reduce the impact on visitors and nearby clinical services. A spokesperson for the Trust comments, "This was a big and critically important project for the hospital, carried out smoothly by Secure I.T. Environments. We were really grateful for the work and professionalism of the team, and its partners Riello, throughout the project." The UPS project also included new underfloor containment and cabling, DC transition boxes, integration with the existing battery strings following testing, remote monitoring, commissioning, load bank testing, and operational training for estates engineers. Jo-Anne Garvie, Commercial Director at Secure I.T. Environments, says, "In hospital environments, the resilience of supporting infrastructure has to be treated with the same discipline as the IT systems it protects. "These projects have resulted in a more flexible and maintainable power platform and energy-efficient cooling infrastructure. Together, they support the Trust's current operational needs and give it a clear path for future expansion." For more from SITE, click here.

AVK to open UK PowerPods manufacturing facility

AVK, a provider of power systems and electrical infrastructure for data centres, has announced plans to open its first standalone UK manufacturing facility in Haydock, supporting production of modular power systems for data centres and AI infrastructure. The site, located in the Liverpool City Region, will assemble the company's modular low- and medium-voltage (LV/MV) PowerPods, which provide pre-engineered power infrastructure for data centres. AVK says the facility represents an initial investment of £3 million and forms part of its UK manufacturing strategy. The company expects the facility to create a range of skilled jobs during its first year, with further recruitment planned as production increases. Roles will include electrical and mechanical installation engineers, plant movement operatives, warehousing staff, graduate positions, and apprenticeships. AVK has also partnered with St Helens College to deliver work placements and Level 3 engineering apprenticeships. The programme will include electrical and mechanical training, with progression routes into higher engineering qualifications. Haydock was selected for its engineering heritage and transport links, with the site located close to Junction 23 of the M6 to support distribution across the UK and Europe. Facility investment brings manufacturing and engineering roles AVK says the new facility reflects increasing investment in the infrastructure required to support AI and hyperscale data centres. Simon Davis, Head of Production Modular Services at AVK, notes, "PowerPods complete our proposition to the data centre market, and Haydock gives us the dedicated home to build them at scale. This is a British business investing in British manufacturing and British skills, in a region with a proud industrial heritage. "The facility will strengthen the UK's ability to power the AI economy while creating real opportunities for local people, apprentices, and graduates for years to come." Lord Stockwood, Minister for Investment, adds, "AVK-SEG’s investment in Haydock is a strong vote of confidence in UK advanced manufacturing and the Liverpool City Region, creating skilled jobs, boosting apprenticeships, and strengthening our role in powering the AI economy." George Woodward, Leader of St Helens Borough Council, similarly states that the investment demonstrates confidence in the borough's engineering heritage and will help create skilled employment while strengthening links between industry and education. For more from AVK, click here.

Durata launches modular power infrastructure system

Durata, a critical power and modular data centre infrastructure provider, has introduced PowerCore, a factory-built power infrastructure system designed to simplify the deployment of data centres and other critical infrastructure projects. The modular system integrates power distribution equipment into a single factory-assembled unit, reducing the need to source and coordinate multiple suppliers before installation on site. According to Durata, the launch comes as demand for AI, cloud computing, and digital infrastructure continues to increase, placing greater pressure on operators to bring new capacity online more quickly. PowerCore combines ring main units (RMUs), transformers, switchgear, uninterruptible power supplies (UPS), and busbar infrastructure into a single integrated system manufactured at the company's 80,000ft² (7,432m²) facility in the North East of England. Factory-built approach targets faster deployment Durata says PowerCore is designed, fabricated, and assembled in-house before delivery, reducing on-site construction work and simplifying project management. The company estimates the approach can reduce deployment times by up to 60% while improving quality control and programme certainty. PowerCore is designed to work with equipment from a range of manufacturers, supporting UPS, generator, switchgear, and battery technologies. Durata says the platform can be configured in stacked, linear, or side-by-side layouts to suit individual site requirements and support future expansion. The system is intended for deployments ranging from 10kW to 150kW per rack, making it suitable for hyperscale, colocation, enterprise, edge, artificial intelligence, and high-performance computing environments. Lewis Cobb, Global Director of AI Factories and Modular Data Centres at Durata, comments, "The biggest challenge facing many critical infrastructure projects today is getting power infrastructure at scale delivered quickly enough. "Operators are often managing multiple suppliers, competing lead times, and complex on-site integration programmes. Our PowerCore solution removes that complexity by delivering the complete power stack as a single coordinated system, configured to the customer's requirements and ready for rapid deployment. "By designing, fabricating, and integrating the solution in-house, we can provide greater control over quality, delivery, and programme timelines while giving customers a faster route to deployment. "Data centre operators increasingly need a strategic delivery partner rather than a collection of individual suppliers. We take responsibility for the engineering, fabrication, integration, logistics, and delivery of the entire power infrastructure package. "That reduces project complexity, mitigates risk, and helps customers bring critical infrastructure online faster and with greater confidence." For more from Durata, click here.

EDGE Modular launches containerised data centres

EDGE Modular has launched globally, expanding its containerised data centre offering for edge computing, telecoms, and remote infrastructure deployments. The New Zealand-based company, a division of Edge Defence, designs and manufactures modular data centre systems intended for rapid deployment in locations where traditional construction may be impractical or time-consuming. According to EDGE Modular, the systems are aimed at organisations requiring scalable infrastructure for edge computing and localised data processing. The company says its modular approach allows systems to be manufactured, tested, and deployed more quickly than conventional brick-and-mortar facilities, while also supporting future expansion through scalable designs. John Gell, General Manager at EDGE Modular, explains, “Our mission is to provide innovative, containerised data centre solutions tailored to the unique needs of each client. "We ensure efficiency, quality, and flexibility for future growth in every project we undertake.” Modular infrastructure for edge computing EDGE Modular’s portfolio includes containerised data centres in 10ft, 20ft, and 40ft formats, alongside telecom exchange units, command and control rooms, battery storage systems, and specialist workshop environments. The company states that its infrastructure is designed for deployment in remote and challenging environments, with systems transportable via road, rail, or sea using standard shipping container logistics. EDGE Modular also says its systems are designed for concurrent maintainability, allowing maintenance work to be carried out without interrupting critical operations. In addition to manufacturing, the company provides infrastructure consultancy, system design services, and maintenance support for deployed installations.

hi-tequity reports 5GW modular power delivery

hi-tequity, a provider of mission-critical infrastructure for data centres, says it has delivered 5GW of data centre infrastructure over a two-and-a-half-year period, alongside completing more than 200 projects. The company states that this activity includes deployments structured around 100MW data centre blocks, reflecting increasing demand from hyperscale and AI-driven workloads. Operations have also expanded across 25 US states during this period, as demand for capacity continues to grow. Industry forecasts highlight the scale of that demand. The International Energy Agency reports that electricity use from data centres could double by 2026, driven largely by AI workloads. At the same time, CBRE data indicates vacancy rates in major US markets have fallen below 3%, with power availability emerging as a primary constraint on new developments. A focus on power and deployment timelines hi-tequity attributes its recent boost in activity to a focus on power availability, supply chain coordination, and construction timelines. The company states it secures electrical capacity before site acquisition, while also working with manufacturing partners to support equipment supply, including transformers, switchgear, uninterruptible power systems, and cooling infrastructure. It also reports the use of modular and prefabricated approaches to reduce construction timelines for large-scale deployments. As data centre design requirements evolve, particularly for AI applications, the company highlights increasing rack densities exceeding 30kW, alongside higher cooling and power redundancy requirements. Ryne Friedman, Associate at hi-tequity, comments, “The bottleneck in AI infrastructure is no longer compute; it’s power and deployment speed. "Our ability to deliver 100MW in nine months and scale to 5GW of infrastructure demonstrates that the industry needs a fundamentally different approach to building data centres - one that starts with power and ends with execution certainty.”

Prism expands into the US market

Prism Power Group, a UK manufacturer of electrical switchgear and critical power systems for data centres, is looking to purchase a US business that already has UL Certification (for compliance, safety, and quality assurance regulations) and is reportedly raising $40 million (£29.8 million) for the acquisition. With surging data centre demand straining power infrastructure and outpacing domestic capacity, US developers are actively seeking trusted overseas suppliers to keep pace. Prism says it is well placed to take advantage of the current climate, having forged its reputation in mechanical and electrical infrastructure for modular data centre initiatives in the UK and across Europe since 2005. It adds that its engineers have executed a variety of end-to-end installations, from high-voltage substations and backup generators to low-voltage switchboards that safeguard servers, in "tightly scheduled" data centre projects. Expansion to meet ongoing supply strain Adhum Carter Wolde-Lule, Director at Prism Power Group, explains, “The scale and urgency is such that America’s data centre expansion has become an international endeavour, and we’re again able to punch well above our weight in providing the niche expertise that’s missing and will augment strained local supply chains on the ground, straight away. “Major power manufacturers in the United States are ramping up production, while global giants have announced new stateside factories for transformers and switchgear components, aiming to cut lead times and ease the backlog - but those investments will take years to bear fruit and that is time the US data centre market simply doesn’t have.” Keith Hall, CEO at Prism Power Group, adds, “For overseas engineering companies like us [...], the time is now and represents an exceptional opening into the world’s fastest-growing infrastructure market. "Equally, for the US sector, the willingness to look globally for critical power systems excellence will prove vital in keeping ambitious build-outs on schedule and preventing the data centre explosion from hitting a capacity wall.”

SITE delivers modular DC on remote Atlantic island

Secure I.T. Environments (SITE), a UK design and build company for modular, containerised, and micro data centres, has announced the completion of a complex, modular, containerised data centre for a global telecommunications provider on a remote South Atlantic island. The facility will support mission-critical ground operations connecting customers to next-generation satellite and subsea backbone services. Located 1,800km west of mainland Africa, the remote island offers an effective operating profile for satellite connectivity, but presented formidable barriers including rugged volcanic terrain with no pre-existing access road, minimal local infrastructure, limited sea freight windows, and a single weekly flight subject to weather. The brief demanded a resilient, high-capacity facility capable of continuous operation in a corrosive coastal climate, delivered with meticulous risk management and zero compromise on safety or performance. Overcoming challenging logistics One of the defining aspects of this project was the logistical coordination required not just across continents, but in partnership with the local community. The island’s small population meant that everyone from hotel owners to logistics workers became part of the project in some way. The project created local employment opportunities and, the company says, fostered a sense of community pride in supporting a high-tech project. Given the island's limited flight availability (one flight per week, weather permitting), all deliveries, personnel scheduling, and construction phases had to be meticulously timed. The team also had to navigate unpredictable weather, which could delay flights and shipping schedules. A spokesperson for the client outlines, “This was such a crucial project for us. We did a huge amount of work ensuring we picked an experienced data centre builder that could cope with the challenges. "SITE supported us throughout the design phase, adapted to meet our needs, and created a very detailed plan for delivery and installation, focused on minimising risks. We are very pleased with the outcome.” SITE’s bespoke solution Initial design discussions to final commissioning took 12 months and was completed on time. SITE designed, manufactured, pre-built, and factory-tested a multi-container modular facility - comprising a main data room, a separate UPS/switch room, and lobby space - engineered specifically for the island’s conditions, including specially adapted air conditioning condensers, protective coatings, and materials to withstand high salinity levels and ocean spray. The architecture integrates high-density IT racks with cold-aisle containment, N+1 energy-efficient cooling, modular N+1 UPS, custom switchgear, fire detection and suppression, security systems (CCTV, access control, intruder alarms), fibre raceways, and full electrical infrastructure. All modules underwent integrated systems testing (IST) in the UK to ensure seamless on-site assembly and performance alignment once deployed. Chris Wellfair, Projects Director at SITE, comments, “This was an extraordinary project in every sense: remote location, complex logistics, and high client expectations. "Our modular approach and close collaboration with clients ensured a smooth delivery despite the odds. It’s a project we’re incredibly proud of.” For more from SITE, click here.