PRESS RELEASE

Independent Power Transmission Operator and Serverfarm Join Forces to Spearhead Hyperscale Data Center Development and Operations in Greece   

Athens, 16^th December 2024

The Independent Power Transmission Operator (IPTO) of Greece and Serverfarm, a global data center developer and operator, announced today the signing of a Heads of Agreement regarding the formation of Gemini, a Joint Venture with the objective of developing and operating state-of-the-art, hyperscale-ready data center facilities in Athens and elsewhere in Greece, on sites owned by IPTO.

This strategic alliance marks a significant milestone in advancing Greece’s digital infrastructure and fostering sustainable growth in the data-driven economy.

Gemini will combine the collective expertise and resources of two leading entities in their respective fields. IPTO, as a crucial pillar of the Greek energy sector, plays a pivotal role in managing the country’s electricity grid, ensuring stability, and embracing renewable energy solutions.

Leveraging its extensive experience, IPTO will be providing reliable and sustainable power supply, essential for supporting data center operations along with strategically located sites with access to power and optical fiber networks, as well as other operational resources. Serverfarm, as an expert in data center development and operations globally, with a strong track record in commercial real estate ventures, will be bringing unparalleled industry experience and advanced design and operational know-how, ensuring that the Joint Venture will become a point-of-reference for data center services in Greece.

Gemini plans to construct and operate hyperscale-ready data center facilities in the Greater Athens Area, leading initially with a campus with committed power of 130MW, creating the foundations for establishing a robust digital ecosystem to meet the escalating demands of cloud service providers, content delivery networks and enterprises.

The data centers will be designed with a focus on energy efficiency, utilizing state-of-the-art cooling technologies and renewable energy sources to minimize their environmental impact, creating an unparalleled platform for hyperscale computing in Greece. The Joint Venture envisions Athens as a prominent digital hub, offering secure, reliable, and low-latency data center facilities to national and international clients, bolstering Greece’s position in the global data economy.

The Founder and CEO of Serverfarm, Avner Papouchado, said:

“As leading tech and hyperscale organizations continue to expand into Greece, we see a great opportunity to leverage our expertise in this region. Our strategic partnership with IPTO, underscores our mission to invest in transformative projects that create long-term value. The Greek data center market is still one of the most under-served in Europe, but at the same time, its geographical location makes it ideal to serve as a data gateway between continents. Our collaboration with IPTO in creating Gemini and our shared commitment to excellence and sustainability, will enable us to leverage this immense potential to offer high quality, data center services in Greece. Our goal is to cater to the growing needs of hyperscale customers in the area and elevate Athens as a major hub for the industry, shaping the digital landscape in the broader region.

The Chairman and CEO of IPTO, Manos Manousakis, said:

“IPTO is building critical infrastructure for tomorrow’s electricity and telecommunications backbone networks throughout Greece and beyond, interconnecting the future. We are delighted to partner with Serverfarm, through Gemini, to deliver world-class data center facilities in Greece. Serverfarm’s vast experience in developing state-of-the-art data centers, coupled with IPTO’s robust energy infrastructure and its strategic location at the crossroads of continents, will create an unparalleled platform for hyperscale computing in Greece, catering to the escalating demand for digital services in the region. This alliance symbolizes a significant milestone for Greece’s digital transformation, which is poised to build the foundation for a flourishing data-driven economy in Greece. In this way, we fully exploit synergies and create win-win business opportunities, transforming Greece into a critical energy and data hub of high geopolitical value, at the crossroads of Europe, Africa and Asia.”

– End –

About IPTO:

  The Independent Power Transmission Operator (IPTO) is responsible for the operation, monitoring, maintenance, and development of the “Hellenic Electricity Transmission System”, aiming to ensure safe and undisrupted power supply across the country. IPTO’s “Ten Year Network Development Plan” provides for the electrical interconnection of major Greek islands in the High Voltage System by 2029, the strengthening and modernization of the continental power grid as well as the facilitation of Greece’s transition towards a cleaner energy mix. IPTO’s investment program, includes the Crete-Attica power link, supplemented with dual optical fiber cables, the completion of Cyclades as well as the interconnections of the Dodecanese and the NE Aegean islands. IPTO is developing new international interconnections to Italy, Bulgaria, Albania, North Macedonia and Turkey, and supports new subsea electricity interconnectors to Cyprus, Israel, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia, with Greece as the main hub. IPTO is the project promoter of the “Great Sea Interconnector” between Greece, Cyprus and Israel and is currently maturing the “Green Aegean Interconnector”, a new electrical corridor between Greece and southern Germany, for the transmission of clean energy originating from Greece and the Eastern Mediterranean region to the large consumption centers of Central Europe.

For more information, contact:

Email: pressoffice@admie.gr

About Serverfarm:

Serverfarm is an established multi-regional data center platform that provides data center solutions to key hyperscale, webscale, technology & network customers. These data center solutions include Colocation, Data Center Design, and IT Infrastructure Management, through Serverfarm’s proprietary InCommand DMaaS technology. For more information, visit serverfarmllc.com.

For more information, contact:

Email: media@sfrdc.com  

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Pan-African service provider MTN Group has announced some key leadership changes among its operating companies and at its digital infrastructure business, most notably at MTN Group’s wholesale fibre optic subsidiary Bayobab.

Mitwa Ng’ambi, CEO of MTN Cameroon since September 2022, will move to the same position at MTN Côte d’Ivoire, effective 1 March 2025, as Djibril Ouattara takes early retirement. Wanda Matandela, chief commercial operations officer at MTN South Africa, has been appointed as the new CEO for MTN Cameroon, effective 1 March 2025.

Most significant perhaps is the announcement that, effective 1 January 2025, Mazen Mroue, MTN group chief technology and information officer (GCTIO), will assume additional responsibilities as CEO of Digital Infrastructure (Infraco). This dual role will incorporate the mobility and fibre businesses of Bayobab, along with executing MTN’s data centre strategy as the MTN Group positions itself for growth and profitability in the development of AI across Africa.

Since joining MTN in 1998, Mazen has held various senior positions within the Group’s regional operations in Africa and the Middle East and served as a board member of various companies within the MTN Group. 

What this means is that Frédéric Schepens, current CEO of Bayobab, will be leaving the group effective immediately. This is described by news resource ITWeb Africa as “a surprise move” – and indeed this departure has been the main headline for a number of African news outlets reporting these changes. 

ITWeb Africa mentions a number of setbacks this year – and certainly the conflict in Sudan the depreciation of the naira, and disruptions caused by multiple subsea cable cuts have been challenging. However, another news source, TechFinancials, reporting on Bayobab’s financial results in August, said: “In this challenging environment, Bayobab achieved a resilient financial performance”, and added that in the first half of the year it had secured a number of new fixed connectivity infrastructure deals

MTN Group, however, simply notes that the changes are “aimed at addressing succession, operational execution, and advancing the Ambition 2025 strategy”.

News

The satellites will be built at Airbus’ facility in Toulouse, with production set to begin in 2026

Airbus Defence and Space has been awarded a contract by Eutelsat to expand its OneWeb Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite constellation. The contract will see Airbus build the first 100 satellites of the extension, with deliveries expected to begin at the end of 2026.

Airbus has previously manufactured the current OneWeb fleet, and the company is now set to continue its role in supporting Eutelsat’s efforts to enhance and expand its satellite services. Alain Fauré, Head of Space Systems at Airbus, commented: “We are committed to the successful continuation of the OneWeb constellation and to keep serving the business of Eutelsat as we have done over the past decades.”

The new satellites will offer several key technology upgrades, including integration with 5G networks and improved compatibility with Europe’s planned IRIS2 multi-orbit constellation, which is expected to become operational in 2030. This expansion aligns with Eutelsat’s strategy to grow its LEO capacity in response to increasing demand for global connectivity.

“We are relying on our long-standing partner, Airbus, to begin building the first batches of the Next Generation of our OneWeb LEO constellation, which will ensure we deliver continuity of service of the existing constellation with enhanced service features, as we move towards an architecture in line with the European IRIS2 constellation in 2030. Our in-market experience shows us that the appetite for low Earth orbit capacity is growing rapidly, and we are excited to embark on the next stage of our journey to satisfy that demand,” added Eva Berneke, CEO of Eutelsat in a press release.

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UAE-based satellite operator Space42 announced on Tuesday it has signed a new AED18.7 billion (US$5.1 billion) contract with the UAE government to provide satellite services until 2043, which will also help fund construction of two new satellites in the pipeline.

Space42 currently has two agreements with the government – a capacity services agreement and a managed services mandate – that are in effect until November and December 2026, respectively. The new contract extends that arrangement by another 17 years to 2043, and also combines related operations, maintenance, and technology management services of ground segment satellite systems and terminals currently provided under a separate agreement.

Under the contract, Space42 will provide satellite capacity and related managed services with the existing Al Yah 1 and Al Yah 2 satellites in orbit. The contract also covers capacity from Space42’s upcoming Al Yah 4 and Al Yah 5 satellites, which will provide secure governmental communications across the Middle East, Africa, Europe, and Asia.

In fact, as part of the deal, Space42 said that it will receive AED3.7 billion in advanced payments from the government to construct Al Yah 4 and Al Yah 5, which are expected to launched by SpaceX in 2027 and 2028, respectively.

That advance payment would cover most of the AED 3.9 billion Space42 has budgeted to develop Al Yah 4 and Al Yah 5, including the spacecraft, ground segment infrastructure, launch, and insurance. The satellites are based on the Airbus Eurostar Neo platform, which can deploy flexible multi-band payloads in orbit.

“The Al Yah 4 and Al Yah 5 satellites will offer new capabilities to advance our technology and service offerings, enabling us to continue providing our innovative SpaceTech solutions that meet the UAE Government’s evolving requirements more efficiently, securely and reliably,” said Ali Al Hashemi, CEO of Yahsat Space Services at Space42, in a statement.

Space42 is the product of the merger between Yahsat, the UAE’s flagship satellite operator, and AI-powered geospatial solutions provider Bayanat earlier this year.

In related news, Space42 said that another planned geostationary satellite, Thuraya 4, arrived at Kennedy Space Center in Florida last week, where it will be launched into orbit by SpaceX before the end of this month.

In the pipeline since 2020, Thuraya 4 sports a 12 meter L-band antenna and a payload with on-board processing. Space42 said this will provide advanced routing flexibility of up to 3,200 channels with dynamic power allocation over a large number of spot beams across Europe, Africa, Central Asia, and the Middle East.

News

The cash injection follows a $50 billion investment in 2016

SoftBank Group, led by CEO Masayoshi Son, has announced plans to invest $100 billion in the US over the next four years, a move that will focus on advancing AI and its related infrastructure. This investment aims to create 100,000 new jobs.

Son made the announcement alongside President-elect Donald Trump, who praised the deal as a strong sign of confidence in the future of the US economy. Trump said that the investment shows “monumental confidence in America’s future.”

Trump welcomed the new investment as part of his broader strategy to boost the US economy and tackle inflation in his second term. “It will help ensure that artificial intelligence, emerging technologies and other industries tomorrow are built, created and grown right here in the USA,” he continued.

The new pledge echoes a similar commitment made in December 2016, when Son promised a $50 billion investment and 50,000 jobs. While that money was deployed, the impact on job creation was unclear.

Although the $100 billion is set to be deployed over the next four years, the funding sources remain uncertain. SoftBank reported $27 billion in cash reserves as of September 30, and the company’s Vision Fund 2 still has $3 billion left to invest. It’s also possible that SoftBank could use funds from its recent acquisition of chipmaker Arm Holdings to help support this ambitious pledge.

This year, SoftBank also invested $960 million in Japanese AIto upgrade its computing infrastructure to deliver a Generative AI  platform in the Japanese language. Over the next two years, SoftBank will purchase GPUs (graphics processing units) from US based chip company Nvidia, using them to train and power its own large language models (LLMs), and then loan access to them to other firms.

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Telekom Malaysia’s enterprise and government sector digital solutions arm TM One announced on Monday it has formed a partnership with local property developer PR1MA Corporation Malaysia to leverage broadband, digital and IoT solutions to help build sustainable smart-housing projects.

Under the three-year deal, TM One will establish a centralised monitoring system for PR1MA’s project tracking and workflows, which it says will improve operations and resource management, and enable data-driven decision-making.

PR1MA will also utilise TM One’s IoT-based solutions for energy and environmental monitoring to lower operational costs and adopt sustainable best practices.

“This partnership supports the creation of connected and eco-friendly living spaces, aligning with PR1MA’s community-centric vision and Malaysia’s Smart City aspirations,” said TM One Executive VP Shazurawati Abd Karim. “By fostering future-ready ecosystems and sustainable urbanisation, we will jointly integrate digital innovation into affordable, high-quality housing.”

Mohd Nazri Md Shariff, PR1MA’s group CEO and Member of Corporation, said PR1MA will also leverage the operator’s solutions to embed smart-home solutions into its residential projects.

“Through this partnership, PR1MA aims to integrate smart solutions from planning to construction, ensuring efficient project management,” he said in a joint statement. “It will also enable our subsidiaries, PR1MA Communications and PR1MA Facilities Management, to provide sustainable connectivity and advanced technologies that enhance convenience, security, and quality of life for residents. These efforts will transform PR1MA’s developments into fully connected, smart communities.”

PR1MA Communications signed a similar deal with CelcomDigi in October 2024, when both companies signed an MoU to collaborate on providing fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) and fixed wireless access (FWA) solutions to PR1MA projects.

That deal also includes implementation of centralised network solutions, managed from a single data centre, to enable “real-time monitoring of bandwidth usage and provide seamless digital experiences at affordable costs”, according to CelcomDigi.