Datacom

ANTICIPATING TOMORROW’S CHALLENGES

DATA CENTRES WITH A DIFFERENCE

Datacom proudly brings technology and expertise together, delivering innovative IT solutions that help its customers to streamline operations, raise productivity, enhance service delivery, and increase client engagement. We hear more from Director of Data Centres, Matt Neil

Writer: Ed Budds | Project Manager: Sam Thomas

In the next decade, the Asia Pacific (APAC) region is poised to become the epicentre of global data infrastructure growth.

As the vast data centre landscape continues to evolve at pace, Datacom is setting itself apart by delivering scalable, secure infrastructure powered by 100 percent renewable energy in its New Zealand (NZ) data centres and increased use of renewable energy in its collocated data centres in Australia. Continuing to flourish and evolve, the company offers 100 percent

uptime guarantees designed to meet the growing demands of artificial intelligence (AI), hybrid cloud, and regulatory compliance.

With AI adoption continuing to accelerate, the demands on data centres are rapidly evolving. As such, organisations now require not only scalable and secure infrastructure but also the ability to support highdensity, data-intensive workloads.

As one of Australasia’s largest locally owned technology companies, Datacom is well-positioned to respond to these rapidly evolving

WHAT STEPS IS DATACOM TAKING TO ENSURE ACCESS TO RENEWABLES AND LONGTERM PRICE CERTAINTY?

Matt Neil, Director of Data Centres:

“A major advantage for Datacom in NZ is the high proportion of grid electricity from renewables, which has enabled us to secure a 100 percent certified renewable energy agreement for its locally-owned and operated data centres.

“To provide additional certainty for our customers, we have secured power agreements at competitive fixed rates - under USD$0.08 per kWh - extending well into the next decade. This not only locks in price stability but also increases our appeal to organisations seeking to ensure their operations are backed by a sustainable energy supply.

“We also engage directly with utilities and council bodies to anticipate and plan for future expansion, ensuring access to both power and water is guaranteed before we scale facilities.”

requirements with a network of resilient data centres located across NZ and Australia.

“We operate six highly resilient, interconnected data centre locations – four in NZ in Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington, and Christchurch, and two in Australia with our partner AirTrunk in Sydney and Melbourne,” says Datacom’s Director of Data Centres, Matt Neil.

“We currently have around 40 megawatts (MW) of installed capacity and are scaling up rapidly as customer demand grows.”

“WITH TECHNOLOGIES LIKE AI AND EDGE COMPUTING BECOMING MAINSTREAM, THE NEED FOR RESPONSIVE, SECURE, AND SUSTAINABLE INFRASTRUCTURE IS GREATER THAN EVER”

– MATT NEIL, DIRECTOR OF DATA CENTRES, DATACOM

CREATING A POINT OF DIFFERENCE

Today, Datacom’s biggest strength is the breadth and integration of its services.

“Unlike a pure-play data centre provider, we offer everything across the technology spectrum, from hardware and software procurement to managed services and cloud solutions,” says Neil.

“Having expertise across the digital infrastructure landscape means we can advise clients on the best mix of digital infrastructure from on-premises, private cloud, public

cloud, data centre, or hybrid solutions, tailoring infrastructure to their journey and requirements.”

Drawing on 60 years’ worth of experience and a deep presence and enviable reputation in both NZ and Australia, the company is now uniquely positioned to act as a trusted advisor, not just a vendor, for organisations pursuing digital transformation, transition, and modernisation.

What sets Datacom apart is its holistic approach. Beyond colocation, the company offers end-to-end IT solutions, enabling clients to navigate

complex digital transformations. From re-platforming legacy systems to enabling hybrid cloud environments, Datacom supports the full spectrum of customer needs.

Notable examples include the rapid deployment of NZ’s My Vaccine Pass system during the COVID-19 pandemic and the creation of a cloud data lake for Auckland Transport, processing over 80 million records daily.

SUSTAINABILITY AT THE CORE

Underpinning everything that the company does, sustainability is central to Datacom’s overarching strategy.

All of the company’s data centres in NZ have a 100 percent certified renewable energy contract underpinning their power supply, with a 10-year pricing agreement ensures customers can access a stable electricity rate of approximately USD$0.073 per kilowatt hour (kWh), fixed until 2032.

Powering New Zealand’s Digital Backbone: Singer Electric and Datacom’s Data Centre Partnership

Established in 1953, Singer Electric is a leading New Zealand-owned electrical company energising the transformation of infrastructure to achieve a more sustainable future. Our vision is to create connected buildings and transportation systems that are energy-responsive and predictive, and our mission is to enhance electrical systems

Meeting the Needs of a Changing Digital Landscape

The demands placed on data centres are evolving rapidly. Cloud adoption, AI-driven workloads, and the shift towards sovereign infrastructure are increasing the need for facilities that combine high performance with uncompromising reliability. Singer Electric has been a trusted partner in this transformation, providing the electrical backbone that allows Datacom’s facilities to deliver guaranteed uptime and long-term resilience.

The growth of artificial intelligence and hyperscale environments highlights just how much precision is now required. Where traditional racks might have drawn 8–10 kilowatts, AI racks are consuming up to 150 kilowatts or more. Power, cooling, redundancy, and security systems must operate in perfect synchronisation, and the margin for error is effectively zero.

Singer Electric has delivered large-scale, high-

through technology continually. In an industry undergoing rapid change, we see electrification not simply as a service but as an opportunity to fundamentally improve how organisations design, build, and operate their energy infrastructure.

This commitment sits at the heart of our long-standing partnership with Datacom, one of New Zealand’s most respected

resilience data centres that incorporate advanced technologies, robust redundancy designs, and meticulous commissioning processes to meet these expectations.

Sustainability at the Core

Like Datacom, we believe that sustainability must be at the forefront of every infrastructure project. Achieving New Zealand’s carbon-neutral future requires rethinking how energy systems are designed and delivered. Singer Electric applies this lens from the earliest design stages, helping ensure facilities operate with efficiency, scalability, and adaptability.

Our purpose is the smart electrification of New Zealand. We actively design energy-efficient systems that minimise wastage, maximise the benefits of renewable generation, and create infrastructure capable of adapting to tomorrow’s demands.

technology companies. For more than fifteen years, we have worked alongside Datacom to deliver critical data centre projects from concept to completion. In this environment, uptime, resilience, sustainability, and scalability are essential—and our role is to ensure that every stage of delivery meets the highest standards of performance.

In data centres, this means carefully sequencing and verifying every stage of a project to maintain operational efficiency, introducing advanced monitoring tools to optimise energy performance, and ensuring that redundancy systems deliver resilience without unnecessary overhead. We also take a lifecycle view: the systems we design and build today must be capable of operating reliably for decades, even as energy and cooling technologies evolve.

Delivering Certainty in High-Stakes Environments

Singer Electric’s strength lies in our ability to integrate every phase of a project into one seamless delivery process. We combine electrical engineering expertise, disciplined project management, and national resourcing to take projects from initial design through construction, commissioning, and handover with complete control over quality and programme. This ensures

that design intent is maintained, interfaces between trades are managed, and delivery risks are mitigated before they can impact the build.

While greenfield facilities allow us to optimise design and construction from the outset, some of our most complex and rewarding work has been in live environments. Expanding or upgrading operational facilities without impacting service requires a highly controlled process. Power cannot simply be shut down, and each stage must be sequenced, tested, and verified before moving forward. We bring the planning discipline, technical skill, and stakeholder coordination needed to execute these works without incident, while maintaining full compliance and delivering to the programme.

For customers and main contractors, delivery certainty is paramount. Singer Electric provides that certainty through clearly defined milestones, live progress control, and resourcing depth that ensures the right expertise is on site at the right time. We coordinate seamlessly with other trades, maintain disciplined programme control, and take ownership of the electrical scope so the overall build can progress without disruption.

“Singer Electric bring an exceptional level of organisation to every project.”

- Gordon Penver, Associate Director, DataCentre Facilities

Safety, Compliance, and Maintenance

Safety and compliance underpin everything we do. We maintain rigorous quality assurance processes and adhere to both New Zealand and international ISO standards, ensuring our work passes inspection the first time. This is about protecting people and assets, safeguarding the reputation of not only the customer but all stakeholders, and ensuring the client’s operational requirements are met from the day the facility goes live.

Beyond construction, we deliver ongoing monitoring and maintenance that protects the operational integrity of critical infrastructure. Our maintenance approach combines planned preventative servicing with rapid-response capability for unplanned issues. We schedule work around operational priorities to minimise disruptions, regularly test backup and redundancy systems, and maintain detailed digital service records to support compliance.

Having delivered both the construction and the maintenance phases of multiple data centres, including work with Datacom, we understand how design decisions impact long-term performance and use that knowledge to fine-tune systems so they operate at peak efficiency.

Our relationship with Datacom extends across their Auckland and Hamilton facilities, where our embedded maintenance teams respond quickly and manage preventative programmes. This integrated model ensures the people who built the systems are the same ones maintaining them, providing unmatched familiarity with the site and the confidence that every service action supports long-term reliability.

“Singer Electric bring an exceptional level of organisation to every project. Their teams integrate seamlessly with ours, communicating clearly, responding quickly to changing priorities, and taking ownership of their assigned scope. At an organisational level, they are collaborative, professional, and committed to making the entire delivery team succeed.” Gordon Penver, Associate Director, Datacentre Facilities.

Building for the Future

Alongside Datacom, we recognise that the growing electrification demands on infrastructure are reshaping what it means to deliver critical facilities. Our approach integrates efficiency and resilience from the outset, ensuring that new facilities can adapt to future capacity requirements without major rework. In the high-stakes environment of a data centre build, this forward-thinking approach reduces whole-of-life costs and safeguards longterm operational performance.

Datacom values working with partners who can operate in mission-critical environments without disrupting live services, and our proven track record demonstrates why we have become a trusted extension of their team.

“Every project we have worked on with Singer Electric has been delivered to an exceptional standard, on time and without compromise. Their attention to detail, commitment to quality, and ability to hit programme deadlines consistently make them a contractor we can depend on.”

Grant Collie, GM Datacentre Facilities.

The demand for data capacity in New Zealand is expected to continue growing, driven by the adoption of cloud services, the rise of artificial intelligence, and the expansion of digital services. Meeting these demands will require partnerships capable of delivering complex, multi-phase projects under strict timeframes and operational constraints.

Singer Electric’s collaboration with Datacom demonstrates our ability to meet this challenge. We bring project discipline, sustainable design principles, and proven high-stakes delivery to ensure critical infrastructure is completed on time, on budget, and to the highest standard. From hyperscale greenfield developments to intricate live-environment expansions, we give main contractors and customers alike the assurance that their project is in capable hands.

Our purpose: to drive the smart electrification of New Zealand in every decision we make. Achieving a carbon-neutral future is a journey, and we aim to be the trusted advisor and delivery partner for organisations navigating that path.

If you are a consultant or main contractor preparing for a data centre project, connect with Singer Electric and gain a partner who will deliver certainty at every stage.

Sales@singer.co.nz

“With a commitment to net zero carbon emissions by 2030, Datacom is also investing in energy-efficient technologies such as direct liquid cooling, rear-door heat exchangers, and real-time telemetry for resource transparency,” says Neil.

“Our facilities are designed for resilience, guaranteeing 100 percent uptime backed by robust service level agreements (SLAs). Each rack is equipped with dual power feeds, uninterruptible power supplies, and 48-hour fuel reserves.”

Additionally, the company’s decade-long partnership with the Uptime Institute also ensures its operations meet stringent global standards.

DATACOM’S COMMITMENT TO PEOPLE, PERFORMANCE, PLANET, AND PRICE

PEOPLE

Utilising over 30 years of experience in designing, building, and operating data centres, Datacom offers end-to-end relocation services.

PERFORMANCE

The company boasts 100 percent uptime SLAs in its highly certified and independently reviewed data centres. This is alongside excellent cloud connectivity and carrier-neutral facilities.

PLANET

Datacom is targeting carbon net zero by 2030. It designs and operates energy-efficient infrastructure in low-carbon data centres, reducing emissions.

PRICE

The company offers flexible commercial terms which deliver value to the unique needs of its clients. Datacom also offers pay-as-you-go or fixed power pricing with transparent billing.

Setting the Benchmark in Premium Electrical and Communication Services.

Our ISO-certified processes (ISO 9001, 14001, 45001) ensure every deployment meets the highest standards of quality, safety, and environmental compliance.

Interlink is a trusted partner in delivering high-performance cabling infrastructure for data centres and mission-critical environments.

With over a decade of experience supporting Tier 1 clients across commercial and hyperscale facilities, we specialise in the design, installation, and certification of structured cabling systems -including Cat6A/7, OM4/OM5 fibre, and high-density connectivity solutions.

We work with industry-leading vendors such as Panduit, Siemon and CommScope to deliver scalable, standards-compliant cabling infrastructure that supports 24/7 uptime and rapid expansion.

Whether integrating copper and fibre backbones, deploying containment and raceway systems, or supporting white space fitouts with redundant pathways, our team brings deep technical know-how, precision installation, and flexible project delivery.

From greenfield builds to liveenvironment upgrades, Interlink ECS delivers data centre cabling solutions that keep your operations powered, connected, and future-ready.

team is on hand to offer advice and guidance on your project. sales@interlinkecs.com | www.interlinkecs.com

“UNLIKE A PURE-PLAY DATA CENTRE PROVIDER, WE OFFER EVERYTHING ACROSS THE TECHNOLOGY SPECTRUM, FROM HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE PROCUREMENT TO MANAGED SERVICES AND CLOUD SOLUTIONS”

– MATT NEIL, DIRECTOR OF DATA CENTRES, DATACOM

To date, it is the only provider in NZ with this level of certification and one of only around 10 data centre operators in the wider Australasian market.

BALANCING SUSTAINABILITY WITH INNOVATION

At present, the requirements for AI workloads are driving a seismic shift in data centre design.

“Where the traditional rack might

draw between three and five kilowatts (kW), AI racks are consuming up to 100-150 kW or more. This massive increase in power density means dramatic changes in the way that we design, build, and operate data centres and the electrical and cooling infrastructure needed within,” says Neil.

Notably, the industry is reversing a long trend of removing water from the data centre floor and instead

adopting advanced water-based cooling systems, from facilities management and support all the way to water at the rack.

“At Datacom, we are investing in purpose-built environments to support dense AI workloads and upgrading our data centres to suit.”

Sustainability remains at the heart of the company’s strategy, with the goal to be net zero by 2030. Thus, every decision around expansion

or technology adoption is weighed against this commitment.

Meanwhile, AI and other emerging technologies are driving up energy demands, so the challenge becomes one of increasing efficiency, not simply limiting energy use.

Datacom, like all data centre operators, is facing the fundamental paradox of reducing environmental impact and driving towards sustainability to reach net zero targets whilst AI workloads are demanding exponentially more power – a demand that shows no signs of slowing.

“NZ presents a compelling solution to this paradox, with over 85 percent of the country’s electricity generated from renewable sources – primarily hydropower and geothermal –providing an ideal foundation for sustainable AI workloads.”

As such, the country’s mild climate and cooler winter temperatures enable extensive use of “free” cooling systems that significantly reduce energy consumption.

Along with the advantages, Datacom is deploying advanced cooling technologies such as immersion cooling and direct-to-chip systems to dramatically improve thermal efficiency.

A CRUCIAL ROLE TO PLAY

Data centre migrations and expansions are complex undertakings, and Datacom approaches them with a structured, transparent methodology.

From initial scoping and risk assessment to execution and postmigration validation, each phase is managed by dedicated teams that prioritise clear communication and collaboration.

This process has been refined through many successful projects, building trust and ensuring smooth transitions.

Looking ahead to a bright future for both Datacom and the industry, regional providers in Australia and NZ will play a pivotal role in the global digital economy.

“With technologies like AI and edge computing becoming mainstream, the need for responsive, secure, and sustainable infrastructure is greater than ever,” Neil confirms.

“Datacom’s unique value lies in its ability to deliver integrated solutions – from colocation and cloud to cybersecurity and software – underpinned by a deep understanding of local markets and a commitment to customer outcomes,” he concludes.

In the complex and highly competitive environment that organisations find themselves operating in, Datacom now offers more than just data centre services – it provides local organisations with a future-ready platform for growth, innovation, and resilience, enabling customers to turn technology into a strategic advantage.

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