Fresh from being named Northern Europe Star Performer in the 2025 NVIDIA EMEA Partner Awards, brothers Philip and Allan Kaye reflect on their journey building Vespertec into a globally respected provider of high-performance infrastructure — and how their customer-first approach continues to set them apart in an ever-evolving technology landscape.
Philip and Allan Kaye, co-founders of Vespertec, have spent the last decade developing a business that specialises in the design, configuration, delivery and support of open, high-performance data centre infrastructure. Vespertec is a confident and capable business that’s helping organisations across the world adapt to the accelerating pace of technological change.
From its base in Stockport, Vespertec serves a broad and growing international customer base. It supports clients ranging from ambitious tech scale-ups to some of the most sophisticated IT operators in the industry — including several major technical enterprises based nearby. While rooted in Greater Manchester, the company’s ambitions and impact stretch far beyond regional boundaries.
From shared roots to shared vision
Before co-founding Vespertec, brothers Phil and Allan were already building careers in the tech sector. Phil had been working at an internet service provider that had gained notoriety for catching the infamous “ILOVEYOU” email virus. Allan, who began his career at Nestlé-Roundtree, had already pivoted into IT. The pair joined forces when Phil was offered a role at Allan’s company and quickly discovered a shared appetite for innovation and doing things differently.
“It was clear early on that we had a similar approach,” says Allan. “We both believed in deep customer relationships and in solving real infrastructure problems — not just shifting boxes.”
That ethos led to the formation of Vespertec, a company designed from the outset to help businesses consuming IT hardware at scale find smarter, more sustainable ways to manage their infrastructure. It was a response to a key shift in the industry — the move from on-premise solutions to cloud-based models — and the need for businesses to maintain control, flexibility and cost-efficiency during that transition.
Phil explains, “When we launched, it was not simply about keeping up with change. It was about helping customers navigate it on their own terms. We helped them rethink what was possible, giving them more freedom, reducing costs and removing friction. We feel we did something right as many of those early customers are still with us today.”
Open infrastructure, powerful partnerships
One of the strategic moves that set Vespertec apart early on was its involvement in the Open Compute Project (OCP), which began as a Facebook-inspired marketing campaign to create open-source hardware for data centres. That alignment with open, customisable infrastructure enabled Vespertec to address the needs of clients competing in high-stakes environments, including those going toe-to-toe with hyperscalers like AWS and Azure.
The company’s emphasis on flexibility and innovation quickly led to growth, with services expanding to include storage and networking solutions. A key moment came when Vespertec became a partner of Mellanox (now part of NVIDIA) establishing itself as a major provider of cutting-edge networking and compute technologies in the UK.
“That partnership really helped us scale our capabilities,” says Allan. “We’re now recognised as an NVIDIA Elite Partner in both Computing and Networking, and this relationship has allowed us to stay at the forefront of high-performance computing solutions.”
In April 2025, Vespertec’s achievements were formally recognised when it was named Northern Europe Star Performer at the NVIDIA EMEA Partner Awards. The award highlights not only strong sales performance but also Vespertec’s technical leadership, customer support and commitment to enabling adoption of advanced AI and HPC infrastructure across the region.
In the same month, Vespertec was also named Fastest Growing Larger Company of the Year at the 2025 Northern Tech Awards, further recognising the company's rapid expansion and outstanding impact within the Northern tech community.
Investing in innovation: Vespertec’s AI lab
Vespertec’s most recent milestone is the launch of its permanent AI test-drive lab, now a cornerstone of the company’s operations. Opened in autumn 2024, the lab features NVIDIA’s Grace Hopper architecture, a PCIe based GPU and advanced Ethernet switching technologies.
This facility enables customers to remotely access, test and benchmark next-gen computing systems in a risk-free environment, without the need to invest upfront in costly infrastructure.
Phil explains, “For businesses trying to figure out what kind of AI infrastructure they’ll need, our test lab gives them real insight. It’s a safe space to explore, test workloads and see what works before making long-term decisions.”
This is especially valuable given the rising interest in AI across industries. From pharmaceutical research and industrial automation to finance and generative models like ChatGPT, the need for scalable and reliable AI infrastructure has never been greater, not least as the complexity of those systems continues to grow.
Allan adds, “AI is incredibly powerful, but it also introduces challenges, particularly around power and cooling. We help our clients understand and plan for that, so they always stay one step ahead and don’t get caught off-guard.”
A local company with global reach
While Vespertec is proud of its Manchester roots, the company’s work extends across the UK and internationally, with customers relying on its infrastructure design and consultancy services to support global operations—and on its proven ability to manage complex logistics around the world.
That said, Vespertec’s location does present a unique opportunity. Some of the UK’s most advanced tech businesses are situated close by. While their base in Stockport remains core to their identity, their work and ambitions have never been confined to one geography.
“We happen to be based in Manchester, and so it is inevitable that we have built strong relationships with some large and sophisticated organisations nearby,” says Allan, “but the impact of what we’re doing goes far beyond.”
Built on trust
At the heart of Vespertec is the relationship between the Kaye brothers. Their shared values, mutual trust and clearly defined roles have shaped a resilient and adaptable business — one that evolves with technology while keeping customer success at its core.
"People buy from people," Allan says. "That belief has underpinned Vespertec’s growth from the beginning, whether we're supporting a global enterprise or a fast-scaling tech company. It’s about building strong relationships, delivering on promises and ensuring customers get real value."
He also points out that AI is reshaping industries across the board, but it introduces its own challenges, particularly around power and cooling demands. Helping customers prepare, plan and test in advance is a crucial part of the service.
Phil concludes, “We’re not just reacting to trends. We’re helping shape how businesses deploy transformative technologies to accelerate the performance of their data centres. That’s what makes it exciting.”
For more information about Vespertec and their offerings, visit vespertec.com