Schneider Electric™, a global leader in energy management and automation, has been honoured with the ‘Data Centre Consolidation/Upgrade Project of the Year’ award at the DCS Awards 2025. This recognition was shared with EcoXpert Partner Advanced Power Technology (APT) for delivering a cutting-edge modular data centre at The Pirbright Institute. The new Containerised Data Centre (CDC) empowers the Institute to accelerate viral research with scalable, resilient, and energy-efficient infrastructure designed to support AI, high-performance computing (HPC), and future tech evolutions.
1. Award-Winning Partnership
- Schneider Electric and APT collaborated to deploy a modular CDC solution tailored to Pirbright’s scientific demands
- Recognised for innovation, efficiency, and partnership in the digital infrastructure space
- Mark Yeeles (Schneider Electric) and John Andrew (APT) highlight the project’s impact on research continuity and scalability
2. Future-Proofing Research Infrastructure
- Pirbright Institute leads in virus diagnostics and surveillance, essential for animal and zoonotic disease research
- Transitioned from legacy IT to containerised data centre to meet strict data sovereignty and resiliency standards
- CDC design supports high-tech virology equipment, diamond-light virus analysis, and huge 700GB data sets
3. Technology and Deployment Highlights
- Uses Schneider Electric’s EcoStruxure for Data Centres portfolio for pre-configuration and off-site testing
- Delivered in 3 phases within 12 weeks to avoid disruption to mission-critical research operations
- Infrastructure supports HPC, AI, and GPU-powered computing enabling rapid scientific breakthroughs
4. Impact on Viral Research and Global Health
- Enhanced data centre enables faster identification of viral threats and supports world-leading research
- Flexible infrastructure caters to advanced labs and vast data generated by cutting-edge scientific tools
- Secures Pirbright’s position as a top UK centre for viral disease surveillance and research
Schneider Electric and APT’s award-winning Containerised Data Centre delivers a robust, scalable, and future-ready foundation that accelerates AI and HPC-powered viral research at The Pirbright Institute. This project exemplifies how advanced digital infrastructure can propel scientific innovation and global health advancements.
