Datagrid and Mitsui add capacity as Virgin wins access to the Channel Tunnel
Datagrid began work on a 49-hectare data-centre site, Mitsui Kinzoku announced a Malaysian copper-foil plant, and Britain's regulator opened Channel Tunnel tracks to Virgin.
Economics & Markets··Morning
Datagrid begins work on its Southland site
According to RNZ, Singapore-based Datagrid said groundworks began on Tuesday at what it calls New Zealand's largest data centre project. The site covers 49 hectares at Makarewa, north of Invercargill. The work has been contracted to HEB Construction, a subsidiary of the international firm VINCI Construction. It covers a new access road connecting the campus to State Highway 98 and upgrades to existing roads. Topsoil excavated from the site will be used to build a 6 metre bund to keep construction noise away from the surrounding community. The foundation platform for the artificial intelligence data centre facility, the cable landing station and the power substation is expected to be finished by the end of the year. Datagrid's New Zealand chief executive Rémi Galasso said the timeline was ambitious.[1]
Mitsui Kinzoku to build a copper-foil plant in Malaysia
Japanese producer Mitsui Kinzoku said, as reported by Kitco News, that it will expand capacity for its high-performance copper foil products beyond 2030 by building a new plant in Malaysia to meet demand from the artificial intelligence and chip sectors. The plant, to be built on land next to the company's existing Malaysian facility that it plans to acquire, is expected to start operating in 2031 with a monthly capacity of 1,200 tonnes of VSP copper foil and 4 million square metres of MicroThin copper foil. VSP foil is used in the high-frequency circuit boards found in servers, routers and switches, while MicroThin foil goes into semiconductor package substrates, optical modules and phone motherboards. The expansion will lift total monthly capacity to 2,600 tonnes of VSP foil and 12 million square metres of MicroThin foil by the 2033 financial year. The size of the investment has not yet been decided.[2]
Virgin wins Channel Tunnel track access
The Office of Rail and Road, Britain's rail regulator, approved track access for Virgin's plan to run services through the Channel Tunnel in competition with Eurostar, according to BBC News. The regulator called the decision a significant step forward for competition on a route Eurostar has held alone since the tunnel opened in 1994. The approval allows up to 20 daily return services between London and Paris, Brussels or Amsterdam, and runs from 1 October 2030 to 31 December 2040. Virgin still has to secure rolling stock, obtain safety approval from British and European Union authorities and gain access to rail networks in mainland Europe; the approval covers only the HS1 route from London St Pancras to the tunnel. Martin Jones, the regulator's deputy director for access, said this was an important next step for competition and growth in international rail services. Italy's FS Italiane Group also plans to run services from 2029 through Trenitalia France.[3]
