The Ultimate Guide to Data centers
A curated Kiwi edition of IndustrialDay news, analysis, interviews, reviews, job moves, and related resources for Data centers (DC).
What to know about Data centers
Data centers serve as the backbone of our digital world, housing the critical infrastructure that powers the internet, cloud services, and enterprise IT operations. They are pivotal in managing the ever-expanding volume of data generated across industries and consumers globally.
This collection of stories highlights the dynamic growth and technological innovations shaping data centers today. From expansions into emerging markets like Indonesia and Malaysia to the creation of AI-ready and sustainable campuses, data centers are evolving to meet increasing demands for performance, scalability, and environmental responsibility.
Readers will find insights into advancements in cooling technologies, energy efficiency, and the incorporation of renewable energy sources aimed at reducing carbon footprints. Moreover, the integration of AI and edge computing within data center architectures demonstrates how the industry adapts to modern workloads and latency-sensitive applications.
Security remains a critical theme, as data centers bolster defenses against cyber threats while ensuring compliance with emerging regulations. Partnerships between global tech firms and local providers underscore the importance of connectivity, interconnection, and hybrid cloud strategies in today’s data ecosystem.
Exploring these stories offers a comprehensive view of how data centers underpin digital transformation, drive innovation, and face challenges in sustainability, infrastructure expansion, and operational excellence.
Kiwi Data centers News
Regional stories with direct local relevance
National unveils nine-point energy plan to tackle power bills
Households could get cheaper, more flexible power deals as National proposes new rules to boost competition and rein in network charges.
Lodestone Energy launches NZD $100m IPO for solar growth
The deal could end the NZX's five-year IPO drought and fund expansion of a solar generator aiming to supply more homes and businesses.
It took 20 years to start regulating social media - will AI controls come sooner?
Public pressure for AI guardrails is surging faster than it did for social media, as Australia joins a growing coalition urging action.
Schneider Electric to host Auckland innovation day
Businesses will hear practical guidance on tackling rising power demand, AI-driven electricity use and emissions pressure at the 2026 Auckland event.
The smartest AI will help us use less, not just do more
The technology's next test is whether it can cut energy use and waste as firms face growing pressure to deploy AI more responsibly.
Explainer: Why is everyone talking about AI and the end of the world?
Calls for tighter AI safeguards have intensified after warnings the technology could outpace human control and threaten jobs, security and markets.
Analyst Insights
Research and market analysis connected to Data centers
Gartner forecasts AI strain on services, costs & jobs
LG's 2.6MW cooling unit wins NVIDIA DSX qualification
AI drives bigger data storage needs, Western Digital study
Nutanix wins Gartner nods across three key reports
Ericsson launches NetCloud Private for regulated users
Featured News
Exclusive: Castrol puts data centre experts behind CORE
The shift towards AI-ready liquid cooling is prompting Castrol to target new-build data centres and costly retrofits across Asia Pacific.
Interview: Cloudera says AI agents reshape zero trust
Enterprises must update identity controls as software agents generate more requests and need tightly time-limited access to sensitive systems.
VAST Data targets AI data sovereignty with DataEnclave
Enterprises and governments could run AI on sensitive data without exposing it, as the technology targets sovereignty rules across APAC.
ABB: Renewables usage puts NZ in data centre sweet spot
Renewables are leaving New Zealand well placed for data centres, but ABB says grid upgrades and smarter use of existing assets are needed.
Interview: Cloudera bets on hybrid AI growth in JAPAC
Banks and large enterprises in Asia-Pacific are rethinking cloud-first AI plans as costs, sovereignty and regulation favour hybrid deployments.
Genetec: Open platforms key as physical security evolves
Businesses are prioritising hybrid, open security systems to protect existing hardware investments while adopting cloud and AI tools more gradually.
Future of AI is distributed infrastructure built on open source
Rising AI demand is exposing cloud bottlenecks, as firms eye in-house open source systems to cut costs and limit vendor lock-in.
Open source is powering the next generation of frontier AI
Rising inference demand and custom hardware needs are pushing AI infrastructure beyond standard cloud setups, boosting open source tools.
Exclusive: Cloudera builds Hadoop-free future platform
Existing customers get six years of support as Cloudera shifts new AI and analytics workloads to a Hadoop-free platform due in November.
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Apple's Unified Memory powers Kiraa AI's rapid automation
Australian firms can speed month-end processing from days to an hour by running Kiraa AI on Macs instead of costly cloud servers.
ClickHouse customer base soars on back of AI demand
AI agents are driving a sharp rise in demand for the real-time data platform, which added 1000 customers early in 2026 to top 4000.
SUSE targets Australia's industrial edge to drive growth
Australian miners, shippers and utilities could be next to benefit as SUSE pushes edge computing and AI inference beyond data centres.
Check Point: Be the best, or get out the way
Rising AI-driven attacks are compel security buyers to cut vendor sprawl, though Check Point warns over-consolidation can still raise risk.
Expert Columns
In the AI era, channel value is being redefined
Engineering for operations: going from security to insight
How businesses can avoid widespread harm from cloud outages
AI's data centre overhaul forcing a network rethink
The smartest AI will help us use less, not just do more
The data center math has changed
Fewer servers, more performance: The new logic of the modern data center
Why data management will make or break your RISE with SAP migration
Why AI infrastructure planning must happen now
More isn't always better: Rethinking memory choices for modern workloads
Interviews
Interviews and video coverage from the networkRecent Data centers News
Engage2Excel expands StorONE storage platform to 1PB
The move could help the workforce solutions provider stretch existing flash capacity across production, backup and disaster recovery as data grows.
Arteris launches FlexGen Multi-Die for AI chiplets
AI chipmakers can cut die-to-die link area, power and I/O by up to 50% as multi-die designs become harder to scale.
Forrester says AI is reshaping cloud strategy for 2026
Rising AI costs and governance risks are forcing enterprises to rethink where workloads sit, as cloud strategy becomes tied to AI deployment.
HPE lifts networking outlook on AI demand & Juniper savings
AI-related demand is set to boost HPE's networking growth, with the company now forecasting higher margins and USD $800 million in Juniper savings by 2028.
Alibaba Cloud expands global footprint with new AI tools
The move brings computing closer to customers as firms race to localise AI workloads and meet regional data rules.
Alibaba unveils full-stack AI push with new Qwen chips
The new processor and Qwen model updates underscore Alibaba's bid to meet surging demand for AI training, inference and cloud services.
Zyxel launches XS1935 10G switches for small firms
Small businesses facing slower backups and camera feeds can add 10G capacity and PoE++ power without replacing their entire network.
A1 Technologies lands three-year hummgroup Microsoft deal
The consolidation should simplify cloud spending and accountability across hummgroup, after A1 Technologies cut Azure costs by 10% in earlier work.
New Relic reports ISO AI certification & USD $18m savings
The software group says tighter AI oversight and cloud controls cut costs, as regulators and customers demand more accountability from tech suppliers.
Fujitsu launches MONAKA chip for sovereign AI servers
The chip aims to ease power and cooling constraints for operators seeking AI systems with tighter supply chain control and domestic manufacturing.
NVIDIA launches agent safety platform with TrendAI
Enterprises face new controls as the partnership aims to stop autonomous AI agents from accessing data, credentials and tools unchecked.
Accenture launches Construct for capital project services
The move targets a USD $260 billion market as owners seek one partner to cut delays, overruns and accountability gaps on major projects.
Nvidia says major robotaxi programmes use its stack
The chipmaker's technology is now embedded across robotaxi development, underscoring its role in a market Nvidia says could hit USD $400 billion by 2035.
Most digital asset treasuries lag direct crypto holdings
Most listed digital asset treasuries now trade at a discount to their crypto holdings, leaving direct token owners better off in most cases.
Akamai signs USD $11.6 billion deal with Anthropic
Anthropic's seven-year commitment could lift Akamai's cloud revenue to USD $20 billion, underscoring surging demand for AI infrastructure.
US data centre boom lifts North American equipment sales
AI-fuelled building work is offsetting weakness in housing and other projects, keeping North American equipment revenues rising despite softer demand.
Keepit tops USD $100 million ARR on AI Truth Cloud
The Danish cloud data protection group's nine-figure run underscores demand for independent backup as firms link AI adoption to data trust.
OpenAI hacked Medicare portal, Australia Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says
Australia has launched a taskforce after an AI agent accessed non-public Medicare files and other government data, Albanese said.
Accenture launches Construct for global capital projects
Greater scrutiny will follow major infrastructure programmes as Accenture combines 5,000 specialists into a new capital projects unit.
Schneider Electric launches hybrid data centre cooler
Data centre operators can now mix air and liquid cooling in one unit as AI workloads push rack densities higher across facilities.
Job Moves
Microsoft appoints Nick Walton as NZ Managing Director
TenPeaks appoints Whineray as Independent Chairman
DLA Piper appoints Edward Eisdell-Moore as NZ tech partner
Atturra rebrands Plan B to expand IT services in New Zealand
DLA Piper expands New Zealand team with senior promotions & hires
