FROM THE INDUSTRY
What’s your top advice for CTOs planning AI/HPC infrastructure? Generally, understanding the environment of where the data centre is going to go, developing close ties with the local planning authority, the power infrastructure company and local government to ensure that you’ve got all of those key parts in play, because they are ones that are providing enough of a glide path so that together you’re planning where your data centres are going to be for the next five to 10 years; it takes time to achieve that power. One piece of advice is to focus on power delivery as the first element, and then sustainability to ensure that you can drive your efficiencies. After that, it’s about your execution of the project management. Obviously selecting a very good supply chain partner like Netceed can significantly enhance your success. What excites you most about the future of infrastructure? The pace of change. Every month brings new innovations, each with the potential to transform industries. From media to medicine, infrastructure is becoming the backbone of progress—and building that foundation is a privilege. What energises us most is how these developments are already accelerating everyday work and opening up new possibilities for our customers and the industry.
How does increased automation affect security? Automation reduces human error but shifts the security threat landscape. AI assists with real-time detection, but both cyber and physical security must be embedded into infrastructure from day one. Integrating security solutions at the infrastructure layer is becoming standard practice. These evolving threats necessitate integrated solutions that span both digital and physical domains. This will remain an area where more resources are required as threats become more sophisticated. How do you design infrastructure for unknowns like quantum computing? Data centres require a constant drive for improvement. Data centres need a refresh now every five years - it’s a lot more frequent than the fibre optic industry - they’re doing so much work in the improvement. The pace of change is eyewatering and it affects every aspect of this industry, so data centres are constantly changing. It’s almost as bad as a Formula One car; the next race is almost a brand- new car comes out because that’s what they’ve got to do to be the best of the best. As things develop, they always need more power, more cooling and smaller amounts of space; three aspects that are constantly changing, which obviously has a huge impact when you’re a data centre owner. Is Infrastructure as Code (IaC) just hype? It’s essential. IaC introduces consistency, reduces human error and accelerates deployment. As systems grow more complex, the ability to manage them
programmatically becomes a differentiator. They offer consistency, speed and efficiency across infrastructure rollouts, making them essential to future-ready data centres.
What makes Netceed’s approach distinct in this space?
Netceed specialises in uptime-critical digital infrastructure. Unlike general logistics firms, its focus is on integrating best-in-class technology, managing delivery under pressure and keeping stock locally available for rapid deployment. That level of specialisation improves reliability and execution speed. Our team collaborates closely with manufacturers and integrates their technologies to deliver tailored, high-performance solutions for each customer’s unique needs. Can you give a practical example of this integration in action? We recently collaborated with a systems integrator to upgrade a colocation data centre hall to support significantly higher workloads. The project increased cabinet power from 10kW to over 50kW by transitioning from direct expansion (DX) cooling to chilled water systems. We installed new chillers and ran modular pipework beneath the raised floor. A CDU (Coolant Distribution Unit) was used to manage water flow and feed a retrofitted RDHX system. Additionally, we upgraded the PDUS to high-capacity, three-phase models to support the new power demands. The design maintained full N+1 redundancy throughout.
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May 2025 Volume 47 No.2
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