Digital Infrastructure 

Transformative Solutions for Connectivity & Innovation

Helping to Create the Digital Infrastructure of Tommorow


Digital infrastructure projects face significant and complex challenges driven by rapidly evolving technologies such as 5G deployment, OTT (Over-the-Top) and live streaming media consumption, exponential data growth, IoT expansion, and the growing computational demands of generative AI.


These advancements are reshaping both virtual and physical infrastructure, including subsea cables, data centres, broadband networks, and satellite systems. 


Our approach has been shaped by decades of excellence and combines a commitment to innovation with unique turnkey solutions for digital infrastructure projects and large-scale challenges. Our services encompass subsea, data centres, broadband infrastructure and satellite, and a broad range of services such as strategy, data & AI, project management, procurement and many more.


We provide tailored solutions that optimise connectivity, streamline costs, and we meticulously plan and execute large-scale projects

We are not just consultants; we are your partners in transformation, dedicated to delivering results that make a tangible difference. Let us help you leverage the opportunities within your sector, so you can thrive in a future defined by connectivity and innovation.

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Case Study

Navigating Cloud, Content & Telecoms Markets in the UK


Intro

Virgin Media Business Wholesale Fibre (VMB) aimed to understand the complex and evolving Cloud, Content, and Telecoms (CCT) market in the UK. They engaged Cambridge Management Consulting (Cambridge MC) to analyze this market, influenced by emerging technologies like AI and Edge applications, to gain strategic insights for better product positioning.



Challenge

The intricate CCT ecosystem, with numerous players and constant technological advancements, posed a challenge. VMB tasked Cambridge MC with creating an infographic to encapsulate the ecosystem and a detailed report on the UK market's key drivers of change and evolution, simplifying the complexity into actionable insights.


Approach and Outcomes

Cambridge MC developed an infographic dividing the UK CCT market into four layers: Application, Service, Technology, and Infrastructure, highlighting data and revenue flows. They identified 24 participant groups and over 45 company profiles. A comprehensive report provided insights into the UK fibre and data centre markets and the impact of emerging technologies. These deliverables offered VMB strategic insights to tailor their product design and marketing strategies.

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How we help our clients

Our team of experts has decades of experience delivering support to both private and public companies

Data Centres, Edge & Cloud

Designing and optimising data centres to handle increasing data loads, ensuring security, efficiency, and sustainability.

Subsea Infrastructure

Developing and maintaining critical subsea communication systems that form the backbone of global connectivity.

Broadband Infrastructure

Building resilient digital frameworks that support the evolving needs of businesses and consumers alike, from fibre optics to cloud-based services.

Satellite Communications

Enhancing global connectivity through advanced satellite solutions that deliver high-speed, reliable internet services to remote and underserved regions.

Contact Centre Transformation & Customer Experience

Modernising contact centres to improve customer interactions; leveraging AI and automation to optimise efficiency and improve customer satisfaction.

PSTN Switch Off Services

We offer a range of strategy, procurement and project management solutions to help UK businesses & the public sector prepare for and migrate their PSTN-dependent services to digital alternatives ahead of the 2027 deadline.

Digital Infrastructure

Case Studies


Pillars of a building lit up by technicolour lights.
8 August 2023
Ensuring that University of Bristol remains the university of choice for students, academics and partners in a globally competitive market The University of Bristol is a Russell Group University and a leader in many global league tables, including the QS World University Rankings where in 2023 it ranked 9th in the UK. To strengthen its competitive position, the University is undertaking an ambitious digital transformation strategy. As a foundation of this strategy, the Modern Network will deliver a significant increase in capacity, flexibility, automation, resilience, security and experience for all users. Cambridge Management Consulting was selected as the consulting firm to help the University establish and refine the requirements, design the network in collaboration with University of Bristol experts and lead the technical procurement for a Modern Network. Cambridge MC’s technical and commercial expertise helped University of Bristol navigate a complex procurement exercise and deliver the first stages of the transformation programme. The Challenge The current University of Bristol campus network requires significant modernisation to support the University’s Digital Strategy. All staff, students and visitors interact with the University's network every day, whether it's connecting a device to Wi-Fi, emailing a colleague, or running a session on the University’s Digital Learning Platform. The University of Bristol recognised that improving their global competitiveness requires a step change in the digital experience offered to all users and so it launched its Modern Network programme. Key objectives of the Modern Network are to introduce a high-performance network that gives users access to comprehensive teaching and learning resources, as well as specialist equipment, data, and scalable fibre for innovative research. The Modern Network programme also aims to enable students to connect with friends and family, and socialise online from wherever they are on campus, at any time, day or night. The new network will enhance the Wi-Fi coverage and capacity to give users the best digital experience round the clock. The University realises that a significant increase in network performance is needed to support data intensive activities, including centralised and de-centralised computing, large scale sensor networks, media rich applications like augmented and virtual reality, data intensive instrumentation and modelling. The architecture designed is going to be more flexible, highly scalable, adaptable and evergreen. Security will be improved to cope with the continuously evolving threat landscape and to enable Modern Network users to safely perform their activities from any location in the world, with a consistent, hassle-free experience. The Modern Network will deliver a reliable platform with world-class operational capabilities, making the services easy to consume, monitor and manage. The Strategy Cambridge Management Consulting used its expertise and knowledge to quickly establish a comprehensive set of requirements and to test market appetite to deliver a Modern Network via an RFI. Requirements Management used a structured approach based on a Cambridge MC requirements catalogue. This accelerated the process of engaging University of Bristol stakeholders to validate requirements and helped to shape the University’s procurement process. An efficient and comprehensive stakeholder engagement process also saw the development of multiple personas that were used to explain how the Modern Network would deliver capabilities for students, academics, researchers and professional services colleagues. Cambridge MC, in conjunction with the university, then helped to shape a structured procurement approach. Modern Network capabilities were put into 3 main procurement categories to provide purchasing and transformation flexibility. Cambridge MC led the Procurement technical dialogue. Working in partnership with experts from the University of Bristol, a highly scalable, flexible, secure and resilient target state network was designed. The design is modular and makes use of multiple technical patterns. This provides a repeatable, standardised way for the University to deliver capabilities that can have customised performance service and levels. To assist the Procurement activities, Cambridge MC also created a Model Modern Network. The Model allowed a consistent financial assessment to be made at each stage of the Procurement, including providing a detailed estimate of the transformation milestones and payments. The Cambridge MC team also shaped the Modern Network programme. It was broadly shaped into mobilisation, discovery, design, prove, pilot and deploy phases. Cambridge MC are providing support in the early transformation phase to help the University of Bristol deliver the ambitious programme. The resulting Modern Network will be a high performance, flexible, resilient and secure platform. It will introduce self-service and automation, such as zero touch deployments and autonomous networks for research activities. It will leverage programmatic control and AIOps to improve the digital experience and inclusiveness, sustainability and the global competitiveness of the University. A technical modernisation like this requires a similar shift to a world-class operating model. Cambridge MC supported the service management redesign throughout the procurement phase. Using comprehensive requirements structured around ITIL, the team co-designed the enhanced set of service capabilities and are now helping University of Bristol to introduce these services. The new service management approach will provide full end-to-end visibility of the network, formal SLAs and SLA management and enhanced fault, change, configuration and knowledge management. This will complement the new technical capabilities and provide significant benefits to the University. The Team Cambridge Management Consulting provided procurement, commercial, technical business analysis and service management expertise. Cambridge MC also provided expertise for the procurement and post-procurement implementation activity. Cambridge MC worked exceptionally well with the University's digital and procurement teams to ensure end-to-end success for the University. Not only did the Cambridge MC team help support, but they also provided extensive knowledge transfer to, the University to minimise the future need for external support, minimise future costs for external consultants and help further develop the in-house ICT and procurement capabilities. Outcomes & Results 1. Cambridge Management Consulting's attention to detail ensured there were clear winners of the Procurement lots, with no challenges or disaffected potential suppliers. The winners of the three lots were all world-class organisations with a desire to support the University with its ambition to deliver a first-class service. 2. Cambridge MC have since assisted the University with other aspects of their Digital Strategy and continue to be engaged to help University of Bristol transform.
A row of data centres under neon purple and blue light.
13 June 2023
By consolidating their data centre estate and making flagship locations more efficient. The client, a major financial institution, had a large portfolio of data centres and was initially concerned that one of them was approaching the end of its life. After a review of their data centre estate, our consultants identified that not only were operating costs out of control (several times higher than market rates would indicate) but the team in charge of strategy was not aware of the IT strategy or its impact on data centre requirements. The hybrid cloud strategy adopted by the CIO team would create a significant reduction in IT load in their data centres—perhaps up to 50% in the long-term. This would have reduced the efficiency of the data centre estate even further. Their flagship data centre was under 50% utilised, making it highly inefficient, both in terms of OpEx and energy usage, and these costs would increase significantly if the DC estate strategy was not reviewed. The Challenge The bank had two main challenges: 1) To ensure that their data centres were resilient and stable (a regulatory requirement) and financially efficient. They had a large estate of data centres, including several standalone facilities, and many dozens of on-premise computer rooms in corporate HQ buildings. Many of their legacy data centres were old and inefficient. 2) Their flagship data centre was less than 50% utilised and was costing a significant multiple of the standard operating cost for a similar facility. A significant proportion of the extra cost was due to the low utilisation. As well as the physical and financial issues, the organisation was suffering due to a lack of coordination between the property department, who owned and paid for the buildings and power, and the IT department, who were the customer, but who made no direct financial contribution to data centre costs. The IT strategy was to adopt a hybrid cloud platform that would reduce IT loads by up to 50%, but the property teams were not even aware of this. The Solution Our consultants first had to bridge the gap between the property teams and the IT department at the bank. A lack of engagement between the two teams meant that there was a fundamental lack of understanding of the requirements for data centre capacity in the medium- and long-term. The supplier (the property team) had little or no idea of what the customer (the IT department) required. The IT department was also finding it difficult to express their requirements in terms that the property team could act on. So, the approach that had been adopted was one of over-engineering and over-provision. Our team started by analysing the utilisation across the data centre estate and modelling the impact of the hybrid cloud strategy over time. This included a sensitivity analysis that looked at different scenarios that would affect the proportion of IT workloads migrated into the cloud. This gave a clear picture of how total utilisation was likely to look over the two-year period that the cloud migration was forecast to last. Our main recommendation was to consolidate the data centre estate into the smallest possible footprint. Filling the flagship data centre to a reasonable level would halve the running costs overall and improve total system resilience. Emptying older data centres would release properties from the portfolio that could then be disposed of. This had additional benefits in HQ buildings with older computer rooms that had effectively locked the bank into buildings that were of no strategic interest to the organisation. Outcomes & Results 1. The bank is now on a long-term programme of consolidating their data centres. 2. The target number of standalone facilities was reduced by over 50% and the target number of computer rooms in HQ buildings was reduced by over 90%. 3. The hybrid cloud programme is almost complete. 4. Utilisation in the flagship data centre has increased and will continue to grow as IT systems are migrated out of legacy data centres slate for disposal. 5. The IT team has become significantly more involved in data centre strategy and is working more closely with the property team to ensure alignment.
The corner of a building with reflective glass windows.
10 October 2022
Meeting future needs by reaching the goal of cloud-first computing Cambridge Management Consulting was contracted to help PageGroup, a global resourcing company, undertake extensive SD-WAN transformation. The aim was to successfully procure and install the necessary infrastructure to achieve the high-level strategic goal of cloud-first computing. The Strategy We assisted PageGroup with project management and procurement, taking their network transport and management needs to market through RFI and RFP processes. This helped the company through the selection process to award for best-in-breed regional transport providers and an independent global-managed service provider. A More Agile Network For large companies like PageGroup that span geographically remote locations, the cloud offers the freedom to rapidly scale and connect systems. The advantages and agility this offers explains why over 94% of companies are now on cloud platforms. Adoption of SD-WAN as a solution for cloud infrastructures gave PageGroup a range of benefits: It unified their operation of complex networks SD-WAN can assess cloud-based applications and route them intelligently to increase performance A full-stack of security features is now available Increased the network flexibility Created a more-agile and cost efficient system A New Environment Because SD-WAN works at the application layer and makes decisions at a session or packet level, the advantage for PageGroup was an ability to ensure the network is optimised for applications at all times. This ensured a more robust and performant end-user experience. Network architects and managers were able to use this information to properly plan for business changes ahead. "Richard Brown has been key in shaping our network transformation. From strategy and SD-WAN to the detail of operational test plans, Richard's calm approach and considered manner across levels of detail and technical domains has bridged theory to reality, and helped give my stakeholders the confidence to move forward; with clarity on the real benefits of doing so." Mike Daley, Strategy and Architecture at PageGroup
Andy Bax

Our Digital Infrastructure practice is led by Andy Bax

Senior Partner - Digital Infrastructure

Andy Bax, with over 30 years in telecommunications, specialises in digital infrastructure and submarine networks. He's helped develop over 260,000 km of global networks, enhancing connectivity in underserved areas. Andy focuses on stability and efficiency, especially in start-ups, and values the role of people in success.


He began at FLAG Telecom, managing the FEA Submarine System from Europe to Asia. Then, at Global Crossing, he brought submarine networks into service and led major upgrades, also planning Global Crossing's Global NOC.


In 2007, Andy oversaw a 1,240km submarine cable linking Trinidad, Guyana, and Suriname, advising governments to optimise their digital investments. As COO and CSO at EdgeUno, he has concentrated on sustainable growth, reinforcing his expertise in digital infrastructure and subsea solutions.

Our team can be your team


Our team of experts have multiple decades of experience across many different business environments and across various geographies.


We can build you a specialised team with the skillset and expertise required to meet the demands of your industry.


Our combination of expertise and an intelligent methodology is what realises tangible financial benefits for clients.

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Our Digital Infrastructure Experts

Industry insights


Murky gloom under the sea with light rays piercing from above
by Andy Everest 28 May 2025
Introduction In today's interconnected world, submarine cable networks form the backbone of global communication, enabling the seamless exchange of data across continents. While these undersea cables are the epitome of engineering marvels, their effectiveness hinges not only on the ‘wet' network in the seabed, but also on the often-overlooked terrestrial network backhaul. The terrestrial backhaul — the infrastructure that connects submarine cable landing stations to inland data centres and networks — is as crucial as the submarine network itself. Proper management and handling of terrestrial backhaul partners is essential to ensure the optimal performance, cost-efficiency, and security of all submarine networks. The Vital Importance of Backhaul Management Submarine networks are only as strong as their weakest link, and the terrestrial backhaul is a pivotal link in this ecosystem. Without a well-designed and managed backhaul, even the most sophisticated submarine network can face inefficiencies, bottlenecks, and vulnerabilities.  Key reasons why managing terrestrial network backhaul partners is so critical include: Cost Optimisation Terrestrial backhaul costs constitute a significant portion of the total network expenditure. Poorly negotiated contracts or suboptimal supplier relationships can inflate operational costs, diminishing the overall profitability of submarine networks. Network Performance The design, quality, and reliability of terrestrial backhaul networks directly affect latency, throughput, and overall user experience. A poorly managed partner ecosystem can lead to performance degradation, affecting service delivery. Security and Risk Mitigation The terrestrial segment is often more vulnerable to physical and cyber threats compared to submarine cables. Effective partner management ensures that security measures are prioritised, and risks are mitigated. Scalability and Flexibility As data demands grow, submarine networks must scale effectively. Well-managed terrestrial backhaul partners enable seamless scaling and adaptability to meet changing requirements.
Aerial shot of Stanley in the Falkland Islands
by Tim Passingham 6 May 2025
6 May 2025 – Stanley, Falkland Islands – United Kingdom (UK) based consultancy firm Cambridge Management Consulting (Cambridge MC) will establish a new IT and professional services business in the Falkland Islands after securing support from the Falklands Islands Development Corporation (FIDC), the former having since established Falklands IT (FIT), which will begin offering a full suite of managed IT services and professional services to the entire Falkland Islands starting from 1st June 2025. Cambridge MC was selected following a rigorous process and proposal submission to the FIDC Board, which determined the company would move quickly to expand its in-country operations in IT services, offering a mix of permanent, on-Island support in IT equipment, and systems and applications, as well as full remote support services to begin offering a full suite of IT services to meet the needs of the Falkland Islands. Additionally, Cambridge MC will also offer project-based IT work for the business community and Falkland Islands Government (FIG). As part of the support, FIDC is providing a cost-neutral, unsecured loan to Cambridge MC, to be repaid to FIDC over a period of years, as the newly established FIT entity grows. Tim Passingham, Chairman of Cambridge MC: “We are delighted to be selected for this partnership and consider it an enormous privilege to be asked to help the Falklands as it seeks to dramatically improve its digital skills and grow its digital economy. The Cambridge MC – and new Falklands IT (FIT) team – are looking forward to working with the businesses, government, and the community to address their IT needs, plus helping with the wider digital transformation of the Falkland Islands for the benefit of all the people living and working on the Islands.” Zachary Franklin, Managing Director of FIDC: “FIDC was impressed with the proposal from Cambridge MC, its range of proposed IT services, mix of local and remote support, and the development of a much-needed industry in the Falkland Islands. FIDC is happy to support Cambridge MC and the FIT team as they establish themselves in the Falkland Islands and help grow the IT services industry locally.” About Cambridge Management Consulting Cambridge Management Consulting (Cambridge MC) is an international consulting firm that helps governments and companies of all sizes have a better impact on the world. Founded in Cambridge, UK, initially to help the technology start-up community, Cambridge MC has grown to over 200 consultants working on projects in 22 countries. Its capabilities focus on supporting the private and public sector with their people, process and digital technology challenges. What makes Cambridge Management Consulting unique is that it doesn’t employ consultants — only senior executives with real industry or government experience and the skills to advise their clients from a place of true credibility. The team strives to have a highly positive impact on all the organisations they serve. Cambridge Management Consulting has offices or legal entities in Cambridge, London, New York, Paris, Dubai, Tel Aviv, Singapore, Prague, Helsinki, and the Falkland Islands, with further expansion planned in the near future. For more information visit: www.cambridgemc.com About the Falkland Islands Development Corporation (FIDC) Falkland Islands Development Corporation (FIDC) acts as the national economic development agency for the Falkland Islands and is tasked to develop the commercial sector of the Falkland Islands. Now in its fortieth year of operation, FIDC is a quasi-autonomous government-funded body, which currently operates with an annual budget of approximately £1 MM per annum. For more information, visit: www.fidc.co.fk Media Contacts Cambridge MC: Karl Salter, ksalter@cambridgemc.com FIDC: Jane Clarke, Marketing and Communications Officer, communications@fidc.co.fk
A satellite over planet Earth with the sun glowing in the top left
by Steve Tunnicliffe 15 October 2024
The Satellite Industry is in a Period of Momentous Transformation The satellite industry is going through a period of momentous transformation with the emergence of new entrants and new technologies in every segment of the value chain. For decades satellite communications have been dominated by a handful of GEO satellite manufacturers, satellite operators and ground segment manufacturers with almost a cottage-industry-like network of service providers and value-added manufacturers (BUCs, LNBs and antennas). This has been a linear and predictable business model with entirely proprietary technologies. We now see the emergence of new Non-Geostationary Orbit (NGSO), or multi orbit players in LEO, MEO and HEO building completely vertically integrated systems. This shift has significantly driven down capacity pricing: the price of satellite bandwidth for data services has dropped 77% over five years according to analysts Novaspace, formerly known as Euroconsult. Starlink, as the first to market, is making waves by disrupting market sectors historically monopolised by the established GEO players such as maritime, aero and enterprise connectivity. Two years ago, the industry would have dismissed Starlink's impact on maritime or aero connectivity segments. The sentiment was that Starlink has ‘no CIR’ (Committed Information Rate) and therefore would not be considered ‘reliable’ for mobile or critical communications. This notion has since been overturned and the naysayers have paid a price with a significant impact to revenues in maritime—the cruise industry in particular—with Starlink now making inroads into aviation and previously inviolable segments like defence. Starlink has also revolutionised satellite manufacturing, leveraging new technologies such as 3D printing to mass-produce satellites at a phenomenal rate, reducing costs to between $250,000 and $500,000 per satellite. The race is on, with Elon Musk’s Starlink trying to acquire as many subscribers as possible before the challengers like Amazon's Kuiper and Telesat's Lightspeed emerge. Forrester's Digital has predicted that SpaceX’s Starlink broadband-by-satellite system is likely to end 2025 with around 8 million customers (it ended 2024 with approximately 5 million), a remarkable growth rate when you consider that each of the leading GEO satellite operators typically have around 25,000 enterprise VSAT terminals activated. We also see the emergence of Small Sat and MicroGEO manufacturers disrupting traditional commercial models with innovations like satellite-as-a-service. This technology provides additional or targeted capacity for defence and government in hotspot areas. Twenty-five years ago, building and launching a satellite would have cost at least two billion USD. Now we see them being built and launched at a fraction of that cost (circa $60 million), reducing the price per gigabit equal to or below fibre. Starlink has also been fundamental to reducing launch costs. In 1981, launch costs were $147k per kilogram of payload. Starlink’s current generation of rockets have brought this down to $2300 and with the introduction of their new Starship rocket, Elon Musk is talking about a price as low as $100 per kilogram. This scale of reduction in launch costs is driving the democratisation of space by allowing new use cases for space to emerge. The satellite industry is also seeing unprecedented consolidation, coopetition and collaboration, creating a range of new offers to consumers, enterprise and governments. Significant transactions include: In April 2024, SES announced its intention to acquire rival Intelsat. If and when this completes, it will be a significant transaction In May 2023, Viasat completed its acquisition of Inmarsat In October 2023, Eutelsat and OneWeb completed their merger transaction In March 2024, prior to the SES announcement, Intelsat extended its partnership with competitor Eutelsat-OneWeb for LEO services.
Abstract neon lines from a spinning object
by David Jones 11 September 2024
The Environmental Trade-off in Digital Infrastructure Development Digital development presents a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it boosts productivity through remote work, AI, and automation, with the potential to lift billions out of poverty. Yet, at the same time, the rapid growth of infrastructure required to support these developments will need a corresponding growth in decarbonisation to avoid a climate catastrophe. The German Advisory Council on Global Change highlights this contradiction: “uncontrolled digital change threatens to undermine the important foundations of our democracies” [1] . This article takes an in-depth look at how global institutions push the mantra of ‘digitisation’ as a developmental priority for nations while failing to adequately acknowledge the huge climate impact of this enterprise. This obscuring of consequences eases the way for a rapid extension of infrastructure that consumes billions of gallons of non-renewable resources annually. In this article, I suggest that detailed modelling and forecasting are one of the major pillars needed to address this dichotomy. I will set out an approach and resources for modelling the digital demand to design a more predictive approach to digital infrastructure builds. The Environmental Impact of a Data Explosion The amount of data flowing over global digital infrastructure has exploded 300-fold over the last 10 years [2] , with the next 20 years expected to see faster-paced growth on the back of the continued digitisation of life and entertainment, as well as from huge numbers of people in developing countries coming online for the first time. This explosion is a good thing—the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 9 aims to provide universal and affordable access to the internet by 2030 [3] . Access to the internet and digital services strongly correlates with improvements in education, healthcare and women’s empowerment. As increasing numbers of people come online, and the scale of their data use grows, a variety of digital infrastructure will need to be built or scaled up if the digital ambitions of countries and trading blocks are to be realised. Connectivity is one part of the solution—increased coverage of broadband, mobile and satellite will undoubtedly support these targets. But, ultimately, all that data traffic needs a destination point, in the form of data centres, which, unfortunately, require vast sums of power. In the USA, data centres are expected to consume 380TWh of electricity by 2027 [4] , almost 9% of the country’s total consumption. Ireland faces an even larger burden with digital infrastructure expected to consume 33% of the country’s total electricity by 2026 [5] , and potentially 70% of the country’s electricity by 2030 [6] . Ireland and the USA have reliable national power grids, but this is not necessarily the case in developing countries. In Nigeria, data centres and mobile towers rely heavily on diesel generators, burning nearly a billion litres of diesel annually. This is a country where the average annual mobile data traffic per subscription is only 6GB per year [7] , just over 0.1% of the average traffic from a UK subscriber. To achieve universal internet access for a population that is estimated to cross the 300 million threshold by 2036 will require an exponential growth in digital infrastructure. If Nigeria remained dependent on diesel generators, and data consumption on a per-person basis reaches the UK’s level of data traffic, then the country would consume 9 trillion litres of diesel a year—over 100 times the amount of diesel consumed by the entire world in 2022 [8] . This single event would create a climate catastrophe—even if the UK, France, Germany, Spain and the Nordics reduced their CO2 emissions to zero, this would offset less than half of this increase. This is of course the worst-case scenario. Grid infrastructure has developed across West Africa and there are a multitude of projects which are building green energy infrastructure. But there has yet to be a major MNO, TowerCo or data centre company which has shown significant year-on-year reductions in emissions. It is unjust to expect developing nations to slow down or halt their digitisation while developed countries reap the benefits of a digitised economy. Instead, alternative approaches to managing global emissions are needed. And this is where predictive analytics become a crucial tool for forecasting future demand. These tools and models will support the development of alternative strategies for power generation and implement methods to reduce emissions from digital infrastructure. A predictive tool that models national network traffic growth and compares it to projected digital infrastructure expansion will help identify underserved areas early, enabling better planning of digital and power infrastructure. Early planning allows for the integration of renewable energy, natural cooling solutions, and partnerships with sustainability experts to reduce emissions. Creating the Model: Traffic vs Digital Infrastructure To address these challenges, David Jones, an Associate of Cambridge Management Consulting, has developed a comprehensive model that examines global internet traffic on a country-by-country basis and compares it to existing and planned digital infrastructure within those countries. This model considers several factors: Population Growth: Increasing numbers of internet users Economic Growth: Rising wealth levels leading to more internet usage Internet Penetration: A growing proportion of each country’s population getting online Usage Patterns: Moving towards video transmission over the internet significantly increasing traffic B2B and M2M Traffic: Business-to-business and machine-to-machine Internet traffic growth This model projects internet traffic growth over the next 20 years, if data traffic growth follows a logarithmic curve, increasing at a decreasing rate. In Germany and other developed nations, the rate of traffic growth slows once it reaches a certain threshold, as there is a natural limit to how much HD video a person can consume. By comparing these projections with a database of over 10,000 data centres, including locations and power consumption, it is possible to identify regions with underdeveloped or overdeveloped digital infrastructure. Note: This model does not account for the growth in generative AI, which adds further demand on a strained digital infrastructure. For more information on this subject, see our recent article: Building an AI-ready infrastructure . Initial Results When we run this model and compare countries, what immediately becomes clear is the difference in scale between the growth of digital infrastructure and internet traffic. Ireland’s digital infrastructure is increasing at a rate faster than its internet traffic, while in countries like Bangladesh and Algeria internet usage is growing ten times faster than the digital infrastructure that supports it. David has modelled 76 countries and will be completing another 50 over the next few months. So far, the CAGR of internet traffic is around 30%, and the CAGR of data centres is around 12%. What’s clear from this graph is how the difference in growth rates compounds over time, and that as the years progress the gap between traffic and infrastructure widens. This shows that over time the availability of infrastructure will become a massive limiting factor to digital experience. Eventually, the lack of adequate infrastructure may even prevent citizens from accessing essential internet services.
A smooth golf-ball top of a modern building against a neon sky
by Duncan Clubb 10 September 2024
In a previous article, Building AI-ready Infrastructure, we looked at the challenges that face the builders of digital infrastructure to create the massive engines that will power the ‘AI Revolution’ – in particular, the mega-data centres that will host the training systems used in Generative AI platforms like ChatGPT.  Most of the attention in the data centre industry is on these monsters, but there is more to it that we need to consider. This article looks at the other uses, applications, and implications of AI, and the infrastructure required to maintain them. The Growth of Industrial AI There are many flavours of AI, and although much of the current focus is on Generative AI, commercial applications use all sorts of other techniques to get the benefits that AI can offer. Indeed, there are some AI experts who think that too much emphasis is being given to the prominent large language models, and that the market will require a more diverse model for deploying infrastructure that will support real-world applications. There are many examples of industrial and manufacturing applications using AI already to optimise, for example, production-line efficiency in factories. These systems take data from sensors and devices (e.g. cameras), and then control the manufacturing processes in real time to improve efficiency, or to reduce the use of raw ingredients – a great example being the use of specialist glues in the automobile industry for sticking windscreens to car bodies – an AI platform has been in use to reduce the amount of glue used without compromising the efficacy of the bond. This may sound, trivial but the quantities used globally mean that even small proportional savings can amount to huge monetary savings. This type of application, used across multiple industries, has enormous potential for saving precious resources (or money), and many industries have been using these techniques for years. However, it is mostly the large manufacturers and processing companies that have been able to exploit this. Deploying this type of system can be expensive and usually entails situating a lot of processing power close to the production line. This excludes smaller enterprises from being able to take advantage as the barrier to entry is too high and involves maintaining IT kit that is expensive and difficult to look after.
by Duncan Clubb 6 September 2024
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the hottest topic in technology for many reasons, good and bad, but it’s happening and it’s here to stay, so how do we build the infrastructure necessary to support it? To start with, we should recognise that there are many forms of AI. The one that has created the most buzz is generative AI, as seen in ChatGPT, Meta's LLaMA, Claude, Google’s Gemini, and others. Generative AI relies on LLMs (Large Language Models) which have to be trained using vast amounts of data. These LLMs sit in data centres around the world, interconnected by vast fibre networks. The data centre industry has not stopped talking about AI for at least 18 months, as it gears up for an ‘explosion’ in demand for new capacity. Some of the most respected voices in technology have predicted immense amounts of growth in data centre requirements, with predictions of triple the current capacity within 10 years being at the conservative end. That’s three times the current global data centre market, which has taken 30 years or more to get to where it is today. And, when we say growth, we’re talking about power. AI systems will require three times more electricity than data centres currently consume. Depending on who you ask, that’s about 2-4% of today’s global electricity production. And we’re talking about tripling that, or more. Data Centres So, what is ‘AI-ready infrastructure’ and how are we going to build it? The two key elements are data centres (to house the AI systems) and networks (to connect them with the rest of the world). LLM training typically uses servers with GPUs (the chip of choice for AI) and, for various technical reasons, these work best when in close physical proximity to each other – in other words, GPUs work best in large numbers in large data centres. Not just that, but the new generations of GPUs work best in dense data centres, meaning that each rack or cabinet of AI kit needs a lot of power. Most data centres are designed to accommodate older kit that is not so power hungry. The average consumption globally is about 8kW per rack, although many still operate at about 2kW per rack. The latest nVidia (the leading GPU manufacturer) array needs a colossal 120kW per rack. The infrastructure inside a data centre designed for these beasts is complex: the cooling systems (GPUs run very hot) and electrical distribution systems are much harder to design and set up, and are also expensive. So, data centres for AI training systems are mostly going to be new, as adapting older facilities is a non-starter. So, where do you put them? Finding land next to the vast amounts of electricity required is increasingly difficult in many European countries, especially in the UK. Most of the utility grids in Europe are severely lacking in spare capacity, and building new grid connections and electricity generation is a slow and expensive process. The answer might be to locate these new AI data centres near new renewable energy generation sites, but those are few and far between, so land with access to power now carries a hefty premium. Small nuclear reactors could also be an answer but might take a few years to materialise – we know how to build them (witness the nuclear submarine industry) but getting planning permission to put them on land is another matter. All in all, the data centre industry seems to be at least a few years away from being able to provide the massive upgrade in capacity that is expected. Even solving the land/power problem leaves the issue of actually building a new scale of data centre, 10 or 20 times bigger than what most would consider to be a gigantic site today. It can be done, we can solve the engineering challenges, but these are huge construction projects. Networks What about the networks? Actually, although very little real research has been done on the impact of large-scale AI rollouts on existing networks, we might be in a better position. The fibre networks in the UK and many European countries have benefited from significant investment over the last few years, so coverage is a lot better than it used to be. That does not mean that fast and large fibre routes, which will be a necessity for most AI systems, are all there, but it will be easier to build out new capacity than it will be to find power. Still, what we really need is some serious research into the amount of data that will need to be moved about and how that maps with existing network infrastructure. All in all, we have more questions than answers. Some people in the infrastructure industry are sceptical that things will ever get to the scale that some are predicting, but most of us do expect it to happen – it’s just a matter of time, and the race has already begun. Cambridge Management Consulting Duncan Clubb is a Senior Partner at Cambridge Management Consulting, specialising in data centre and edge compute strategy. Duncan has extensive experience as an IT consultant and practitioner and has worked with many leading organisations in the financial, oil and gas, retail, and healthcare sectors. He is widely regarded as a leading expert and is a regular speaker at industry events. If you or your organisation require support preparing your Digital Infrastructure for the emerging AI-industry, you can read about our array of Data Centre services, and get in touch with Duncan Clubb, through our designated Telecoms, Media, and Technology service page.
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