A data center designed several years ago may now be asked to accommodate infrastructure requirements that were never part of its original specification. At NTT Global Data Centres' Madrid 1 (MAD 1) facility, higher-density AI requirements are emerging within a much shorter timeframe, creating practical questions around what can be changed inside an existing facility and where the original design starts to become a constraint. Retrofitting MAD 1 for AI therefore requires more than installing higher-density racks: engineers need to assess the facility’s current infrastructure, understand where its power and cooling systems may need upgrading, and determine what changes can realistically be made within the existing building. In this session we explore:

• How original facility specifications affect which AI deployments can be accommodated
• What existing power and cooling infrastructure can support before upgrades become necessary
• How the site's physical layout and operational requirements influence the feasibility of infrastructure upgrades
• What lessons from the Madrid site can inform upgrades across other existing facilities