Data centres have long since become part of the critical infrastructure that keeps modern society running. Everything from energy supply and financial services to healthcare, research, industry and public administration depends on secure and stable digital infrastructure.
At the same time, developments in artificial intelligence are creating a significant increase in demand for computing capacity.
Across Europe, there is both political and economic focus on expanding capacity and strengthening Europe’s position in AI, as data centres form the backbone of the digital industry and economy of the future.
The European Commission therefore aims to at least triple EU data centre capacity over the next five to seven years.
High complexity across disciplines
But more capacity is only part of the story.
AI-based workloads bring significantly higher power densities and place new demands on power supply, cooling and the overall technical infrastructure.
At the same time, requirements for redundancy and security of supply are evolving as data centres support different types of critical workloads.
“We are seeing an industry where technical complexity is increasing rapidly. It is not just about delivering the individual installations.
“They must be designed, integrated, tested and commissioned as one complete system tailored to the needs of each data centre. That requires both strong specialist expertise and an organisation capable of managing complexity across disciplines,” says John Sommer, the new Market Director at Wicotec Kirkebjerg.
A strong technical foundation
For Wicotec Kirkebjerg, the data centre sector is a natural extension of the group’s existing expertise in complex technical installations, life science and critical infrastructure.
The group has specialised expertise in areas including electrical systems, plumbing, ventilation, cooling, automation, BMS, fire protection and security.
It also has extensive experience with complex projects where quality, documentation, safety and cross-disciplinary execution are critical.
“Data centres are not just another type of construction project. It is a specialised industry with very high technical requirements, and we have great respect for that.
“We bring a large technical organisation, strong professional capabilities and experience from complex and critical projects. That gives us a strong foundation to build on,” says Jesper Skou, Director of Projects at Wicotec Kirkebjerg.
With John Sommer, who has significant experience from the data centre industry, leading the further development of Wicotec Kirkebjerg’s data centre business, one of the ambitions is to position the group as one of the Nordics’ leading technical partners to the data centre industry.
BREAKING