Global Data Centers News

Canada has announced that Parliamentary Secretary Ryan Turnbull will attend the APEC Finance Ministers’ Meeting in Hong Kong, China, on October 20-21, 2026.

• Main action: Turnbull will represent Canada at the APEC Finance Ministers’ Meeting to discuss the global economic and financial outlook, fiscal policy, digital infrastructure financing, access to financial services, and employment opportunities.
• Background/details: In Hong Kong, Turnbull will meet government and business leaders to advance trade diversification, attract investment, and pursue strategic economic partnerships; the trip follows Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne’s recent trips to China and India.

The Government of the Republic of Moldova has announced that Prime Minister Vasile Tofan visited the Chisinau Electrical Substation as the 400 kV Vulcanesti–Chisinau overhead power line nears commissioning.

• The PM reviewed modernization works, installed equipment, and deadlines for commissioning; final testing of equipment and systems is underway at the substation.
• A transformer repaired at a plant in Spain has been returned, installed, and tested; the 157-kilometer line connects the 400 kV Vulcanesti Substation with the 330 kV Chisinau Substation and is financed by the World Bank under the Power System Development Project.

The Pembina Institute, through David Pickup, issued a statement responding to new offshore wind investment by the federal government and EverWind Fuels’ new data centre project powered in part by onshore wind.

• The statement says recent announcements in Nova Scotia, including a federal offshore wind investment and the EverWind data centre campus, reflect rising electricity demand and the need for renewables, storage, and transmission.
• Background details cite the Atlantic Energy Strategy and key initiatives including Wind West (up to 5 gigawatts of offshore wind), Churchill Falls expansion, grid modernization in New Brunswick, and an MOU among Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and the federal government on electricity system co-operation.

The Government of Canada has announced a $30 million federal investment in Hitachi Energy Canada Inc. to support a $478.8 million project to establish Canada’s first electrical-grade pressboard manufacturing facility in London, Ontario.

• The funding is split between $20 million from the Strategic Response Fund and $10 million from the Investments in Forest Industry Transformation program, supporting a facility that will produce up to 20,000 tonnes annually of electrical-grade pressboard and laminated insulation materials for high-voltage transformers.
• The project is described as a new announcement dated October 16, 2026 in London, Ontario; Hitachi Energy said it will maintain about 1,250 employees and grow its Canadian workforce to 1,765, including more than 100 new jobs at the London facility. The facility will supply transformer manufacturing operations in Varennes, Quebec, and other North American and global markets.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has proposed designating Microsoft with strategic market status in its business software ecosystem and has opened consultation before making a final decision.

• The CMA says it will gather further evidence on bundling, Copilot/AI choice, security product integration, and cloud licensing, with a roadmap of possible interventions aimed at improving choice for UK businesses and public sector organisations.
• The CMA also provided an update on its cloud services engagement with Microsoft and AWS, saying both companies have made material steps including removing or reducing data transfer fees, enabling interoperability requests, and rolling out AI tools to support cloud switching; a further update is due in Spring 2027.

AMAX Engineering has published a guide for UK startups on selecting and deploying AI servers and GPU infrastructure.

• The blog explains when startups should move from cloud GPUs to dedicated servers, compares hardware options such as NVIDIA RTX PRO, HGX B300, Rubin NVL8, and Vera Rubin NVL72, and outlines a 5-step deployment roadmap for production AI infrastructure.
• It also discusses data governance under UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018, and says AMAX supports UK AI startups with workload profiling, custom cluster design, liquid-cooling integration, and validation through its EMEA operations in Ireland.

NITI Frontier Tech Hub has published a data centre evaluation framework for Indian states to guide sustainable data-centre growth.

• The framework provides common parameters for states to assess proposals across power, water, siting, economic value, and governance before approval, with milestone-based monitoring and conditions tied to responsible entities.
• It references international experience from Virginia, Dublin, Amsterdam, Johor and Bangkok, and recommends state-ready zones, grid/water readiness checks, and incentives linked to measurable outcomes rather than only investment announcements.