Data centre corridor with working people
Data centre corridor with working people

Insight

Denmark is a data-laboratory for Schneider Electric

Insight

Denmark is a data-laboratory for Schneider Electric

Denmark’s growing position as a Northern European hub for data centres has prompted international energy company Schneider Electric to increase significantly its development on Danish soil.

When

Denmark is a fast-emerging player in the international data centre arena and consequently the physical infrastructure behind these centres is expanding rapidly. So far, the headlines have been dominated by the hyper-scale centres of Apple, Facebook and Google, but the next step is going to be a growth in the number of co-locations that will attract smaller organisations.



Global energy company Schneider Electric, which is is a leader in the field of digital transformation of energy management, has a dedicated Northern European development centre that focusses specifically on the data-centre sector.



The decision to locate the centre in Denmark was taken to be close to the growing data centre development and in order to be able to provide tailored solutions to the many new data centres being set up across the country.



Schneider Electric develops and supplies complete technology solutions to data centres. The company has over 200 employees at its R&D centre in Kolding, where customers can enjoy a physical tour of a data-centre showroom and can learn about the newest solutions and visions.

We’ve built up a competency centre that brings together the requisite knowledge and know-how and that contributes to promoting Denmark as an attractive location in Northern Europe. The advantage of such a setup is that customers can follow closely the development process from the very beginning, also when it comes to co-locations. This gives customers great peace of mind throughout the whole process. Our experts, who come from 16 different countries, also possess the right knowledge to be able to develop and shape the data centres of tomorrow.

Tina Schou, Country Sales Director

Schneider Electric

According to Michael Pedersen, Development Director and Head of Schneider Electric’s Development Centre, there are a number of advantages of being located in Denmark – and being present at a local level allows Schneider Electric to play an active role in the overall development of the sector.



“All of the data-centre development we’re currently seeing is being driven by IoT and big data, both of which increasingly require companies to supply enormous amounts of data in real time with extremely low latency. To be able to do this, the data centres need to be located in close proximity to the users, and it’s this that has changed the strategies of the big players when it comes to choosing where to locate.”


The growing focus on ‘edge’ among the data centre operators and technology suppliers is only expected to increase over the coming years in line with an increasing number of devices being used and a critical need for lightning-fast data from, for example, self-driving cars. With the transition to a 5G network over the coming years, there is even more need for the structure and efficiency provided by data centres.



“The global players want tailor-made solutions and they’re able to invest on a scale that allows building something unique that works for the individual company. In cases that involve collaboration, we invite the stakeholders to take part in the project from the very earliest stages where our developers brainstorm and assist them in constructing and developing their data-centre solutions,” tells Kim Povlsen, VP for Digital Services & Software at Schneider Electric.



Because the optimal conditions are already in place in Denmark – a strong setup, green solutions and an attractive energy system – most of those involved in the sector expect the number of data centres, including the number of co-locations, being set up in Denmark to increase over the coming years.

Denmark is laying solid foundations that are not only well-structured but which also include suppliers who are capable of supporting data-centre development. At the same time, we’ve got some of the world’s most secure power supply infrastructure, which is both well developed and incorporates good levels of redundancy to ensure against supply failure. Furthermore, in Denmark we have exceptionally good opportunities for using green energy, primarily from wind. And it’s also possible to export surplus heat from the data centres to the local district heating systems, allowing the centres to give something back to both the local communities and to the environment.

Jørn Thorgård, Special Advisor

Invest in Denmark

Contact

How can we help your company?

If you want to know more about doing business in Denmark or the Danish data centre industry, please do not hesitate to reach out to one of our dedicated advisors:

Copenhagen

  • Sarina Lohmann

    Title: Special Advisor – Maritime and transport – Analysis & Partnerships

    Area: Copenhagen

    Phone: +4533920423

Berlin

Kolding

Silkeborg

Aarhus

Aalborg

Oslo

London

Paris

Munich

New-York

Toronto

Silicon-Valley

Tokyo

Bangalore

Taipei

Shanghai

Singapore