Adaptive Modular Data Centres launches with Windward backing

Adaptive Modular Data Centres has launched as a data centre delivery company focused on modular infrastructure for AI and high-performance computing. Based in London, it will serve customers across Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

The company is targeting a market where demand for AI infrastructure is rising faster than new facilities can be delivered. Its focus is on hyperscalers, colocation providers, developers, neo clouds and investors that need data centre capacity brought online faster than traditional construction routes allow.

Its model starts with reference architectures tailored to customer requirements, including capacity, power density, cooling design, site constraints and phased build plans. The resulting systems are factory-built and commissioned before reaching site, while design, procurement, manufacturing and site preparation run in parallel.

That differs from more conventional data centre projects, which often rely on separate contractors and consultants working in sequence. A single programme structure covers design, manufacture, installation and commissioning, giving customers one delivery partner throughout the process.

The offer is also vendor-agnostic, with equipment selected according to customer requirements and programme fit rather than preferred supplier arrangements. Its systems are configurable for AI and high-performance computing workloads, with power density and cooling built into the specification stage.

The business has secured backing from Windward Enterprises, an Edinburgh-based private investment group. Financial terms were not disclosed.

The investment provides capital and operational support as the company builds a pipeline of projects in a market shaped by rising spending on AI hardware and the facilities needed to house it. Across the sector, the mismatch between technology investment and operational data centre capacity has become a recurring theme as operators race to support more compute-intensive workloads.

Tom Babbington, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, said the industry's challenge is no longer only technical development, but speed of delivery.

"AI has transformed the conversation around digital infrastructure, but the industry's biggest challenge isn't innovation - it's execution," said Tom Babbington, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Adaptive MDC.

He said the company is not offering standardised modules from a fixed catalogue. Instead, the design process starts with the customer's site and operating needs before moving into manufacturing and testing.

"What we build is not a product you select from a brochure. Every solution starts with the customer's site, their load profile and their operational requirements, and we engineer from there. That means no pre-set configurations, no compromise on specification, and no surprises when the infrastructure arrives on site," said Babbington.

Investor backing

Windward Enterprises said the investment reflects its view that data centres are becoming a central part of the next wave of infrastructure buildout. The firm invests across energy, grid networks, storage, commercial real estate, forestry and early-stage businesses.

"Data centres are at the forefront of one of the most significant infrastructure buildouts of our generation, driven by accelerating demand for compute power and digital capacity. Adaptive MDC is exceptionally well-positioned to capitalise on that trajectory. Our investment reflects Windward's commitment to backing businesses with the ambition and capability to deliver at scale, across sectors that will define the UK's long-term landscape," said Oliver Millican, Chief Executive Officer, Windward Enterprises.

Founding team

Adaptive MDC was founded by Babbington, Graham Odell and Steven Parker, who serve as Chief Executive Officer, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Technology Officer respectively. The leadership team has more than 120 years of combined experience in mission-critical infrastructure delivery.

According to the company, the founders and leadership team have collectively delivered more than 558 MW of critical infrastructure across more than 15 countries and over 100 facilities. Those projects have ranged from enterprise deployments to hyperscale AI environments.

Factory assembly and testing are central to the company's pitch. Building, integrating and testing modules before transport can reduce disruption from weather delays, labour shortages and sequencing problems that often affect site-based construction programmes.

Babbington said the industry now faces a delivery challenge as much as a technology challenge. "The data centre sector has spent years discussing the technologies that will shape the future. The challenge now is delivering the infrastructure needed to make that future possible. Adaptive MDC exists to help bridge that gap."