Kao Data Harlow Campus
Harlow, Essex, UK (London Road, CM17 9NA) · Opened 2018 (initial phase), ongoing expansion (KLON-03 launched 2025, Nebius deployment 2026) · +£230m (campus investment). Specific projects include a 22MW, 10-year deal with Nebius [199, 200].
The judgement call
Account-gated at launchStrategic location between Cambridge and London, providing a key hub for digital infrastructure [199]. - Early adoption of liquid cooling and high-density designs to support advanced AI workloads [202]. - Strong focus on sustainability and energy efficiency, recognized for innovative application of engineering principles [204, 205]. - Securing major deployments from AI companies like Nebius, demonstrating capability in specialized AI infrastructure [200].
Key engineering challenges
Designing and operating state-of-the-art, carrier-neutral data centres with high power density for AI workloads [200, 203]. - Achieving high energy efficiency and sustainability through innovative engineering principles and cutting carbon through smarter design [204, 205]. - Accommodating thermally dense, power-intensive AI infrastructure while maintaining overall efficiency [203]. - Meeting the growing demand for data centre capacity, particularly for hyperscalers and AI deployments [200].
Project facts
- Client / owner
- Kao Data (Harlow Operations Ltd)
- Lead contractor
- Kao Data (with various construction and technology partners)
- Lead designers
- —
- Project type
- new build; upgrade
- Scale
- 15-acre campus, 36MW (campus capacity), 10MW per data centre (KLON-01, KLON-02), 17.6MW (KLON-03), 22MW (Nebius deployment) [199, 200, 201, 202].
- Disciplines
- Electrical engineering; mechanical engineering; civil engineering; data centre architecture; environmental engineering; AI infrastructure engineering.
- Standards & frameworks
- Industry best practices for hyperscale and AI data centres, sustainability targets.
Sources: [199] Kao Data. Harlow. https://kaodata.com/locations/harlow/ (Accessed: 2026-06-10). [200] Kao Data. Nebius chooses Kao Data’s Harlow campus for major AI infrastructure deployment. https://kaodata.com/discover/news/nebius-chooses-kao-datas-harlow-campus-for-major-ai-infrastructure-deployment/ (Accessed: 2026-06-10). [201] Data Center Dynamics. Kao Data plans two new data centers at campus in Harlow, UK. https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/kao-data-plans-two-new-data-centers-at-campus-in-harlow-uk/ (Accessed: 2026-06-10). [202] Capacity Global. Kao Data launches high-density AI data centre with liquid cooling in Harlow. https://capacityglobal.com/news/kao-data-launches-high-density-ai-data-centre-with-liquid-cooling-in-harlow/ (Accessed: 2026-06-10). [203] Kao Data. The Great Data Centre Divide: Hybrid Facilities vs AI Factories. https://kaodata.com/the-great-data-centre-divide-hybrid-facilities-vs-ai-factories/ (Accessed: 2026-06-10). [204] Kao Data. Managing the challenges of a changing climate. https://kaodata.com/view-from-the-coo-managing-the-challenges-of-a-changing-climate/ (Accessed: 2026-06-10). [205] Kao Data. About. https://kaodata.com/about/ (Accessed: 2026-06-10).