Submer Group has launched Rubix Data Centres, a developer and operator of AI data centre campuses. The business starts with a powered land portfolio of more than 8GW across the Americas, EMEA and APAC.
John Eland will lead the new unit. He was previously Chief Executive Officer of STACK Infrastructure EMEA and Global Chief Strategy Officer at NTT Global Data Centres. Alison Gutman, formerly Senior Vice President of Business Management at STACK Infrastructure EMEA, joins as Senior Vice President of global business operations.
The move expands Submer’s position in AI infrastructure beyond cooling and related technology into the development and operation of physical data centre sites. Rubix is aimed at hyperscale users seeking larger facilities for AI and cloud workloads, covering site origination and community engagement through to delivery and ongoing operations.
Demand for data centre space has risen sharply as companies expand their use of AI systems that require more computing power and denser infrastructure. That has sharpened the focus on access to power, land and grid connections, which many in the sector now see as the main constraints on further expansion.
Rubix’s initial footprint spans three major regions, giving it access to markets where cloud groups and AI operators are seeking capacity. It said it will combine engineering and modular design with development execution to support faster deployment of AI infrastructure.
Eland brings more than 25 years of experience across data centres, telecommunications and infrastructure investment. His appointment gives the new business an executive with experience scaling regional and international data centre platforms at a time of rising investor interest in the sector.
Submer has been building a broader group structure around AI infrastructure. The launch of Rubix follows the introduction of its neocloud business, InferX, as it seeks a wider presence across the market, from cooling and compute to land, power and site operations.
Submer is backed by M&G Investments, Planet First Partners, Norrsken VC and Mundi Ventures. The support comes as investors continue to target data centres and related assets tied to AI expansion, despite growing concerns over electricity supply, planning timelines and the cost of delivering new sites.
A key issue for developers is the shift in technical requirements created by AI workloads. Compared with many traditional enterprise computing tasks, AI training and inference can require higher power densities, more specialised cooling and faster delivery of large-scale campuses, prompting operators to rethink standard data centre designs.
That pressure has also expanded the role of infrastructure groups that can secure land and energy while moving projects through development quickly. In several markets, the race to build capacity has become less about computing chips alone and more about who can assemble suitable sites and connect them to reliable power.
Speaking about the new business, Eland pointed to Submer’s existing market ties.
“Thanks to its long-standing reputation for excellence in sustainable cooling for ultra-high-density workloads and its neocloud business InferX, Submer has close relationships with GPU manufacturers as well as the hyperscale end users of GPU as-a-Service. This gives Rubix early line of sight into AI demand workloads,” said John Eland, Chief Executive Officer of Rubix Data Centres.
He added: “I am excited to launch Rubix and grow our global business to enable our clients to scale AI and cloud deployments with speed, efficiency, consistency and sustainability.”
Submer Chief Executive Officer Patrick Smets said the company sees AI infrastructure as requiring a different model for design and delivery.
“AI infrastructure requires a fundamentally different approach to data centre development and delivery; I am thrilled to welcome John and Alison, whose industry experience sets us up for success,” said Patrick Smets, Chief Executive Officer of Submer Group.
He added: “As Submer evolves into a fully integrated, full-stack AI infrastructure group spanning land and power, manufacturing, thermal and product architecture, AI intelligence, compute across core data centres and edge environments, and now data centre development and operations with Rubix, we’re creating a future-ready foundation built for performance, efficiency and global scale.”
One of Submer’s backers also highlighted the sector’s investment case.
“M&G Catalyst Funds are focused on supporting purpose-led technology companies that are driving the transition to a sustainable economy. As we expand our full-stack AI infrastructure capability with the Submer group of companies, our Rubix capability signifies real potential to develop and operate leading energy-efficient AI data centres and broaden the appeal for long-term investors in this asset class,” said Zachary Webb, Head of EMEA Investments at M&G Catalyst.
