Global Data Centers News

BANA Angels and Darpass have announced Investor Tour 2026, a three-day investor networking and startup tour in Yerevan focused on Armenia’s innovation ecosystem.

• The event runs November 19–21, 2026 in Yerevan and includes visits to Picsart, Krisp, NVIDIA Armenia, Adobe Armenia, and TUMO, plus investor networking, startup pitches, and DigiTec 2026.
• The listing says the tour will explore Armenia’s innovation scene and highlights AI infrastructure powered by NVIDIA; organizer listed as BANA Angels with a link to bana.am.

The UK Government and partners have announced a £300 million financing package for the Lanarkshire AI Growth Zone, alongside Dell Technologies’ plan to base its Scottish team in the area.

• The package includes a £202 million guarantee from the National Wealth Fund, unlocking £300 million in financing from ING, ABN AMRO, Santander, the Scottish National Investment Bank and Siemens Financial Services.
• DataVita will expand its existing DV1 datacentre and build a second facility; the development is expected to support more than 3,400 jobs and the first facility is said to complete this year.
• Dell Technologies will move its Scottish team to Mercury House in the Lanarkshire AI Innovation Park.
• The article also says the site is intended to be among the first AI Growth Zones in the UK and that a £543 million community fund is in the works.

The UK government has announced new planning rules to fast-track thousands of homes around England’s rail, tram and underground stations under a revised National Planning Policy Framework.

• The policy introduces a default ‘yes’ for homes within reasonable walking distance of well-connected stations, plus new minimum expectations for housing around stations and reduced planning bureaucracy.
• Ministers said the changes will help deliver the government’s 1.5 million homes target, while also supporting jobs, investment, growth, and protecting pubs, music venues, and other local facilities; the notes to editors also mention stronger support for AI Growth Zones and data centres.
• The policy statement and related Housing Delivery Test results were published on Monday 17 August; the article is a government announcement and commentary, not a transcript of a speech or a report of a private-sector deal.

Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) has announced a hybrid energy system that can generate electricity, heating, and cooling simultaneously from one surface. - The prototype combines photovoltaics, solar thermal, and passive daytime radiative cooling (PDRC), and was tested outdoors, achieving up to 6.5 °C below ambient, 60.6 W/m² electrical power density, and 110.8 °C heating temperature.

• The team says the system could be useful for AI data centres and other energy-intensive applications; the study was published in Cell Reports Physical Science with DOI 10.1016/j.xcrp.2026.103492. The release also references prior KIT work from 2024 on transparent passive cooling materials.

The Environment Agency has announced a public consultation on an environmental permit application submitted by Iron Mountain (UK) Data Centre Limited for its Slough site.

• The notice covers an application identified as EPR/LP3020MX/A001 for SL1 4JU, Slough, and says the public can comment on the application.
• The Environment Agency says it will decide whether to grant or refuse the permit and what conditions to include if granted; the notice was published 13 August 2026.

atNorth has announced the appointment of Camilla O’Leary as Co-Chair of the Infrastructure Masons iMWomen program EMEA.

• Camilla O’Leary, atNorth’s Director of Client Management, will help guide iMWomen’s strategic direction, expand its global reach, and strengthen partnerships.
• The article says iMWomen was launched in 2020 and focuses on visibility, participation, mentorship, education, and leadership development for women in digital infrastructure; atNorth also references its membership in Nordic Compass, the Climate Neutral Data Centre Pact, the UN Global Compact, and the EUDCA.

IPFA has announced that Melania Munteanu, Director, Investment in Energy and Data Centres at Jacobs, has joined its UK Branch Council.

• The announcement introduces Melania Munteanu as a new member of the UK Branch Council and includes her responses on priorities for the role, including bankability, market design, and mobilisation of private capital.
• In her comments, Munteanu said she would seek to improve the energy transition by aligning policy, capital, and risk allocation, citing slow permitting, inconsistent regulation, and the need for better support for grids, storage, and emerging energy technologies.

IPFA has announced that Melania Munteanu, Director, Investment in Energy and Data Centres at Jacobs, is joining its UK Branch Council.

• Melania Munteanu is welcomed as a new member of IPFA’s UK Branch Council; her role at Jacobs is Director, Investment in Energy and Data Centres.
• The post is a member introduction/interview rather than a project announcement; Munteanu says she wants to improve bankability, market design, and private capital mobilisation, and calls for clearer policy frameworks, standardised project structures, and better support for grids, storage, and energy transition technologies.