HYPER-CONVERGED INFRASTRUCTURE, APPLICATION STORAGE
prnewswire | March 24, 2023
EdgeConneX®, the pioneer in global Hyperlocal to Hyperscale Data Center Solutions, announces the successful execution of $3.3 billion in innovative sustainability-linked financing, which enables the development of critical digital infrastructure to support customers' global data center requirements. The significant scale of these transactions is also recognized by IJGlobal, a leading market intelligence firm for the energy and infrastructure finance industry, with the Digital Infrastructure Deal of the Year Award 2022 in the data center category.
In October 2022, EdgeConneX, the EQT-owned data center developer, reached financial close of a €2.4 billon sustainability-linked (re)financing EdgeConneX pan-EMEA data center portfolio of operational facilities across seven jurisdictions and provided CapEx facilities to support future developments. This financing is arranged across three tranches – a term loan, a CapEx facility, and a revolving credit facility, providing an optional line of credit if needed. Beyond consolidating EdgeConneX pan-EMEA portfolio, this deal allows it to transition from stand-alone project financing to a structured corporate debt package – thereby unlocking more flexibility and funding capacity to support anticipated growth across the region. In addition, this deal represents Europe's first data center platform financing and is rated as a pathfinder sustainability-linked portfolio financing.
Separately, in June 2022, funds managed by Ares Management's Infrastructure Debt strategy, committed a delayed draw sustainability-linked global debt facility to EdgeConneX. The debt facility commits up to $1 billion and can be used to fund the development and construction of EdgeConneX growing global development pipeline. In addition, the innovative funding regime in Euros and US dollars via a structured corporate debt package unlocks more flexibility and funding capacity to support EdgeConneX anticipated global growth.
Both facilities include sustainability-linked margin adjustments, whereby the interest rate payable is directly correlated to EdgeConneX achieving specific pre-determined sustainability targets. These targets align with EdgeConneX holistic ESG sustainability strategy, which includes a goal of becoming a carbon-, waste- and water-neutral data center provider by 2030 and developing and operating a data center platform powered by 100% renewable energy.
"We are honored by the IJGlobal Award distinction for our innovative financing structures that can be replicated globally," comments Joe Harar, Chief Financial Officer for EdgeConneX. "Sustainability is a necessity, and EdgeConneX has adopted sustainability principles across all aspects of our business. These financings leverage EdgeConneX Green Finance Framework and enable us to execute growth plans by reinforcing our commitment to delivering energy-efficient and innovative sustainable solutions for our customers anywhere in the world."
The greenfield element of these transactions wins EdgeConneX an IJGlobal award in this category in conjunction with the refinancings, which played a significant part in the deal and its reason for winning an award. The IJGlobal Awards took place in London on March 9, 2023, celebrating the best-in-class transactions and organizations across the international infrastructure and energy sectors.
EdgeConneX owns and operates 60+ data centers across 50 unique markets throughout 30 countries. The company's portfolio includes 200+ far edge and EdgePop deployments and 500+MW of capacity deployed and/or in development worldwide. Providing excellence and expertise across all deployment phases, EdgeConneX also specializes in build-to-suit data center facilities for Hyperscalers serving as the backbone of their cloud computing products for consumers globally.
About EdgeConneX
EdgeConneX, backed by EQT Infrastructure, part of the global investment organization EQT, EdgeConneX provides a full range of sustainable data center solutions worldwide. We work closely with our customers to offer choices in location, scale, and type of facility, from Hyperlocal to Hyperscale. EdgeConneX is a global leader in anytime, anywhere, and any scale data center services for a diverse portfolio of industries, including Content, Cloud, Networks, Gaming, Automotive, SaaS, IoT, HPC, Security, and more. With a mission predicated on taking care of our customers, our people, and our planet, EdgeConneX strives to Empower Your Edge.
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APPLICATION STORAGE, IT SYSTEMS MANAGEMENT
Radisys&amp | February 28, 2023
On February 27, 2023, Radisys® Corporation, an industry leader in open telecom solutions, announced its partnership with Dense Air Networks, a company specializing in broadband solutions. The companies will develop a novel 5G small cell RAN solution set that utilizes licensed and shared spectrum to densify and improve coverage and capacity in 5G standalone networks. This innovative solution from Dense Air is designed to enable both MOCN and MORAN-based RAN sharing through the edge network capabilities of Radisys®5G RAN CU/DU software for outdoor and indoor deployments.
The partnership is the result of 15 months of intensive research and development conducted by Dense Air using the 5G CU and DU software portfolio from Radisys®. By leveraging the open interfaces and advanced 3GPP features from Radisys®, Dense Air manages shared 5G Neutral Host Infrastructure, and implements highly scalable, shared small cell solutions using high-performance RU hardware and a completely cloud-hosted, virtualized DU and CU platform.
Connect Open RAN 5G CU/DU solution hosted by Radisys® on the Dense Air platform is designed for high performance on various industry-leading processors and SoCs with
CU control-plane and user-plane scaling based on CUPS architecture.
CU/DU split over F1 interface as per 3GPP and O-RAN specifications.
Flexible lower-layer split alternatives in DU for SCF option 6 (FAPI/nFAPI) interface and O-RAN 7.2x fronthaul, allowing deployment of advanced features including Multi-TRP cluster cell.
Radisys® enables Dense Air to employ novel mmWave fronthaul working over O-RAN Split 6 interfaces and deploy shared streetside 5G small cell clusters installed on existing vertical assets, utilizing both licensed and shared spectrum.
Arun Bhikshesvaran, CEO of Radisys®, shared, "Radisys is excited to collaborate with Dense Air in designing this highly differentiated solution that extends the capabilities of 5G networks using advanced 3GPP features and open interfaces. Our field-proven 3GPP and O-RAN compliant software, integrated and benchmarked on multiple platforms, helps Dense Air deploy a highly scalable 5G RAN solution."
(Source – Business Wire)
About Radisys®
Based in Hillsboro, Oregon, Radisys® Corporation offers disaggregated platforms and integration services that leverage open reference architectures and standards combined with open software and hardware. This enables service providers to build highly scalable and high-performance networks at optimum total cost of ownership. Its end-to-end solutions portfolio includes digital endpoints, disaggregated and open access and core solutions, and immersive digital applications and engagement platforms, all designed to drive open digital transformation. With its world-class network services organization, the company delivers full lifecycle services to help service providers succeed in today's highly competitive telecom industry.
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HYPER-CONVERGED INFRASTRUCTURE, APPLICATION STORAGE
IDTechEx | March 27, 2023
Thermal Interface Material (TIM) plays an important role in power electronics, computing processors, sensors, and energy storage devices. TIMs are the materials used to fill the void between heat sources and heat sinks to enhance heat transfer. TIMs come in a variety of forms, including gap pads, thermal greases, thermally conductive adhesives, and phase change materials. The form varies significantly across target application areas, cost, and ease of mass deployment. With the ever-increasing power demand and heat generation for many emerging industries, such as data centers, 5G, and advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS), TIMs are experiencing rapid growth and evolution, leading to significant market opportunities and massive potential for each of the target industries.
Electric Vehicles (EVs) are a fast-growing market; IDTechEx forecasts that electric vehicle markets across land, sea, and air will generate US$2.6 trillion by 2042 with a double-digit annual growth rate. The battery is undoubtedly one of the most important components of an EV. Together with the fast adoption of EVs, there is also a trend for higher power density, larger battery capacity, and faster charging.
TCAs have the fastest growth but gap fillers retain their dominant position over the next ten years. Source: IDTechEx - "Thermal Interface Materials 2023-2033: Technologies, Markets and Opportunities".
The most used TIM forms in the EV battery industry include gap pads, gap fillers, and thermally conductive adhesives (TCAs). There is no "one-size-fits-all" solution when it comes to TIM form, and the choice is ultimately subject to battery design configuration. Gap filler is by far the most widely adopted TIM for EV batteries at this stage, thanks to their superior ability to be efficiently dispensed at high volumes. However, in order to increase energy density and achieve a longer range, EV batteries have been shifting from modular to cell-to-pack designs. This shift is expected to have profound impacts on the adoption of TIMs. Modular battery designs consist of multiple individual battery modules connected to form a battery pack. Each module has a separate casing and requires a separate TIM to transfer heat from the cell to the cooling system. In contrast, the cell-to-pack design combines the battery cells into a single, large battery module, eliminating the need for separate module housings and TIMs.
This battery transition reduces TIM usage per vehicle as there are fewer thermal interfaces between the cells and the cooling plate. The elimination of module housings means cells can directly contact the cooling plate, thereby changing the performance requirements of the TIM. The TIM needs to transfer heat efficiently to avoid hotspots, as well as present good material compatibility with the cold plate. As the TIMs are positioned directly between the cells and the cold plate, an increased adhesion of TIMs is needed to stick the cells and cold plates together. Therefore, IDTechEx forecasts thermally conductive adhesives to be increasingly adopted thanks to this battery design transition, and by 2020, the market size of TCA within the EV industry is expected to have a 15-fold increase. More details about the opportunities associated with this transition are included in IDTechEx's latest research, "Thermal Interface Materials 2023-2033: Technologies, Markets and Opportunities".
About IDTechEx
IDTechEx guides your strategic business decisions through its Research, Subscription and Consultancy products, helping you profit from emerging technologies.
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