10 / 11 November 2026

AGENDA

Day 1 – Tuesday 10 November 2026

All times are GMT / UK

Day 1 – Welcome

Welcome from the Editor

Introduction to Critical Insight 2026 from Jordan O’Brien, Managing Editor for Data Centre Review.

Keynote: The AI capacity reality check

Concerns continue around how much electricity the next generation of data centres will require, particularly as AI-driven development gathers pace. But project announcements and grid connection requests do not necessarily translate into operational capacity. This session will separate credible demand from market hype, explore which projects are genuinely financeable and deliverable, and assess what the industry should realistically expect between 2027 and 2030.

Abbie Badcock-Broe

Head of Corporate, UK & Decarbonisation Strategy
National Grid

SPONSORED SESSION

AI is making future load profiles harder to predict, leaving operators with a difficult choice – install electrical infrastructure for demand that may take years to arrive, or risk being unable to support customers as power requirements increase. This session will explore how modular UPS architecture can preserve mission-critical availability while allowing capacity to be added in line with actual demand.

Alex Brew

Vice President Regional Sales EMEA
Vertiv

SESSION SPONSOR

Panel - Can one data centre support every workload?

As AI pushes infrastructure requirements to new extremes, operators are being asked to accommodate high-performance AI clusters alongside cloud, enterprise and legacy environments. This panel will explore whether one facility can serve these different workloads without compromising efficiency, resilience or commercial viability.

Bob Downing

VP of Sales - Energy Solutions
AVK

SESSION SPONSOR
SESSION SPONSOR

15-minute break

SPONSORED SESSION

Direct-to-chip liquid cooling can remove heat from increasingly dense AI hardware, but solving the thermal problem at the processor does not automatically solve the facility’s wider water, energy and operational challenges. This session will follow the complete cooling journey from chip to site, exploring how operators can support higher compute densities while managing water consumption, energy use, coolant health and the impact on local resources.

Jason Yates

Technical Services Director
Riello UPS

SESSION SPONSOR

Panel - What does a good data centre give back?

Amid growing scrutiny of data centre development and calls for restrictions in some parts of the UK, the industry increasingly needs to demonstrate the value it delivers to host communities. This panel will explore what responsible development should look like in practice – from honest employment claims, local procurement and investment in skills to heat reuse, environmental transparency and meaningful community engagement.
Moderator: Matt Rutherford

DCA Advisory Council – Sustainability & Evapco Data Center Business Unit Director, EMENA
The DCA & Evapco

Mahesh Ramanujam

President & CEO
Global Network for Zero

SESSION SPONSOR

End of Day One

Please note: This live interactive event will be viewable on your phone, tablet, laptop or desktop computer. There will be opportunities to put your questions to the guests. Once registered, you will need a special link to attend. This will be emailed to you about one week before the start.

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