Upcoming Industry Events

Budućnost Data centara: Tehnologija, energija, regulativa
Uptime Institute entering Serbian market: Tier certifications and AI challenges (co-presented with ENEL PS)

Date: April 22, 2026, 9:00 a.m.

Speaker: David Zika, Regional Sales Director, Central and Eastern Europe, Uptime Institute

Location: Plenary Session - Hall 1

• As the Balkan data center market continues to grow, Uptime Institute is entering the Serbian market in partnership with ENEL PS, with a focus on customers in Serbia and Montenegro. The presentation will cover the critical role of resiliency in data center design, construction and operations, as well as cybersecurity considerations for non-IT infrastructure.
• David will also explore whether AI represents a challenge or an opportunity for the industry and introduce Uptime Institute's focused service offerings designed to address these emerging demands.

Five Data Center Predictions for 2026

Date: April 23, 2026, 14:00-14:25

Location: Stage 3

Speaker: Dr. Tomas Rahkonen, Research Director of Sustainability, Europe, Uptime Institute

Join Tomas Rahkonen for his session on some of the latest developments and challenges currently shaping the industry, looking beyond the more obvious trends of 2026. AI is transforming data center strategies, but its impact remains uneven due to unclear demand, complex infrastructure needs, and long development timelines. Growth in AI workloads will continue to be driven by a small number of large organizations with the resources to deploy high-density systems. Challenges in securing power, managing advanced cooling requirements and capital project delays will persist or intensify. At the same time, AI automation tools will move from pilot projects to operations, delivering measurable efficiency gains. And, as new AI applications begin to show real business value, data center operators will need targeted investments and plan carefully to keep pace.

Opening Visionary Panel Discussion: Role of Digital Twins for Data Center Optimization in Nigeria

Date: April 29, 2026 (Day 2) | 10:25-11:00 a.m.

Speaker: Morris Nmor, Regional Lead, Anglophone West Africa, Uptime Institute

Brief: Harnessing digital twins and AI-driven modeling to simulate energy, cooling, and grid interactions in real time. Enhancing uptime, operational foresight, and resource efficiency across large-scale facilities.

Speaker: Sy Jiunn Wong, Sales Director, Uptime Institute

Panel: From CapEx to OpEx: Re-Engineering the Commercial Model for Modern Data Centres

Date: May 19, 2026, 11:50 AM - 12:30 PM

Speaker: Jeff Wood, Vice President, North America, Uptime Institute

Flexible contracts and usage-based pricing are transforming how operators manage risk and profitability. This presentation will explore the operational and financial benefits of consumption models, how to embed ESG metrics into pricing strategies, and methods for sharing risk and increasing transparency. Attendees will learn how modern commercial models can drive both business efficiency and customer satisfaction.

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Presentation: Energy Efficiency in Digital Infrastructure: The Opportunity Beneath the Challenge

Date: May 19, 2026, 1:00 - 1:30 PM

Speaker: Jay Paidipati, Vice President of Energy and Sustainability Program Management, Uptime Institute

Energy efficiency is at the heart of building truly sustainable digital infrastructure. While design plays an important role, the way a data center is operated day to day—how energy is monitored, managed, and optimized—has an even greater long-term impact. Improving energy efficiency won’t solve every challenge facing data center operators, but it can address many of them—reducing environmental impact, lowering operating costs, and strengthening operational resilience. Small improvements in how facilities are measured, managed, and optimized can translate into significant savings at scale. This presentation will look at practical steps operators can take to improve their energy efficiency from lessons learned in the field. 

Panel: How can BESS contribute to a sustainable future for data centers?

Track: Green Zone

Date: June 3, 2026, 13:45-14:30

Speaker: Andy Lawrence, Executive Director, Uptime Institute

Location: Discovery Stage

The global energy storage industry is growing steadily, fuelled by the world's transition to clean energy.  Battery energy storage systems (BESS) are emerging as a key technology to help data centres navigate the twin challenges of soaring power demand and sustainability. 

• Is BESS meeting the scale now required?
• How can BESS be best utilized – replacement for Diesel generators vs a primary power source

Retrofitting existing Tier-certified data centres for sustainability (solar power, green backup, energy efficiency)

Date: June 16, 2026 at 11:40 a.m.

Speaker: Jay Paidipati, Vice President, Energy and Sustainability Program Management, Uptime Institute

Panel Discussion: Is AI distracting us from the real benefits and uses of Colo’s?

Date: June 23, 2026 at 3:10 p.m.

Panelist: Eben Owen, Senior Director of Sales, Uptime Institute

Debate: Are our sustainability frameworks delivering real progress, or masking true the impact?

Date: September 16, 2026, 10:00-10:45 AM

Speaker: Andy Lawrence, Executive Director of Research, Uptime Institute

Infrastructure expansion is exposing the limits of established sustainability systems. Operators can secure strong results under LEED, BREEAM, and Scope 3 reporting while still missing the full environmental burden of rapid, large‑scale development. With Scope 3 now representing the majority of total emissions and tenant data is often estimated or unavailable, the reliability of these frameworks is increasingly questioned. The central issue is whether current standards still capture real‑world impact, or whether they have evolved into score‑optimisation mechanisms in a sector growing faster than its oversight tools.

This session will examine:

• Whether frameworks measure real environmental impact
• The limits of using generic building standards for data center design and operations
• How viable Scope 3 reporting is when colocation tenant data is opaque
• The need to include embodied carbon, biodiversity, and supply‑chain impacts in metrics
• Whether the sector can judge if frameworks deliver measurable real‑world outcomes

DCD>Debate: Machine‑led vs. human‑led - Who should run operations?

Date: October 26, 2026, 13:30 — 14:15

Speaker: Mustapha Louni, Chief Business Officer, Uptime Institute