Strengthening communities: atNorth’s commitment beyond the data center 

atNorth’s Community Engagement Board

In our Building for Good: Reimagining the Data Center series, we’ve shared atNorth’s blueprint for the future – from restoring nature and maximizing energy efficiency, to championing circular economy principles and pioneering sustainable cooling and heat reuse solutions.  

For atNorth, the local communities surrounding our data center sites are also an essential part of our story. atNorth’s long-term success depends on the trust, collaboration, and prosperity of local communities – and the company is committed to delivering value that extends beyond its data center walls. Through both our contribution to local prosperity and a dedicated board that actively considers the company’s mission and values in decision-making, we can ensure our actions align with our commitments and positively impact the broader communities we serve.  

Listening, engaging, and acting 

Community engagement starts with understanding and listening to local voices, responding to their needs and priorities. atNorth’s teams invest time in building relationships with community members, local leaders, and stakeholders, whether we’re already operating in the area or preparing to develop a new site. 

This approach ensures that our presence is beneficial from the outset. It also gives us a platform to share what we do, why we do it, and how our operations can bring lasting value; whether that’s through job creation, skills development, charity involvement or contributing to local sustainability projects. 

Making a difference through action 

In 2024, we continued our active support for charity foundations and non-profit organizations, combining volunteer time with financial contributions. These efforts spanned a diverse range of causes, all connected by a common thread: improving lives and strengthening communities. 

In 2024, this commitment translated into a variety of hands-on initiatives, including: 

• Helping people living with mental health disorders access the support they need 

• Supporting projects designed to protect children from bullying, social exclusion, prejudice, and hate speech 

• Providing financial support to local clubs, ensuring they can continue to offer safe, active spaces for community connection. 

Each of these initiatives reflects atNorth’s belief that strong, resilient communities are built through consistent, genuine involvement. 

A structured framework for the future 

Building on these early successes, we are formalizing the company’s community engagement through a robust framework to ensure consistency, transparency, and measurable social and environmental impact across all our markets. We set an ambitious, but achievable, goal for 2025: to implement at least five sustainable, restorative projects in local communities, with at least one in every country where we have a physical presence. 

This framework, based on planetary boundaries and social foundations, ensures consistency while allowing flexibility to meet the unique needs of each location and will develop metrics to monitor and measure our impact over time.  

Creating opportunities through local employment 

One of the most tangible and lasting ways atNorth supports its communities is by creating jobs and career paths for local talent. Every new site we build and operate brings opportunities for skilled and unskilled workers alike, from construction through to ongoing operations and maintenance. 

Creating local jobs is not only a core part of atNorth’s community commitment but also a critical factor in fostering regional economic growth and building a skilled workforce aligned with our operational needs. 

Hiring locally wherever possible ensures atNorth’s teams reflect the communities they serve, fosters a sense of shared purpose and pride, and aligns perfectly with our core values. 

Values in action 

Our commitment to community engagement and local opportunity is closely tied to atNorth’s three core values: 

• Empowering – We believe in enabling people to achieve their best, whether that’s through skills training for new hires, supporting youth sports programs, or giving our teams the autonomy to lead local volunteer projects. 
• Flexible – Each community is unique. Our approach is designed to adapt, ensuring our initiatives address local priorities while staying aligned with our wider sustainability goals. 

• Dependable – Communities can count on us to deliver on our promises. We aim for consistency, transparency, and long-term involvement – not just one-off contributions. 

The Community Engagement Board helps ensure these values guide our approach to every initiative. 

Building for good – together 

As our industry continues to grow, the role of data centers in society is evolving. Once seen as vast, windowless boxes on the outskirts of towns and cities – silent, imposing, and disconnected from the communities around them. Data centers are no longer just hidden enablers of digital infrastructure, they’re becoming active, visible members of the communities they serve. 

At atNorth, “Building for Good” means ensuring that our sites don’t just process data, but also contribute meaningfully to the wellbeing and prosperity of the people around them. It’s about taking the same dedication we apply to engineering sustainable, efficient facilities and applying it to building resilient, thriving communities. 

From biodiversity to heat reuse, from job creation to community investment, our blueprint for the future is clear: the data center of tomorrow is more than a building. It’s a positive force for nature, people, and the greater good. 

Shaping the Future of Sustainable Digital Infrastructure 

From safeguarding biodiversity and turning waste heat into a resource, to empowering local communities, our Building for Good series has explored how atNorth is reimagining the role of the data center in society. We believe the future of digital infrastructure lies in designing facilities that work with the environment, for our people, and towards a more sustainable and inclusive world. 

This is not a vision for the distant future, it’s a commitment we are delivering on today. Together with our clients, partners, and communities, atNorth is demonstrating that it’s possible to meet the world’s growing digital needs while creating lasting value for generations to come. 

As the digital infrastructure landscape evolves, atNorth will continue to lead with both technological innovation and social responsibility, demonstrating that sustainable growth and positive community impact are not competing goals, but mutually reinforcing drivers of our long-term success.