Intelligent power management company Eaton, and data center design and build company CTS Nordics, has officially announced the opening of the new NordicEPOD factory in Oslo. NordicEPOD’s state-of-the art facility is now manufacturing standardized power modules called EPODs that can reduce data center construction time by weeks.

Eaton’s proprietary technology, embedded in the EPODs, guarantees a supply of highly energy-efficient critical power to the servers via Eaton's EnergyAware UPS – an advanced Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) that data centers can use to help grids integrate a higher proportion of variable renewables.

Together with Eaton’s well-proven SF6-free medium voltage switchgear, EnergyAware makes these EPODs different to any similar prefabricated power modules. The EPOD technology offered to data center operators is truly unique.

Power modules are increasingly the preferred approach for many data center customers in Europe, and Eaton will supply NordicEPOD with critical power products and services at pre-engineered system level. The 12,000 square-meter facility will manufacture up to 350 EPODs per year.

CTS Nordics is a dedicated data center design and build company that specializes in new building design and construction methods, providing data center operators with a standardized, rapidly deployable, cost-effective approach to the design, construction and commissioning of data centers.

Eaton technology sits at the heart of the EPODs which leave the factory fully digitally enabled, with level one to three commissioning complete, ready for swift and efficient integration and operation at the construction site. This reduces the number of skilled workers required on site and thus delivers substantial cost savings.

EPODs are built to the same design to achieve fast turnaround times while maintaining the highest quality standards, although customization is possible, if required by the customer.

Engineered to sit between the power grid and the IT infrastructure of the data center, EPODs contain critical power, backup, cooling, and control systems, including Eaton’s Uninterruptible Power Supplies (UPSs) and switchgear to support the supply of up to 2MW of electrical power.

This new factory opening is timely because demand for new data center capacity is booming, driven by the voracious needs of Artificial Intelligence (AI) applications for computing power and energy.

With its plentiful supply of renewable energy, the Nordic region is benefiting from this growth. In fact, NordicEPOD’s new factory, with an expanding 300-strong workforce, is in the growing digital industry hub now forming at Hanekleiva.

Ciarán Forde, vice president, strategic accounts and alliances, Eaton, EMEA, said: “Eaton’s advanced EnergyAware UPS, based on silicon-carbide inverters, together with the most proven SF6-free medium voltage switchgear in the industry, are amongst the features that make this EPOD technology offering to data center operators truly unique. The EPODs contain other well-proven Eaton technology, too, including transformers and medium-voltage ring main units (RMU).”

Gisle Eckhoff, vice president, business development, CTS Nordics, said: “Our expertise in data center design, together with Eaton’s proven power management technology, global reach and commitment, are encapsulated in the EPOD and it adds up to a winning formula for the data center industry which need to build capacity fast, despite the shortage of construction and engineering skills across Europe.”

Eaton is a global intelligent power management company dedicated to protecting the environment and improving the quality of life for people everywhere, making products for the data center, utility, industrial, commercial, machine building, residential, aerospace and mobility markets.

Guided by a commitment to do business right, operate sustainably and help customers manage power today and well into the future, by capitalizing on the global growth trends of electrification and digitalization, Eaton is accelerating the planet’s transition to renewable energy sources, helping to solve the world’s most urgent power management challenges.

Founded in 1911, Eaton has been listed on the New York Stock Exchange for more than a century, reporting revenues of $23.2 billion in 2023 and serving customers in more than 160 countries.

CTS Nordics – headquartered in Oslo, Norway – is a design and build company specializing in data centers only and is one of the largest design and build contractors for data centers in the Nordics, with offices and projects in four Nordic countries and over 1,400 employees.  

Its globally diverse team works closely with a group of companies and trusted partners throughout the entire supply chain to deliver better and cheaper data center solutions at a faster pace.

NordicEPOD is a Norwegian company specializing in the production of electric power pods and provides the ultimate solution for data center management. Produced in Norway, NordicEPOD’s new generation of electrical power pods are designed specifically for the requirements of the harsh Nordic climate, with a focus on green production, standardization, and digitalization.

Each NordicEPOD comes with an innovative digital passport, level one to three commissioning, broadcasting, and traceability which keep our customers connected to their data center journey from start to finish.