Vantage Cardiff - CWL13

Status: Commissioned / Operational   |   Location: Celtic Way, Newport

Project Overview

The Vantage Cardiff CWL13 facility represents the cutting edge of the South Wales "Western Gateway" tech corridor, marking a significant evolution in the largest data center campus in Europe. Officially finalized and fully commissioned in January 2026 following a major £254 million securitization financing milestone, CWL13 is specifically architected to meet the explosive global demand for Artificial Intelligence (AI) and high-performance computing (HPC) infrastructure. While the broader 46-acre campus originated from a semiconductor plant conversion (CWL11), CWL13 is a purpose-built, three-story greenfield facility that serves as the campus’s technological flagship.

A primary differentiator for CWL13 is its AI-ready power and cooling architecture. As generative AI workloads push rack densities from traditional 10kW toward a staggering 125kW per rack, CWL13 has been engineered with a "modular and adaptive" cooling strategy. Unlike older facilities reliant solely on air-cooling, CWL13 integrates Direct-to-Chip Liquid Cooling and rear-door heat exchanger capabilities. This allows it to support the latest generation of GPUs, such as the NVIDIA Blackwell and Microsoft Maia series, while maintaining a highly efficient Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) target of 1.15 to 1.20.

Powering this 40MW facility is one of the campus's most unique assets: a private, dedicated 400kV substation connected directly to the UK’s National Grid (SuperGrid). This infrastructure provides CWL13 with a level of power reliability and scalability that is virtually unmatched in the supply-constrained London market. Furthermore, the facility operates on 100% renewable energy, supported by Green Bond designations and REGO-backed sourcing, aligning with the sustainability mandates of global hyperscale tenants. This "Green AI" approach ensures that the massive computational power required for model training does not come at an excessive environmental cost.

From a connectivity perspective, CWL13 benefits from the campus’s established status as a major regional peering hub. It offers ultra-low latency of <1.5 milliseconds to London, effectively serving as an "Edge-of-London" site but with significantly better economics and land availability. The facility is carrier-neutral, featuring more than 12 international carriers and direct fiber links to the London Internet Exchange (LINX) Wales and major cloud on-ramps.

Security remains paramount for its high-profile tenants, which include government entities and global cloud providers. CWL13 adheres to military-grade security specifications, featuring 24/7 on-site patrols, digital tripwires, and anti-ram raid protections. As part of a larger 148MW campus, CWL13 provides the critical "swing capacity" needed by hyperscalers who have outgrown their London footprints. With the final financing tap in early 2026, CWL13 has transitioned from a development project to a fully operational cornerstone of the European digital economy, proving that regional hubs can lead the charge in the AI revolution.

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