Vertiv to Deliver AI-Ready Solutions for Polar DC in Norway
Data centre leader Polar DC has selected critical digital infrastructure provider Vertiv as the primary supplier for its first modular AI-ready data centre in Norway.
The turnkey prefabricated modular solution is designed to help Polar drive speed, innovation and resilience for their AI-ready data centre. Its facility is powered entirely by hydroelectric energy, which is designed to minimise its carbon footprint whilst also accommodating high-density, liquid-cooled environments of up to 120kW per rack.
Vertiv’s solution is designed with N+1 redundancy across electrical and thermal systems. This means that it should deliver the resilience and reliability required to support AI and accelerated computing operations.
“This collaboration showcases the strength of Vertiv’s modular approach, providing Polar with a high-density, AI-ready infrastructure that combines rapid deployment with outstanding energy efficiency,” says Viktor Petik, Senior Vice President, Infrastructure Solutions at Vertiv.
“By leveraging factory-assembled infrastructure, we overcome traditional on-site challenges and deliver a solution tailored to Polar’s evolving requirements.”
The demand for high performance
Polar’s mission is ultimately to create an industry-leading, environmentally responsible infrastructure platform for their customers to develop the future of AI.
As AI applications become increasingly resource-intensive, the company recognises that the demand for scalable and energy-efficient infrastructure is greater than ever. With this in mind, Vertiv’s preconfigured power and cooling infrastructure is set to help Polar with these challenges in the new facility.
The infrastructure will help support a high-performance computing (HPC) environment with operational agility that works towards Polar’s sustainability business goals.
As part of this collaboration, Vertiv is designing, manufacturing, delivering, installing and commissioning a fully equipped, scalable, AI-ready prefabricated modular (PFM) solution. Capable of supporting a 12 MW IT load, there is the option to expand up to 50 MW.
Additionally, the solution includes Vertiv EXL S1, an efficient and grid-interactive uninterruptible power supply (UPS) that should be able to support the valuable power loads of AI and other HPC applications.
Also featured is the Liebert AFC chiller from Vertiv that is designed to significantly reduce carbon emissions and allow up to 20% lower annual energy consumption compared to fixed screw systems.
The first deployment phase of the project is set to go live as soon as the second half of 2025, with further expansion already planned by both companies. This facility in Norway is the first in Polar’s portfolio of ambitious developments that will raise the standard of AI-ready data centres across Europe.
“We are excited to partner with Vertiv on this innovative project, which allows us to scale quickly and efficiently while maintaining a strong commitment to sustainability,” shares Andy Hayes, CEO at Polar.
“The flexibility of Vertiv's solution enables us to easily expand to meet market demand, and helps us to support our clients with cutting-edge AI and HPC capabilities.”
Looking at the big picture: Building AI-ready data centres
In recent months, Vertiv has heavily committed to globally expanding its data centre capabilities to support future-proof data centre innovation.
The company introduced a broad range of new product offerings designed to support infrastructure management, prefabricated modular deployment, advanced thermal management and data centre power distribution.
Find our coverage of Vertiv’s new product offerings HERE.
Looking ahead, the company wants to provide options for operators to manage the increased power and heat density they will be experiencing, in addition to the complex operational demands of AI workloads.
These innovations are happening as demand for AI infrastructure continues to rock the data centre industry, with facilities faced with capacity constraints and environmental challenges. As AI requires higher levels of power and energy to run, companies like Vertiv are seizing the opportunity to gain a competitive edge.
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