Hosted Lunch Briefings
Invited guests can enjoy a closed-door, 3-course lunch focused on key industry topics like Power, Cooling, and Capacity Planning.
DCD Connect | London 2026
Connecting Europe's data center ecosystem to design, build & operate sustainable data centers for the AI age
Bringing together more than 5,000 senior leaders working on Europe's largest data center projects, DCD Connect | London drives industry collaboration, helps you forge new partnerships and identify innovative solutions to your core challenges.
"A first class event that presented a wide variety of perspectives and technologies in an engaging and informative forum."
Data Center Project Architect | AWS
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3 Co-located events covering the entire digital infrastructure ecosystem
- 150+ Exhibitors showcasing the latest tech
- Hear from 280+ leading experts from across the data center industry
- Network with 5,000+ Senior Data Center Professionals
The home of cutting edge tech innovation
Connect with 5,000 data center & AI infrastructure professionals from across Europe
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VIP Private Dinners
Invited guests can join our hosts for an exclusive dinner for industry executives at a renowned restaurant.
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Icebreaker Parties
Get to know 5,000+ fellow data center decision-makers at our iconic Icebreaker Party. This lively party will feature live entertainment, canapés, an open bar and plenty of photo opportunities in this iconic venue.
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Over 25+ years at the forefront of the industry
In 2025, we celebrated 25 years of connecting the data center ecosystem to design, build & operate sustainable data centers for the AI age.
Meet the 2026 speakers
Vice President - Strategy Research, STACK Infrastructure
Vice President, Global Energy Markets, AECOM
General Manager, Google Distributed Cloud, EMEA, Google
Chief Development Officer, HSCALE
Construction Director - UK & Ireland, Digital Realty
Solutions Architect, Enterprise Rent-A-Car
Head of Solutions Alibaba Cloud UKI, Nordics & Cyprus Region, Alibaba Cloud
Global Technical Programe Manager, Google
Senior Manager, Colocation Engineering EMEA, AWS
Chief Operating Officer, Verda
Agenda Highlights
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Major Panel: The Net‑Zero reality check - Can gigawatt-scale digital expansion align with climate goals?
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- Main Stage - Connect Show Floor | Mezzanine Level
- Data Center Construction
- Energy & Sustainability
- Open Session
Speakers
Vice President, Secure Power & Data Centres, UK & Ireland, Schneider Electric
Svein Atle Hagaseth
CEO & Founder, Heim Datacenter
David Hall
CTO, Tillion Data Centers
Alberto Ravagni
CEO, Net Zero Innovation Hub for Data Centers
CEO, DCD
Europe is entering the most aggressive build‑out cycle in its data center history, with demand forcing operators to deliver at unprecedented speed. At the same time, the updated EU Energy Efficiency Directive (EEED) is tightening the screws, with mandatory PUE, water, energy and waste‑heat reporting and rising scrutiny on operators from regulators. This session confronts a core tension for the next decade, whether Net Zero remains realistic in an era defined by accelerated compute and constrained grids. As operators race to meet stacked delivery pipelines, the question is whether sustainability is becoming a casualty of the AI‑era.
This session will examine:
- Whether delivery speed will continue to outrank sustainability as demand accelerates
- The feasibility of achieving Net Zero without undermining commercial performance
- The climate‑resilience of current build standards and the risk of stranded assets
- The industry’s direction of travel on Net Zero amid gigawatt‑scale expansion
- How operators can navigate Europe’s increasingly fractured and divergent policy landscape
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Debate: Are data centers becoming Europe’s new energy partners?
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- Main Stage - Connect Show Floor | Mezzanine Level
- Mission Critical Power
- Open Session
Speakers
Goran Arya
Director, Energy Origination & Structuring, EMEA, Equinix
Rune Hogga
Director of Power, Bulk Infrastructure
Carlos Alves
Manager Energy & Capacity, Digital Realty
Laurens van Reijen
CEO, LCL Data Centers
Portfolio Director - North America, DCD
Europe’s grid constraints are reshaping digital‑infrastructure growth. Power allocations are uncertain, speculative requests are clogging queues, and new regulatory expectations are redefining the landlord‑tenant model. As utilities shift toward becoming powered‑land providers and begin setting the terms of connection, influence is moving from operators defining demand to grid companies determining what can actually be delivered. At the same time, demand‑response markets and the emergence of data centres as microgrids are accelerating a deeper structural shift in how capacity is planned, traded, and governed.
This session will explore:
- The shift toward new power‑allocation models that reset how capacity is granted across constrained grids
- The role of real‑time transparency from grid operators in reducing over‑specification and unused reservations
- The potential emergence of utility‑owned land and shell as a dominant development model, with operators focusing on service and operational layers
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Major Panel: The new European data center map - What’s the strategy outside FLAP‑D?
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- Main Stage - Connect Show Floor | Mezzanine Level
- Data Center Construction
- Investment & Markets
- Open Session
Speakers
Penny Madsen
Vice President - Strategy Research, STACK Infrastructure
Svante Horn
Co-CEO & Co-Founder, Scandinavian Data Centers
Russell Poole
CEO, Apto
Jess Simmonds
EMEA Lead - Global Infrastructure Energy and Location Strategy, Google
CEO, DCD
As FLAP‑D development slows under grid and permitting friction, Europe’s build‑out is already shifting. Developers are moving into the Nordics, the Mediterranean, and Eastern Europe in search of power, renewables access, subsea proximity, and faster approvals. This isn’t a future trend, it’s happening now, and capital is being redeployed accordingly. The strategic question is how Europe’s next wave of infrastructure will take shape as operators assemble new availability zones and diversify beyond the traditional metros.
This session will explore:
- Which regions outside FLAP‑D are the next deployment nodes
- How subsea routes and emerging availability zones are reshaping Europe’s digital infrastructure in 2026 and beyond
- How operators balance latency needs with power certainty across North, South, and Eastern Europe
- Whether Europe is moving toward a multi‑region model or one dominant corridor outside FLAP-D
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Debate: The “universal design” fallacy - Can facilities standardize when workloads keep shifting?
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- Data Center Construction
- Open Session
Speakers
Charini Birunthaban
Technical Program Manager - Google Global Infrastructure, Google
Derek Allen
Group Director of Operations, Global Switch
Vice President Design, GreenScale Data Centres
Johannes Lähteenmäki
Business Unit Director , Habeo
Ivy Tavershima
Senior Technical Program Manager - AI Delivery, Microsoft
National Business Development Manager, Endress+Hauser
Portfolio Director - EMEA & Awards, DCD
AI has broken the idea of a universal facility template. Workloads and hardware are shifting faster than construction cycles, and tighter IT/OT coupling means power, cooling, and control systems must adapt to volatile compute behaviour rather than fixed design assumptions. With no stable baseline, standardisation is under pressure, modularity is becoming essential, and operators are questioning whether repeatable templates are still viable or whether continuous customisation is now the norm.
This session will explore:
- How shifting workload profiles and tighter IT/OT coupling are reshaping core facility design assumptions
- How modularity can create repeatable, adaptable, long term design paths
- How industry standards help or hinder operators trying to keep pace
- Whether standardisation remains viable or slows delivery and risks stranded assets
Secure your pass today!
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End User/Specifier Pass
Includes access to
Connect | London
The Xcelerated Compute Show
For end-users within the digital infrastructure industry
Who qualifies?
✅ End-users within the data center industry from Enterprise and Hyperscale
✅ End-users specializing in IT, Compute, Storage or Networking
✅ Technical roles from Colocation Operators
✅ Specifiers of data center technology & services (technical roles) from AECs (Architects, Consulting Engineers, Contractors), Systems Integrators and Energy Utilities
✅ Procurement teams
Who does not qualify?
❌Sales & Marketing Professionals
❌Technology or Service Vendors
❌Resellers
❌Recruitment Firms
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General Admission Pass
Includes access to
Connect | London
The Xcelerated Compute Show
For digital infrastructure analysts and sales & marketing professionals
Who qualifies?
✅ Sales & Marketing Professionals from: Colocation & Cloud Providers, AECs (Architects, Consulting Engineers, Contractors), Systems Integrators and Energy Utilities
✅ Digital Infrastructure Investors/Analysts
✅ Law Firms & Professional Advisory Services
Who does not qualify?
❌Technology or Service Vendors
❌Resellers
❌Recruitment Firms
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Investment Forum Pass
Includes access to
Connect | London
Investment Forum | London
The Xcelerated Compute Show
For operators, investors and the supporting ecosystem involved in investment, financing and M&A activity
Who qualifies?
✅ Leaders from Digital Infrastructure Investment and Finance
✅ Senior executives from Hyperscale, Colocation or Cloud Services companies
✅ Law Firms, Consultancy & Advisory Services Involved in Deal flowWho does not qualify?
❌Technology or Service Vendors
❌Resellers
❌Recruitment Firms
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Vendor Pass
Includes access to
Connect | London
The Xcelerated Compute Show
For technology vendors, service vendors, resellers and recruiters
Who qualifies?
✅ Technology or Service Vendors
✅ Resellers
✅ Recruitment Firms
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