Ramboll strengthens data centre services with i3 acquisition

Ramboll has acquired the data centre consulting company i3 Solutions Group. This strategic acquisition follows Ramboll’s previous acquisition of EYP Mission Critical Facilities in 2022, strengthening Ramboll's standing as a full-service provider in the international data centre consulting industry. The acquisition expands Ramboll's presence in North America, Europe, and Asia and is aligned with the company's ambitions to reduce the climate footprint of the data centre industry, which is crucial to the digitalised society.

i3 Solutions Group, with offices in the UK and Singapore, specialises in the strategy, planning, design, and commissioning of data centres. The company also advises clients in Europe and Asia on securely storing and managing their business-critical digital environments. With the integration of i3 Solutions, Ramboll now boasts hundreds of dedicated data centre design experts globally.

Peter Heymann Andersen, Group Chief Operating Officer of Ramboll, expressed his satisfaction with the acquisition. "We are very pleased to welcome i3 Solutions Group' experts to Ramboll," Andersen said. "For more than two decades, Ramboll has provided expert advice in the fields of environment, water, energy, and construction to data centres and helped our clients to design, build and operate water and energy-efficient solutions worldwide. At Ramboll, we operate with the mindset that 100 per cent renewably powered, zero waste data centres are achievable."

He added, "With i3 Solutions, we get a company on board with deep, technical domain knowledge within data centres, which will strengthen our consultancy within integrated, innovative data centre solutions and strengthen Ramboll's position at the top of the international league of data centre consulting companies."

Ed Ansett, Founder and Chairman of i3 Solutions Group, also highlighted the benefits of the acquisition. "Becoming part of Ramboll is a fantastic opportunity to expand the portfolio of consulting engineering services to our existing, global client base, while at the same time bringing our specialist technical expertise into Ramboll's current and future clients across 35 countries around the world. Ramboll has a strong commitment to fostering a sustainable development of the data centre sector. This commitment aligns with our own belief in the importance of minimising the environmental impact of data centres on society," Ansett noted.

The acquisition comes at a time of significant growth in the data centre industry. Since 2010, global internet traffic has expanded 25-fold, and global data consumption is expected to continue rising. Currently, data centres and data transmission networks account for 1-1.5 per cent of global electricity use and 2 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions. Improving the sustainability performance of the sector is becoming increasingly important.