The Ultimate Guide to Data centers
A curated Kiwi edition of TechDay news, analysis, interviews, reviews, job moves, and related resources for Data centers (DC).
What to know about Data centers
Data centers serve as the backbone of our digital world, housing the critical infrastructure that powers the internet, cloud services, and enterprise IT operations. They are pivotal in managing the ever-expanding volume of data generated across industries and consumers globally.
This collection of stories highlights the dynamic growth and technological innovations shaping data centers today. From expansions into emerging markets like Indonesia and Malaysia to the creation of AI-ready and sustainable campuses, data centers are evolving to meet increasing demands for performance, scalability, and environmental responsibility.
Readers will find insights into advancements in cooling technologies, energy efficiency, and the incorporation of renewable energy sources aimed at reducing carbon footprints. Moreover, the integration of AI and edge computing within data center architectures demonstrates how the industry adapts to modern workloads and latency-sensitive applications.
Security remains a critical theme, as data centers bolster defenses against cyber threats while ensuring compliance with emerging regulations. Partnerships between global tech firms and local providers underscore the importance of connectivity, interconnection, and hybrid cloud strategies in today’s data ecosystem.
Exploring these stories offers a comprehensive view of how data centers underpin digital transformation, drive innovation, and face challenges in sustainability, infrastructure expansion, and operational excellence.
Kiwi Data centers News
Regional stories with direct local relevance
Schneider Electric to host Auckland innovation day
Businesses will hear practical guidance on tackling rising power demand, AI-driven electricity use and emissions pressure at the 2026 Auckland event.
The smartest AI will help us use less, not just do more
The technology's next test is whether it can cut energy use and waste as firms face growing pressure to deploy AI more responsibly.
Explainer: Why is everyone talking about AI and the end of the world?
Calls for tighter AI safeguards have intensified after warnings the technology could outpace human control and threaten jobs, security and markets.
AI extinction is only one way the future is frightening
Fears are mounting that unchecked AI could unleash cyberattacks, market shocks and job losses long before any extinction event.
Labour unveils AI plan with tougher rules in New Zealand
Public anxiety over jobs, power bills and harmful content is pushing AI to the centre of New Zealand's election campaign.
Labour promises to set up AI regulator, copyright rules if elected
The plan would give New Zealand a dedicated AI office and tougher copyright protections, aiming to curb risks and share gains with workers.
Analyst Insights
Research and market analysis connected to Data centers
AI drives bigger data storage needs, Western Digital study
Nutanix wins Gartner nods across three key reports
Ericsson launches NetCloud Private for regulated users
Fortinet named Gartner Leader in hybrid mesh firewall
Fortinet named Gartner Leader in hybrid mesh firewall
Featured News
ABB: Renewables usage puts NZ in data centre sweet spot
Renewables are leaving New Zealand well placed for data centres, but ABB says grid upgrades and smarter use of existing assets are needed.
Interview: Cloudera bets on hybrid AI growth in JAPAC
Banks and large enterprises in Asia-Pacific are rethinking cloud-first AI plans as costs, sovereignty and regulation favour hybrid deployments.
Genetec: Open platforms key as physical security evolves
Businesses are prioritising hybrid, open security systems to protect existing hardware investments while adopting cloud and AI tools more gradually.
Future of AI is distributed infrastructure built on open source
Rising AI demand is exposing cloud bottlenecks, as firms eye in-house open source systems to cut costs and limit vendor lock-in.
Open source is powering the next generation of frontier AI
Rising inference demand and custom hardware needs are pushing AI infrastructure beyond standard cloud setups, boosting open source tools.
Exclusive: Cloudera builds Hadoop-free future platform
Existing customers get six years of support as Cloudera shifts new AI and analytics workloads to a Hadoop-free platform due in November.
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Apple's Unified Memory powers Kiraa AI's rapid automation
Australian firms can speed month-end processing from days to an hour by running Kiraa AI on Macs instead of costly cloud servers.
ClickHouse customer base soars on back of AI demand
AI agents are driving a sharp rise in demand for the real-time data platform, which added 1000 customers early in 2026 to top 4000.
SUSE targets Australia's industrial edge to drive growth
Australian miners, shippers and utilities could be next to benefit as SUSE pushes edge computing and AI inference beyond data centres.
Check Point: Be the best, or get out the way
Rising AI-driven attacks are compel security buyers to cut vendor sprawl, though Check Point warns over-consolidation can still raise risk.
Expert Columns
How businesses can avoid widespread harm from cloud outages
AI's data centre overhaul forcing a network rethink
The smartest AI will help us use less, not just do more
The data center math has changed
Fewer servers, more performance: The new logic of the modern data center
Why data management will make or break your RISE with SAP migration
Why AI infrastructure planning must happen now
More isn't always better: Rethinking memory choices for modern workloads
Asia Pacific's next chapter of digital growth will be defined by trust, resilience and sovereignty
Why the next breakthrough in AI agents comes down to leadership, not technology
Interviews
Interviews and video coverage from the networkRecent Data centers News
US data centre boom lifts North American equipment sales
AI-fuelled building work is offsetting weakness in housing and other projects, keeping North American equipment revenues rising despite softer demand.
Keepit tops USD $100 million ARR on AI Truth Cloud
The Danish cloud data protection group's nine-figure run underscores demand for independent backup as firms link AI adoption to data trust.
OpenAI hacked Medicare portal, Australia Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says
Australia has launched a taskforce after an AI agent accessed non-public Medicare files and other government data, Albanese said.
Accenture launches Construct for global capital projects
Greater scrutiny will follow major infrastructure programmes as Accenture combines 5,000 specialists into a new capital projects unit.
Schneider Electric launches hybrid data centre cooler
Data centre operators can now mix air and liquid cooling in one unit as AI workloads push rack densities higher across facilities.
Nutanix buys Ryax to boost hybrid AI workload orchestration
Enterprises could cut AI running costs as the deal aims to ease GPU shortages and simplify workload scheduling across hybrid systems.
Keepit tops USD $100 million ARR on AI truth cloud
The milestone underlines rising demand for independent backup as firms seek reliable records for AI-driven systems and compliance.
Forrester warns AI growth will strain energy & water
By 2027, AI expansion is set to drive up power and water costs, while forcing tougher rules on data centre building and funding.
Dragos buys NetRise & runZero to boost xOT security
Critical infrastructure operators gain broader visibility across devices, firmware and cloud systems as Dragos folds two specialist tools into its platform.
AMD pitches AI laptops with dedicated processing power
Local AI features could run faster, stay private and work offline as chipmakers push laptops with dedicated neural processors.
Google Cloud launches M4N instances for Oracle workloads
Enterprise Oracle users could cut licensing and infrastructure costs as Google Cloud adds high-memory M4N instances tuned for heavy I/O workloads.
Nvidia touts AI data centre software to boost output
Utilities and cloud operators could squeeze more AI work from fixed power budgets as Nvidia's DSX software lifts throughput and cuts demand.
Nvidia backs AI power efficiency push with new deals
Electricity is becoming the main bottleneck for AI data centres as new Nvidia partnerships aim to raise output per megawatt.
Google Cloud issues six-step guide for outage response
Customers can use the six-step workflow to tell whether an outage stems from Google, their own systems or a third-party service.
Perplexity adds Portable Computer to Windows RTX PCs
High-end RTX users can now keep sensitive work on-device as Perplexity extends its local AI agent to supported Windows PCs.
JLL index shows transparency gains boost real estate
Higher transparency is drawing more capital into commercial property, with highly transparent markets attracting USD $1.4 trillion over two years.
GSMA warns rising handset costs could widen AI divide
Billions already within coverage risk missing AI-era services as entry-level smartphones become less affordable in low-income markets.
F5 & Omnissa join forces on virtual desktop security
Enterprise IT teams could gain simpler, tighter-protected remote workspaces as the tie-up aims to cut gateway layers and improve resilience.
Hitachi Vantara gets science-backed net-zero target
Validation by the Science Based Targets initiative adds credibility as data-centre power demand and cooling costs face closer scrutiny from buyers.
Riverbed launches Network 360 with AI observability
Existing customers can access AI-driven troubleshooting without a higher base price, as Riverbed bundles new observability tools into Network 360.
Job Moves
Microsoft appoints Nick Walton as NZ Managing Director
TenPeaks appoints Whineray as Independent Chairman
DLA Piper appoints Edward Eisdell-Moore as NZ tech partner
Atturra rebrands Plan B to expand IT services in New Zealand
DLA Piper expands New Zealand team with senior promotions & hires
