INTELLIGENT BRANDS // Green Technology

GlobalConnect has one of the most extensive high-capacity networks and experience in Northern Europe with more than 100,000 km of fibre across the region . Data consumption is expected to rise significantly in the coming years as more devices connect to the Internet . This will require a capacity expansion of the grid transporting data between the North Sea countries , and a smart North Sea Energy Island offers a natural intersection for this grid while also being a reliable source of renewable energy to power the digitisation .

“ The North Sea Energy Island offers Denmark a unique opportunity to become a hub for the key technologies of tomorrow and thereby attract significant investments within both renewable energy and digitalisation ,” said Rasmus Errboe , Head of Region Continental Europe at Ørsted . “ We ’ re very excited to work with GlobalConnect to enable the future connectivity needs of the region , while leveraging our unique modular design to potentially attract global tech investments to the region , including on the North Sea Energy Island .”

Furthermore , by making the North Sea Energy Island a digital hub , Denmark will be centrally placed to attract investments in two of the most significant long-term growth industries globally : renewable energy and digital infrastructure .

In recent years , the Nordic countries have become home to some of the world ’ s largest tech companies . Building highcapacity and secure digital infrastructure across Nordic and European countries is key to meeting the demands of the tech giants , as well as society ’ s growing need for robust Internet connections .

With this agreement , Ørsted , ATP and GlobalConnect are paving the way to attract large operators . The proximity to large-scale emission-free energy and GlobalConnect ’ s secure and resilient digital backbone could thereby attract significant investments to the North Sea Energy Island and , consequently , to Denmark . Additionally , the smart energy island will become a central part of the next phases of the regional offshore wind build-out by enabling , for example , autonomous operations and further digitising offshore wind .

“ The North Sea Energy Island will play a significant part in future-proofing the region while strengthening the Nordic ’ s position as an attractive hub for transporting data across the world ,” said Martin Lippert , Group CEO of GlobalConnect . “ As a provider of crossborder critical digital infrastructure , we are very excited to share the vision with Ørsted and ATP to build a smart energy island with a resilient and secure network that paves the way for the digital future of offshore wind while providing a unique attraction to global tech giants .” �

www . intelligentcio . com INTELLIGENTCIO EUROPE 71