ITS has been chosen as the full fibre infrastructure provider for Deep Green’s flagship data centre, currently under development in Urmston, Greater Manchester.

Based next to move Urmston Leisure Centre, the data centre known as DG01, is a ‘lighthouse’ project in Deep Green’s UK roadmap. It will showcase an innovative model, combining high-performance compute capabilities with local infrastructure, harnessing heat energy that can be reused for the public good.

It creates a blueprint for Deep Green’s compact, sustainable data centres nationwide.

DG01 will capture up to 96% of the heat produced by its servers and equipment, using it to warm move Urmston’s swimming pool water. It is estimated that this will cut the leisure centre’s carbon dioxide emissions by 150 tonnes each year annually, and it is estimated that this will save up to £80,000 in energy costs. The waste heat could also be used in the future to benefit other local businesses, industrial processes, and public spaces.

Designed for high density workloads, including high performance compute and AI, DG01 will support hardware (servers and processors) that can draw 400 kW of power within a 240m² footprint, supporting up to 100 kW per rack.

ITS’s established full fibre footprint across Urmston will enable the fast delivery of connections linking the data centre to businesses that choose to co-locate there. And it was the regional presence that was a key factor in Deep Green’s decision to select ITS as its connectivity partner.

Dave Ferry, Chief Sales Officer at ITS, said:

“DG01 is one of the most innovative data centre blueprints in the UK, and it demands digital infrastructure that can match its ambition. Our network will provide the platform that AI and high-performance computing require, while also being a very exciting addition to our substantial data centre footprint across our national network. As we already serve Urmston, we can move quickly to install with minimal disruption. Through DG01, businesses will thrive, advanced workloads will run at full potential, and technology will deliver measurable social and environmental value.”

Mark Lee, CEO of Deep Green, said:

“ITS has been engaged with us from the very beginning of the design process, ensuring our objectives were fully understood and building a genuine culture of partnership. As a B2B specialist with a proven network across Greater Manchester and competitively priced services, ITS are committed to go to market alongside us to help deliver this project. Their full fibre infrastructure gives us the speed and reliability our partners and their clients demand. Our mission is to prove that data centres don’t have to cost the earth – in either environmental or financial terms.”

Cllr Tom Ross, Leader of Trafford Council and Greater Manchester’s Green City Region portfolio holder, said:

“This is a great example of how public and private sectors can work together to create real change. ITS invested in rolling out a high-capacity full fibre network across Urmston several years ago to meet growing local business demand for high speed services, and this partnership with Deep Green shows how that investment continues to deliver new value. Not only will this development benefit our community directly, it will also play a vital role in achieving our 2038 net-zero target and delivering on Greater Manchester’s Five-Year Environment Plan, creating a ripple effect of benefits for our citizens.”

Jo Cherrett, CEO of Trafford Leisure, a community interest company wholly owned by Trafford Council, which manages leisure in Trafford on behalf of the council, said:

“Operating some of the most energy-intensive public facilities means we have a responsibility to look for smarter, greener ways to meet our community’s needs. DG01 is a perfect example of how innovation in one sector can transform outcomes in another. Thanks to the robust full fibre infrastructure being delivered by ITS, the data centre will have the always-on connectivity it needs to serve businesses, while its design will capture and reuse heat for our pool and facilities. The reduction in our energy costs and carbon footprint will allow us to reinvest those savings directly into improving services, programmes, and accessibility for local residents. For us, this is a beacon for what sustainable public leisure can look like.”