NorthC Equips Basel Data Centre for AI and HPC Demand

NorthC Datacenters (NorthC) has announced the recent upgrade of its Münchenstein (Basel) 1 facility into a high-density, AI-ready site through a new partnership with Legrand, a global provider of electrical and digital infrastructure. 

The project transforms the facility to support high-performance computing (HPC), GPU clusters and hybrid-cloud workloads – all within a tight six-month deadline. 

In order to meet increasing demand for dense computing workloads, NorthC needs to overhaul its existing low-density data centre setup.

Customers are requesting racks of up to 40kW, efficient cooling technologies, compliance with Swiss data laws and infrastructure that aligns with sustainability goals.

Wolfgang Voigt, Münchenstein Data Center Site Manager at NorthC, describes the upgrade as “like open-heart surgery,” as the work takes place while the site remains fully operational.

Cooling solution enables dense compute with low energy use

To meet these demands, Legrand supplies its ColdLogik Rear-Door Heat Exchangers (RDHx) through specialist brand USystems. This intelligent rear-door solution mounts directly to server racks, using a closed-loop liquid system to absorb and remove hot air expelled by servers. 

It then recirculates cooled air, eliminating the need for conventional room-level air conditioning. The RDHx is designed to support low to high-density environments and is widely recognised as the most energy-efficient rear-door cooling solution currently available worldwide. 

The technology allows NorthC to meet customer requirements for racks up to 40kW, while keeping power usage low.

The upgrade delivers a cooling energy consumption reduction of around 80%, with further gains in power usage effectiveness (PUE) and a smaller carbon footprint. 

These improvements also enable NorthC to support GPU clusters and high-density computing without compromising on sustainability or compliance.

Future-ready design supports growth and sustainability

The upgraded infrastructure now supports a wide range of AI and HPC workloads. By using a modular setup, the facility can scale easily with future rack deployments or shift to direct-to-chip liquid cooling if required.

This flexibility ensures long-term operational efficiency and keeps NorthC well-positioned to support future technology demands. 

NorthC’s customers, operating in data-sensitive industries such as finance, pharmaceuticals and government, also benefit from infrastructure that is fully compliant with Swiss data protection legislation.

The site provides low-latency, high-speed access and now supports dense hybrid-cloud environments, meeting enterprise requirements for both performance and regulatory assurance.

Colin Rowlands, European Technical Support at USystems, says: “Installing the basic infrastructure for our cooling solutions in a data centre, whether in the entire data centre or just part of it, makes upgrading easy. 

“The joint solution, which we are very proud of, provides NorthC with future-proof and flexible infrastructure.”

Market gains for NorthC and Legrand

For NorthC, the project strengthens its position as a regional provider of sustainable, high-performance colocation services across Switzerland, Germany and the Netherlands. 

The deployment of ColdLogik RDHx systems enables it to address the growing demand for dense computing while achieving measurable sustainability results. Legrand also benefits from the successful deployment of its intelligent rear-door cooling technology, reinforcing its status as a partner for energy-efficient data centre infrastructure. 

With the Basel site now fully AI- and HPC-ready, the collaboration between NorthC and Legrand sets a benchmark for how existing low-density data centres can be adapted quickly and efficiently to support modern compute demands.