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DCD’s 18 Feb.

2026-02-18 · 15:41 UTC ·DCD Europe, Middle East & Africa Newsletter ·2 min read

Brief

The newsletter is a compact market scan of EMEA data center activity, with the most consequential signals centered on power-intensive digital infrastructure in the UK and Europe. The headline project is a proposed 500MW campus in Somerset, a scale that underscores how AI and cloud demand are pushing development beyond traditional hubs and into regions where grid access, local permitting, and community response become central constraints. Amazon’s filing for a tape library facility in Hemel Hempstead points to continued investment in specialized storage infrastructure, while the reported strike on a data center in occupied Prymorsk highlights the physical vulnerability of telecom and compute assets in conflict zones. Additional briefs note a £102 million UK Home Office procurement, Unilever’s five-year Google Cloud/AI deal, and Policloud’s plan for 1,000 sovereign micro-data centers by 2030. DCD’s adjacent whitepapers and event blurbs reinforce the dominant industry themes: grid delays, supply-chain stress, renewable procurement, and growing interest in modular off-grid power systems.

Why it matters

DCD’s 18 Feb. 2026 EMEA weekly roundup highlights several data-center infrastructure developments across the UK and Europe.

Key details

  • The lead items are a planned 500MW data center campus in Somerset, a new Amazon filing for a tape library data center in Hemel Hempstead outside London, and a report that Ukrainian forces struck a data center in Russian-occupied Prymorsk alongside a substation and airfield.
  • Other notable UK and European items include the UK Home Office seeking a data center managing partner for a £102 million contract, Unilever signing a five-year cloud and AI agreement with Google Cloud, and Boldyn upgrading permanent connectivity at Silverstone Circuit.
  • The roundup also flags French AI cloud startup Policloud’s plan to deploy 1,000 sovereign micro-data centers by 2030, suggesting continued interest in distributed and nationally controlled AI infrastructure.
  • DCD’s promoted content emphasizes the sector’s core constraint: AI-driven demand is straining aging power infrastructure, creating grid-connection delays, supply-chain bottlenecks, and interest in off-grid modular microgrids, containerized onsite generation, and renewable-energy sourcing for new builds.
Cleaned source text

title: EMEA Weekly Review: 500MW data center campus planned in Somerset, UK | Amazon files to develop tape library data center outside London | Ukrainian forces strike data center in Russian-occupied Prymorsk

author: DCD Europe, Middle East & Africa Newsletter

content_type: newsletter

publication: datacenterdynamics.com

published: 2026-02-18T09:41:10-06:00

source_url: gmail://19c7169b78870bf8

word_count: 538

Europe, Middle East & Africa

Weekly Review

18 February 2026

Latest News

500MW data center campus planned in Somerset, UK

Energy-guzzling facilities coming to cider-drinking territory

Amazon files to develop tape library data center outside London, UK

Company looks to build facility in Hemel Hempstead

Ukrainian forces strike data center in Russian-occupied Prymorsk

Substation and airfield also targeted in drone strikes

WHITEPAPER

The Life Sciences Supplement

As AI, advanced compute, and data platforms reshape life sciences, this supplement explores how next-generation digital infrastructure is enabling faster discovery, scalable genomics, and more efficient, sustainable research and clinical operations.

Read Now

Boldyn to provide permanent coverage upgrade for Silverstone Circuit

Unilever signs five year cloud and AI agreement with Google Cloud

UK's Home Office seeks data center managing partner for £102m contract

French AI cloud startup Policloud plans 1,000 sovereign micro-data center deployments by 2030

UPCOMING EPISODE

Tech showcase: Rapid off-grid power for data centers

With data center power demand outpacing grid expansion, operators are turning to modular microgrids to avoid delays. This showcase explores how containerized onsite generation and intelligent controls accelerate commissioning, maintain power quality, and support redundancy during critical project milestones.

Register Now

Industry Views

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How US policy shifts impact data center development

Why 2/3 of data center development is choosing frontier markets over Northern Virginia

The geography of digital infrastructure is changing faster than most people realize

How data center developers can prioritize renewable energy in new data center construction projects

The key to future data center infrastructure? Renewable energy

REPORT

DCD>Survey Report: Data center construction

As AI-driven demand strains aging power infrastructure, data center projects face long grid delays, supply chain constraints, and sustainability pressures. This survey report examines how construction priorities are shifting in the AI era, highlighting key barriers, risks, and emerging solutions.

Long Reads

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