In this episode of Hawk Talk, host David Sandars, Regional Director for EMEA at datacenterHawk, sits down with Mark Pestridge, Executive Vice President and General Manager of Telehouse Europe. Together, they explore how Telehouse—one of Europe’s most established data center operators—is evolving to meet the growing demand for connectivity, density, and sustainability.

Telehouse’s Growth and Legacy

Founded in 1989, Telehouse was one of the first neutral colocation providers in Europe. Starting with a modest half-kilowatt per rack capacity, the company has since grown into a five-building interconnected campus in London’s Docklands. This strategic location has helped Telehouse become one of the most connected sites in Europe, enabling customers to scale within a virtual campus and avoid the high costs of long-distance interconnection.

Meeting Power Demands with Smart Design

As rack densities have increased—from 500 watts to upwards of 15–20kW (with some cases reaching over 50kW)—Telehouse is deploying advanced cooling systems, including hybrid and liquid cooling. These upgrades support next-gen compute workloads while keeping environmental impact in check.

Mark Pestridge emphasized the importance of reusing existing infrastructure where possible and incorporating renewable energy sources. For example, the retrofit of Telehouse South reduced environmental impact and opened new capacity for high-density deployments.

Connectivity at the Core

Connectivity remains Telehouse’s defining advantage. With 800–1,000 telecom partners onsite and a longstanding relationship with LINX, the Docklands campus is a critical interconnection hub for enterprises, cloud providers, CDNs, and ISPs. Increasingly, even network providers that once used minimal power are transitioning to denser infrastructure, driving further demand for integrated, high-performance environments.

Tackling the Talent Gap

With the industry facing a skills shortage, Telehouse is taking proactive steps to engage the next generation of talent. Through its partnership with the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, the company hosts career days, mentorship programs, and community outreach initiatives. These efforts aim to highlight the role of data centers in everyday life and attract young professionals to the sector.

Planning for the Future

Looking ahead, Telehouse is expanding its Docklands footprint and preparing for future technology needs. A new high-density test lab at Telehouse South will allow customers to experiment with liquid cooling methods and prepare for high-performance deployments. In parallel, the company is exploring growth opportunities in Frankfurt, Marseille, and Paris to support global demand.

Final Thoughts

Mark Pestridge’s perspective highlights how Telehouse is balancing operational excellence with forward-thinking design, environmental stewardship, and workforce development. Their deep focus on interconnection, sustainability, and innovation positions them as a leader in Europe’s evolving data center landscape.

This episode offers valuable insights for IT professionals, infrastructure leaders, and investors looking to understand the forces shaping the future of digital infrastructure.