Design ownership shapes the performance of a data centre long after construction is complete. As factory-built solutions become more common, clients increasingly risk transferring design ownership alongside equipment procurement.

Expert Series paper examines how independent engineering oversight supports better methodology selection, repeatable reference designs and long-life asset performance. It explores the trade-offs between modular, traditional and hybrid construction, demonstrating why engineering decisions should prioritise lifecycle value, operational flexibility and client control rather than supplier-led delivery models.

Grid constraints are reshaping data centre growth across Europe. Discover why unlocking existing capacity has become one of the fastest and most commercially effective routes to supporting AI demand.

This insight explores why retrofit and capacity optimisation are becoming strategic alternatives to new-build expansion. Drawing on market data, policy developments and practical engineering examples, it explains how operators can recover additional capacity from existing facilities, reduce deployment times and maximise the value of established grid connections while planning for future growth. 

AI and high-performance computing are changing the thermal requirements of modern data centres, making traditional air cooling unsuitable for many high-density environments.

This insight explores the transition to liquid cooling, examining the engineering decisions that influence resilience, energy performance, infrastructure design and heat reuse. It outlines the practical considerations needed to develop cooling strategies that remain reliable, efficient and commercially robust throughout the life of the facility.

Every ESG report tells a story. Ours is one of progress, learning, and raising the bar. We are proud to share the Ethos 2025 Environmental, Social & Governance Report.

This report reflects a year where sustainability became even more embedded in how we operate, make decisions, and deliver value for our clients. As our business continues to grow, so too does our responsibility to create lasting positive impact.

Some milestones from 2025 include:
Climate Action: Our science-based emissions reduction targets were validated by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), and we’ve already achieved a 32.9% reduction in Scope 1 and 2 emissions against our 2019 baseline.

People: We continued to strengthen diversity, equity and inclusion, reducing our mean hourly gender pay gap from 14.4% to 1.2% while increasing female representation across the business.

Looking Beyond Carbon: We completed our first biodiversity assessment using the TNFD LEAP approach, strengthening our understanding of nature-related risks and opportunities while continuing to improve the transparency and quality of our ESG reporting.

This report is the result of collaboration across the business. A huge thank you to everyone at Ethos who contributed their expertise, challenged ideas, shared data, and helped shape our sustainability journey.

While we’re proud of the progress we’ve made, we know sustainability is a continuous journey. We remain focused on accelerating decarbonisation, strengthening governance, and supporting the delivery of resilient, sustainable infrastructure for the future.

The Ethos Research & Development Team brings together specialist expertise to investigate the engineering challenges shaping the next generation of data centres and energy infrastructure.

Guided by client needs and industry research, the team focuses on practical innovation across thermal engineering, electrical resilience, AI infrastructure and sustainability. Through applied research, technical collaboration and knowledge sharing, it supports engineering solutions that are scalable, commercially viable and ready for real-world delivery.

This Expert Series paper examines how electrical engineering is evolving to meet the demands of AI-driven data centres.

It explores grid constraints, behind-the-meter generation, high-voltage architecture, resilient distribution networks and integrated MEP and ICT design. Drawing on current engineering research and international standards, it presents practical approaches for improving deployment certainty, operational resilience and long-term infrastructure performance while helping owners and operators make informed electrical design decisions in increasingly constrained energy markets.