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.”

Dark fibre is not a new concept, but its strategic value has become more critical than ever thanks to increasing data traffic volumes. For cloud dependency, and latency-sensitive applications such as Artificial Intelligence, Chatbots, and Agentic AI, dark fibre offers an ideal combination of control, scalability, and futureproofing.

This article goes beyond the basics and outlines the operational and commercial advantages of dark fibre deployments, and how ITS helps operators capitalise on them.

Why Is Network Autonomy So Valuable?

Edge computing infrastructure, real-time applications, and private cloud solutions rely on ultra-low latency (ULL) connections. Having an exclusive, uncontended connection in these use cases is vital, prioritising performance, security and ultrafast upload and download from the cloud.

Three Strategic Benefits of Dark Fibre for Network Operators

Total Network Control

With dark fibre, providers control everything from DWDM (Dense Wavelength-Division Multiplexing) to routing and encryption. This is vital for operators looking to differentiate through their own Service Level Agreements (SLAs) or bespoke architectures. Without any dependency on third-party carriers, providers can:

• Prioritise cost
• Remove network congestion
• Support advancing cloudification

True Scalability & Futureproofing

Dark Fibre supports virtually unlimited bandwidth, with operators only limited by the technology and optics they deploy. Dark Fibre provides ultimate control over DWDM equipment, providing the bandwidth scalability needed to flex to evolving customer demand. As the industry begins to move toward 4-800G and beyond, having an inherently scalable exclusive asset becomes a strategic asset.

Network Resilience & Redundancy

Control over routing and diversity offers the ability to design future-ready network architecture, crucial for customers who supply critical national infrastructure, such as Healthcare, Energy or Data Centres. With a Dark Fibre foundation, routes can be engineered specifically for enhanced resilience with added failovers to protect 24/7/365 operations.

Want to learn more about Dark Fibre?

Dark Fibre gives Carriers, ISPs and Mobile Network operators the foundation needed to support tomorrow’s bandwidth-hungry smart, 5G and IoT applications – today. With the shift to 10Gbps demand, ITS is strategically placed to give infrastructure partners a cost-effective network solution designed to accommodate increasing demand.

ITS provides rapid access to high-capacity fibre, allowing you to divert capital where strategically necessary and speeding up go-to-market for neutral host partners. Our dark fibre is trusted by international carriers for secure data transmission across backhaul, extension, diversity and triversity – all under your terms.

If you’re interested in learning more about how ITS helps infrastructure partners build more autonomous, scalable and resilient Dark Fibre networks, download our whitepaper that explores how Dark Fibre networks feed into CTO and CEO agendas.

Contact us today to learn how we can help you build a secure, future-ready Dark Fibre foundation.

The contract, which will see ITS move into South Wales for the first time, aligns with the programme’s goal to create a smart region ready to innovate and adopt emerging technologies, ensuring an inclusive digital landscape that meets everyone’s needs.

This significant investment will serve 41 dark fibre connections across 34 strategic public sector sites in Carmarthenshire, connecting education, health and local authorities. The project includes key partners Carmarthenshire County Council, University of Wales Trinity Saint David, Hywel Dda University Health Board, and Coleg Sir Gar.

The new network will connect sites and data centres to store, move, and share large quantities of data securely at ultra-high speed. This will improve the collaboration between these organisations, enabling them to use advanced technology and applications such as AI, and share and analyse data in real-time. It will also underpin innovative ways of working and enable more data-driven decision making, having the capacity to flexibly meet the evolving needs of the sectors and the delivery of modern public services.

It aims to deliver positive community impact, prioritising digital inclusion, tackling inequalities, and limiting environmental impact. Digital Champions in each local authority will work with industry, government, and poorly connected communities to support the delivery of the programme at a local level.

In addition to securing the contract award, ITS will invest in a wholesale full fibre network that mirrors the dark fibre route and extends beyond it to pass more than 2,800 businesses. This private investment will enable access to gigabit-capable services, significantly enhancing the area’s digital infrastructure. It will foster greater market choice, offering highly resilient, business-grade connectivity to both local partners and end-user organisations.

Daren Baythorpe, CEO of ITS said:

“We are thrilled to have been successful in this tender process which will see us play a pivotal role in transforming the area’s digital landscape. As our first public sector contract in South Wales, this is a fantastic milestone for us and one that will provide the foundation for a connected future for the region, driving innovation and prosperity for the entire community.

“ITS has a strong track record of working with the public sector to deliver connectivity solutions that benefit local businesses and communities, putting social value at the heart of each project. This type of innovation aligns perfectly with the Digital Infrastructure Programme’s objectives, providing a platform for economic growth and bridging the digital divide.”

Cllr. Philip Hughes, Cabinet Member for Organisation and Workforce at Carmarthenshire County Council said:

“This announcement marks a significant advancement in equipping our public sector services to meet future demands. By aligning with the Digital Infrastructure Programme’s objectives, this project will underpin the expanding needs of digital services in our communities, which rely on having effective, secure, and high-capacity infrastructure.

“Not only will it enhance the quality and reliability of services for communities across the county, but it will also act as a catalyst for further investment into digital infrastructure. This investment will foster innovation and economic growth, helping to ensure that Carmarthenshire is able to benefit from technological advancements.”

ITS is at the forefront of next-generation connectivity, with its entire full fibre network built on XGS-PON technology – enabling scalable, high-capacity services. In a UK-first, ITS has successfully trialled dedicated internet access over 50G-PON in both lab and live business environments. This breakthrough marks a significant milestone for the UK fibre market, offering a more sustainable and efficient way to deliver ultra-fast services using existing fibre infrastructure and reducing the need for additional equipment.

Demonstrating its continued commitment to South Wales, ITS has strengthened its regional presence with the appointment of Stephen Dobynne, Client Director for the Public Sector, to the Private Sector Advisory Board of the South West Wales Corporate Joint Committee (SWWCJC).

For more information on this or improving the connectivity in your area, get in touch with your local Digital Champion.

Telecoms carbon footprint is under growing scrutiny, with Data Centres at the heart of this due to extreme cooling requirements. This is only exacerbated by the projected growth in electricity demand from Data Centres, expected to rise to over 35 TWh by 2050.

However, ensuring that Data Centres can operate on a greener model isn’t just about meeting nationwide Net Zero targets. Data Centres must offer long-term viability and competitiveness, as businesses look towards deploying greener operating models.

We explore how connectivity acts as a key enabler of the green Data Centre transition.

Why Are Data Centres Heavy Carbon Emitters?

Data Centres are some of the most carbon-intensive facilities due to their round-the-clock operation. Built for uptime, these sites are constantly transmitting data, with high availability and low latency, prioritised over energy efficiency. This places increased pressure on rack cooling systems, that must keep devices at a constant low temperature to maximise performance and prevent overheating with demand.

Other reasons for poor efficiency include:

• Limited use of renewables, with heavy reliance on fossil-fuel-powered grids due to excess energy demand.
• Inadequate real-time visibility of consumption, preventing proactive energy management.
• Underutilised waste heat, which is typically vented instead of recycled.

All these factors are heightened by the rising use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) chatbots, cloud management, and online gaming. For example, AI uses 33x more energy than other machines running task software, placing huge pressure on Data Centre infrastructure.

What Does a Greener Data Centre Look Like?

Sustainable data centres are shifting toward smart, integrated, and energy-aware infrastructure. This includes using new intelligent power distribution units (iPDUs) to provide the visibility and control needed to understand and manage power consumption across rack-mounted equipment like routers and servers. This insight allows data centre operators to identify what is known as ‘Zombie Servers’, which are servers with no purpose but still using power.

Other iPDUs can provide virtual heatmaps of data centre rooms, maximising the efficiency of cool airflow and equipment placement, to reduce cooling power consumption. One case study shows that using iPDUs in data centre sites allowed an operator to reach energy reduction targets two years ahead of schedule. (ITS, 2025)

Other ways to manage power consumption within Data Centres include:

• Renewable-powered operations, including on-site renewable energy via wind/solar.
• Smart heat reuse systems that convert waste heat into usable energy for nearby homes or offices.

But underpinning all these systems is connectivity, and that’s where full fibre infrastructure becomes essential.

Case Study: Hemiko’s Urban Heat Reuse Network

In partnership with London-based regeneration authorities, Hemiko is developing one of the UK’s first waste heat recovery networks, powered entirely by a Data Cente exhaust.

Using the concept of smart heat transfer, the project will heat around 9,000 premises in West London, using heat entirely harvested from local Data Centres. The project relies on fibre-connected sensor networks, operated from advanced Building Management Systems to extract, analyse and redistribute energy.

Beyond Compliance

Despite the clear environmental benefits, Data Centre operators must also consider the commercial benefits of a greener model. With 73% of UK businesses already prioritising Net Zero, Data Centres operators that cannot prove ESG-aligned performance risk being left behind.

ITS provide the critical underlining to help operators embrace smart energy tracking, data-based heat reuse and iPDUs that set the stage for more environmentally sensitive Data Centres.

Download Our Net Zero Whitepaper

Although often understated, it’s essential to recognise full fibre connectivity as an enabler carbon reduction. To find out how connectivity can power energy savings in other industries, download our whitepaper now.