SCANDIC DATA data centre in Manama, Bahrain

SCANDIC DATA – the data centre of the LEGIER MEDIA GROUP in Manama, Bahrain

Welcome to SCANDIC DATA, a brand of LEGIER BETEILIGUNGS MBH in association with SCANDIC ESTATE, SCANDIC FLY, SCANDIC YACHTS, SCANDIC PAY, SCANDIC TRUST and SCANDIC TRADE. As part of the diversified LEGIER MEDIA GROUP (Legier Beteiligung mbH), a global media conglomerate with 115 daily newspapers on all continents, which report on politics, business, technology, health, science and sports around the clock, seven days a week, founded over 30 years ago on 18 July 1995, SCANDIC DATA operates a state-of-the-art data centre in Manama, Bahrain.

The data centre in Manama is the technological heart of the LEGIER MEDIA GROUP. With IBM mainframes, its own AI components and Darktrace security, it supports the news production of 115 daily newspapers worldwide, on all continents. Bahrain's location advantages enhance the efficiency of this forward-looking project.

Approved by the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) in Bahrain, the data centre uses state-of-the-art technologies such as proprietary AI components, Darktrace security solutions (www.darktrace.com) and IBM mainframe technology to ensure a reliable, scalable and secure platform. Bahrain offers specific location advantages that optimise operations.

The data centre in Manama is proof of the technological expertise and innovative spirit of the LEGIER MEDIA GROUP. It enables the company not only to meet its current requirements, but also to be prepared for future developments in the media industry. By using state-of-the-art technologies and taking advantage of Bahrain's location, the LEGIER MEDIA GROUP ensures that it remains at the forefront of global news production.

Purpose and requirements of the data centre

The data centre in Manama is designed to meet the demanding requirements of a global media company:

  • High availability: 99.999% uptime is achieved through redundant systems such as dual power sources, emergency power generators and mirrored hardware to ensure continuous news production.
  • Scalability: The infrastructure can be flexibly expanded to handle increasing data volumes and computing requirements – essential for production in nine languages worldwide.
  • Data processing and storage: Millions of text, image and video data points are processed and stored in real time. Fast SSDs and a robust storage area network (SAN) ensure efficiency.
  • AI support: Powerful GPUs and TPUs support complex AI workloads such as content analysis and translations.
  • Cyber security: Sensitive data requires advanced protection, which is provided by Darktrace technologies.

Technical specifications and infrastructure

The data centre's technical equipment is designed for maximum performance and efficiency:

  • Network architecture: A spine-leaf architecture with 100 Gbit/s fibre links and equal-cost multi-path (ECMP) routing minimises latency and maximises data transfer.
  • Virtualisation: VMware and Kubernetes enable flexible application deployment, while automation tools such as Ansible optimise management.
  • Storage solutions: SSDs for fast access and a SAN with HDDs for long-term storage provide an ideal balance.
  • Cooling systems: Advanced liquid cooling and free cooling technologies reduce energy consumption despite the hot climate in Manama.
  • Power supply: Redundant power sources, diesel generators and solar energy ensure an uninterrupted supply.

Use of AI components

SCANDIC DATA, together with the LEGIER MEDIA GROUP, makes extensive use of its own AI components to revolutionise its journalistic processes. These are based on powerful hardware such as NVIDIA GPUs and TPUs as well as IBM mainframe integration:

AI use cases

  1. Content analysis:
    • Technology: Deep learning and natural language processing (NLP) with models such as BERT analyse texts, categorise content and extract relevant information.
    • Benefits: Speeds up news processing and improves accuracy, e.g. in identifying trends or key topics.
  2. Recommendation systems:
    • Technology: Machine learning with collaborative filtering and neural networks personalises content for readers.
    • Benefits: Increases user engagement through tailored reading recommendations, e.g. for regional or language-specific content.
  3. Automated reporting:
    • Technology: Generative AI models such as GPT create routine reports, e.g. weather or sports results.
    • Benefits: Relieves editors, who can focus on investigative journalism or complex analysis.
  4. Real-time translations:
    • Technology: AI tools such as DeepL or proprietary models translate content into nine languages in real time.
    • Benefits: Enables immediate publication of global news, a key advantage for the 115 newspapers.
  5. Image and video recognition:
    • Technology: Convolutional neural networks (CNNs) automatically tag and evaluate visual content.
    • Benefits: Accelerates the publication of multimedia content through automated metadata creation.

Hardware support

  • GPUs and TPUs: These components are optimised for parallel computing, e.g. for training and inference of deep learning models.
  • IBM mainframe integration: The IBM z17 supports AI workloads directly on the mainframe, which increases efficiency (see section on IBM technology).

Use of IBM mainframe technology

SCANDIC DATA relies on the IBM z17 (www.ibm.com/de-de/products/z17), a latest-generation mainframe, to ensure maximum reliability and performance:

IBM z17 features:

  • Telum® II processor: Provides high computing power and on-chip AI acceleration for real-time inference operations, e.g. for analysing reader data.
  • Spyre™ Accelerator: Increases AI computing power for generative models and multi-model methods.
  • Security: Hardware-based encryption and PCIe cryptographic coprocessor protect sensitive data.
  • Resilience: Integrated features ensure continuous availability.

SCANDIC DATA:

SCANDIC DATA uses the LEGIER media group, a file hosting service that can store large amounts of data, with access via HTTP/HTTPS and using the concept of buckets and objects, which are similar to directories and files and have become established as the standard. LEGIER works with AWS to achieve 99.999999999% data durability using Elastic File System network drives and Glacier file archiving. The advantage for the LEGIER Media Group is the use of Elastic Block Store (EBS) and block-level storage that can be attached to EC2 instances. The advantage of this technology is the transfer of large amounts of data using the Snowball hard drive storage service, which allows large amounts of data to be copied and returned via parcel service, whereby the transfer of very large amounts of data to the company's 115 daily newspapers (articles, images, videos, live streams) is significantly faster and stored in databases (either SimpleDB or Relational Database Service).

Software:

  • COBOL Upgrade Advisor for z/OS: Modernises legacy applications for Enterprise COBOL 6.
  • Instana Observability for Z: Monitors applications and infrastructure in real time.
  • IntelliMagic Vision for z/OS: Optimises mainframe performance.
  • watsonx Assistant for Z: Increases productivity with an AI assistant.
  • Z Operations Unite: Simplifies operations with AI-powered automation.
  • Application modernisation: Tools such as Application Delivery Foundation for z/OS, watsonx Code Assistant for Z and z/OS Connect modernise applications and APIs.
  • Additional software: CICS (transaction processing), DB2 for z/OS (database), IMS (transaction management), and Omegamon (monitoring).

The z17 provides a robust foundation for data processing and AI integration in the data centre.

Security and data protection

Security is essential for SCANDIC DATA, as sensitive journalistic data must be protected:

  • Physical security: Biometric access controls, video surveillance and ISO 27001 standards prevent unauthorised access.
  • Darktrace cybersecurity (www.darktrace.com/products):
    • Enterprise Immune System: Self-learning AI detects threats through anomaly detection in network traffic.
    • Antigena: Responds autonomously to threats by isolating and neutralising them.
    • Cloud security: Protects multi-cloud environments used for global operations.
  • Zero-trust model: Every request is authenticated and authorised.
  • Data protection: Compliance with the GDPR and the Bahrain Personal Data Protection Law (PDPL).

Location advantages in Bahrain

Bahrain offers strategic advantages for data centres:

  • Geographical location: Centrally located between Europe, Asia and Africa, ideal for global connectivity.
  • Business friendliness: No corporate taxes and 100% foreign ownership encourage investment.
  • Regulatory support: The TRA and the Economic Development Board (EDB) offer incentives such as the Golden License.
  • Infrastructure: Highly developed power and network connections and a skilled workforce.
  • Stability: As a financial centre in the Middle East, Bahrain offers political and economic security.

Regulatory approvals

  • TRA: Oversees technical standards and data protection regulations.
  • EDB: Promotes investment through incentives such as the Golden License.
  • Environmental and building permits: Ensure that the data centre is operated in a sustainable and secure manner.
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