Welcome back to the Data Center Download – In this series, our SVP Chris Pickles explores the latest funding, collaborations, product updates and funding news from cutting-edge data centre companies across the US, Europe and APAC, and the most sought-after skills within the industry from the data center giants.

 

 

Spotlight on: GridFree AI

Who are they?

GridFree AI, co-founded by Ralph Alexander (ex-BP CEO of North America) and Patrick Yantz, a former Microsoft and BP executive and headquartered in the US, with ambitions for rapid transatlantic expansion, is positioning itself as a disruptive force in how data centers are powered, cooled, and deployed.

What makes them stand out?

GridFree is tackling one of the biggest bottlenecks in the AI infrastructure boom: power delivery. Instead of relying on overwhelmed grids or waiting years for utility buildouts, they bring the power to the data. Their model addresses:

  • Deployment speed – Sites can be stood up in a fraction of the traditional timeline
  • Resiliency – Off-grid means immunity from blackouts and grid-based price volatility
  • Sustainability – Optimized efficiency lowers emissions per compute unit

Earlier this year, GridFree AI launched a $5M seed round led by Giant Ventures to roll out modular, off‑grid “power foundry” data centers, integrating gas power, battery storage, and cooling in a single system. With operations starting in the Southeastern US and plans moving into the UK and Europe, their unconventional buildouts demand a unique mix of power-systems, modular-deployment, and regulatory engineering roles from day one.

 

 

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Latest market updates:

OpenAI has signed a strategic partnership with the UK government, covering broad promises on AI development and infrastructure promises.

Russia’s MegaFon has launched data centers in the cities of Yekaterinburg and Tver.

Scala Data Centers has successfully closed its first international project financing, securing $254 million in long-term financing for the construction of three hyperscale data centers and a critical power substation in Chile.

Elliott Investment Management L.P. has built up its stake in Equinix.

Oracle is set to supply OpenAI with 2 million AI chips.

Meta is building several gigawatt-sized data centers to power AI. CEO Mark Zuckerberg says the company will spend “hundreds of billions of dollars” to accomplish this feat, to create “superintelligence.”

Lockton, the world’s largest independent insurance broker, has announced a two-year sponsorship of Data Cloud.

Oracle and OpenAI have entered an agreement to develop 4.5 gigawatts of additional Stargate data center capacity in the U.S. This investment will create new jobs, accelerate America’s reindustrialisation, and help advance US AI leadership.

Oklo Inc has announced a partnership with Vertiv to develop an advanced power and cooling technology for hyperscale and colocation data centers.

Activate Capital has made a strategic investment in XNRGY Climate Systems that will support the company’s continued growth, expand its domestic manufacturing presence, and accelerate the delivery of next-generation cooling solutions for data centers and other mission-critical infrastructure.

Investment firm Columbia Threadneedle Investments has acquired a small data center portfolio in the UK.

Accelsius is to deploy one of its cooling systems at an Equinix lab in Virginia.

WORTMANN AG has expanded its Terra Cloud data center in Hüllhorst, Germany. The company has added around 6MW of power and cooling capacity, enabling the addition of 450 racks and increasing the scalability of Wortmann’s Terra Cloud offering.

European operator AtlasEdge has launched a new data center in Stuttgart, Germany. The company this week announced the opening of STR001 in the Böblingen area of the city.

Eletronet will be the first operator to establish a direct connection with the Atlantic Data Centers Recife1 data center, which is under construction and scheduled to open in the first quarter of 2026.

Sophos has announced plans to launch a new data center in the UAE by the end of 2025.

Khazna Data Centers and Eni partner to develop 500 MW AI Data Center Campus near Milan.

TECO Electric & Machinery Co., Ltd. has achieved a key milestone after acquiring Malaysian MEP engineering firm NCL Energy Technology Sdn Bhd in March. The company has secured major data center projects in Selangor and Johor Bahru, signalling its official entry into the hyperscale data center market.

US private real estate investment and development firm Menlo Equities is doubling down on data centers with a new dedicated platform.

Google has cancelled long-standing plans to build a data center in the Berlin-Brandenburg area of Germany.

China has launched a new underwater AI data center off the coast of Shanghai, using ocean water to cool high-performance servers while tapping offshore wind for power.

Stonepeak has invested $1.3 Billion in Warburg Pincus LLC backed data center operator Princeton Digital Group.

Data center and energy firms have pledged to invest $90 billion in the US state of Pennsylvania to help build out its digital infrastructure following a summit attended by President Donald Trump.

York County will host a $5 billion data center as part of a larger nationwide investment in infrastructure to support artificial intelligence, officials announced.

CoreWeave is investing $6 billion to build a new state-of-the-art AI data center in Lancaster, PA. The data center, designed for advanced AI workloads, will have an initial capacity of 100 megawatts (MW) and a potential to scale up to 300MW.

Maple 8, Canada’s largest pension fund managers are making huge investments in data centre and infrastructure companies as they look to cash in on the AI boom.

Enbridge has approved a $900M solar project to support Meta’s data center operations.

 

 

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