Kao Data Eyes European Growth With CBRE Partnership
The data centre industry continues to expand globally, as AI workloads drive demand for specialised computing facilities. These facilities require increasingly complex management systems to maintain the power, cooling and security infrastructure that keeps critical computing operations running.
Against this backdrop, data centre operator Kao Data has appointed CBRE Group, the global commercial real estate services firm, to manage facilities across its UK operations ahead of planned European expansion.
The contract, commencing on December 1, 2024, puts CBRE in charge of facilities management at Kao Data’s sites in London and its forthcoming facility in Greater Manchester, which is set to begin operations in 2026.
CBRE to oversee Kao Data’s mission-critical systems
Under the agreement, CBRE will manage Kao Data’s electrical infrastructure, including uninterruptible power supplies that prevent power interruptions to servers, electrical switchgear that controls power distribution, and generators that run on HVO (hydrogenated vegetable oil), a renewable diesel alternative.
The firm will also maintain Kao Data’s cooling systems, which use a combination of air and liquid cooling - technologies that remove heat from computer servers and maintain optimal operating temperatures.
“Our data centres are home to some of the industry's most mission critical computing environments, from global financial services to hyperscale cloud deployments, and GPU-powered AI research and development workloads,” says Pete Judson, Chief Operating Officer at Kao Data.
CBRE brings standardisation to Kao Data operations
The appointment of CBRE, which manages real estate portfolios across more than 100 countries, aims to standardise operations across Kao Data's expanding network of facilities. CBRE employs more than 130,000 people globally and reported the highest revenue among commercial real estate services firms in 2023.
- 160MW: Total IT load managed by Kao Data across its facilities
- 130,000: Number of employees at CBRE Group globally
Pete says the appointment will support Kao Data's growth strategy: “CBRE’s reputation for continuous improvement and attention to detail, coupled with its consistently high standards of performance, make it the perfect FM ally – especially as we grow our data centre portfolio into new locations and markets across Europe."
Kao Data expands facilities management as European growth continues
CBRE's responsibilities extend to front-of-house operations, including security systems and access control measures that regulate entry to the facilities. The company will implement its Critical Environments Risk Management programme, known as CERM, which identifies potential risks from human error in data centre operations.
The appointment comes as Kao Data manages more than 160 megawatts of IT load across its facilities. The company specialises in providing colocation services, where multiple customers house their computing equipment in the same data centre, with a focus on artificial intelligence workloads.
Kao Data's facilities hold NVIDIA DGX-Ready certification, a standard that verifies data centres can support NVIDIA's enterprise AI systems. This certification indicates the facilities meet power, cooling, and networking requirements for AI computing infrastructure.
The contract represents an expansion of facilities management services for CBRE's Data Center Solutions division, which operates within CBRE Group's broader commercial real estate services business. CBRE is listed on both the Fortune 500 and S&P 500 indices, with headquarters in Dallas, Texas.
Craig Bristow, Managing Director of CBRE Data Center Solutions UK, says: “We are thrilled to partner with Kao Data on their UK data centre portfolio and look forward to the future supporting them as they expand into new markets across Europe. We share a joint commitment to operational excellence and are dedicated to delivering a best-in-class service.”
Explore the latest edition of Data Centre Magazine and be part of the conversation at our global conference series, Tech & AI LIVE and Data Centre LIVE.
Discover all our upcoming events and secure your tickets today.
Data Centre Magazine is a BizClik brand
