GLP-Backed Ada Gets Nod for 210MW Data Centre Campus in East London

Ada Infrastructure, the data centre platform backed by Asian industrial specialist GLP, has received approval to build a 210-megawatt London campus that would be one of the city’s largest server-hosting facilities.

Ada’s flagship development in Britain got the go-ahead from a local planning committee in the eastern borough of Newham, the company said Thursday in a release. The “AI ready” project in the Docklands area will comprise three 70MW data centre buildings and a community multi-purpose facility for job training in digital infrastructure and tech careers.

The campus design aims for a BREEAM Excellent sustainability rating and seeks to enhance the public spaces around the site with improved pathways for pedestrians and cyclists along the River Thames.

“In addition to collaborating with local partners to provide job training and employment opportunities, the project’s future-ready design, including energy-efficient systems, net positive landscaping, and strict physical and cybersecurity protocols, will set new standards for safe and sustainable development in the age of AI,” said Ada president Jennifer Weitzel.

Local Seal of Approval

The Docklands campus is engineered to be capable of handling the intensive power and cooling requirements of hyperscale AI applications, according to Ada, which takes its name from a British mathematician credited with writing the world’s first computer program.

To offset those rigorous energy needs, the project will use low-carbon building materials and feature air and liquid cooling systems that operate without water evaporation. The plans have won the endorsement of the University of East London’s Royal Docks Centre for Sustainability.

“These proposals are highly sustainable, in line with UEL’s own values, and have evolved to improve the design and architectural approach, as well as enhancing access to public space and the Thames River,” said Royal Docks Centre director Robert De Jong.

Asset manager GLP Capital Partners will continue to leverage its footprint across Europe to support the growth of data centre and clean energy strategies, said GCP Europe president Nick Cook.

Server Sheds in Flight

Founded in 2023, Ada has seven data centre developments across Britain, Japan and Brazil with over 1 gigawatt of available power and more than 1.5GW in the pipeline.

In May, Ada announced the groundbreaking for the second of three planned buildings at its Tokyo West 1 campus, with the platform targeting a combined IT load capacity of 31MW for the finished project. The first building, which has been under construction since last year, is set to enter operation by mid-2025.

Ada has four data centre projects in Tokyo and one in Osaka, representing more than 600MW of IT load, and two under-development campuses in Brazil totalling 100MW.