Data Center Investment News — 03/05/2024
Colt to Build Its Largest Data Centre Campus Globally in London
Colt, a leading provider of network and voice services, has announced plans to construct its largest data centre campus globally in London. With an investment of over $500 million, the new campus aims to address the increasing demand for high-quality data centre services in the UK capital.
Richard Wellbrock, Chief Commercial Officer for Colt DCS, said: “There is continued strong demand from customers for UK-based hyperscale data centres, driven by continued growth in demand for digital services. To cater for the fast-paced world of digital services, customers require scale in their data centre solutions.
“We are also excited to learn about the UK Government’s plans to take the digital economy to the next level in the global marketplace, and our expansion in Hayes will increase the UK’s capacity and capability in creating a vibrant environment for growth.”
Equipped with advanced infrastructure and cutting-edge technologies, the campus will offer scalable and reliable solutions to support the evolving needs of businesses, cloud providers, and digital enterprises in the region.
Thomas Mack Development Group Sells Sin City Data Centre to DataBank
Thomas Mack Development Group has finalized the sale of the Sin City Data Centre to DataBank, a leading provider of enterprise-class data centre solutions. The acquisition marks DataBank’s strategic expansion into the Las Vegas market and underscores its commitment to meeting the growing demand for data centre services in the region.
Raul K. Martynek, DataBank’s CEO, said: “DataBank’s investment in this property aligns with our strategy of owning the largest edge data centre footprint in the U.S. By completing this purchase, DataBank is responding to Las Vegas’ need for colocation, connectivity, and cloud services, while solidifying our status as a prime location for mission-critical workloads serving the Las Vegas area.”
The Sin City Data Centre, with its state-of-the-art infrastructure and strategic location, will enable DataBank to deliver reliable and scalable solutions to its customers, further enhancing its presence in the data centre market.
Google Breaks Ground on Fourth Dutch Data Center in Westpoort
Google has commenced construction on its fourth data center in the Netherlands, located in Westpoort. The new facility represents a significant investment by Google and reaffirms its commitment to expanding its data center infrastructure in Europe.
The company says its investment will create 125 new jobs and has pledged to prioritize sustainability. Google first bought the 20-hectare plot in 2022, with plans to build a data center spanning eight hectares on the land. Further details have not yet been shared. In total, Google has invested more than €3.8 billion ($4bn) in data centers and digital infrastructure in the Netherlands.
With sustainability at the forefront of its design, the data center will incorporate advanced technologies to minimize its environmental impact and support Google’s ambitious sustainability goals. Once operational, the facility will enhance Google’s ability to deliver reliable and high-performance services to its users across Europe.
Amazon Launches $11bn Investment in Indiana AWS Data Centre Campus
Amazon Web Services (AWS has announced a substantial investment of $11 billion in expanding its data centre campus in Indiana, USA. This significant investment reflects AWS’s commitment to meeting the growing demand for cloud services in the region and underscores Indiana’s attractiveness as a strategic location for data centre infrastructure.
Roger Wehner, AWS’s director of economic development, emphasised the company’s commitment to nurturing talent and supporting the local community. He said: “This investment will include our continuing commitment to fostering workforce development and educational initiatives in areas where we operate, and we look forward to helping nurture the next generation of talent in the Hoosier State.”
The expansion project aims to enhance AWS’s capacity to deliver scalable, secure, and reliable cloud solutions to its customers, further solidifying its position as a leading provider of cloud computing services globally.
T5 Data Centers Unveils Chicago Plans with 480MW Campus
T5 Data Centers has revealed its ambitious plans to develop a 480-megawatt (MW data centre campus in Chicago. The project, valued at an undisclosed amount, signals T5 Data Centers’ strategic expansion into the Chicago market to meet the growing demand for data centre services in the region.
T5 says it will offer customers build-to-suit data centre capacity options ranging from powered shell to full turnkey delivery with integration of T5’s construction and operation services.
“The new Grayslake campus represents a major investment by T5 to meet the growing demand for large-scale data centre capacity to support cloud and artificial intelligence workloads,” said David Horowitz, SVP and head of leasing of T5 Data Centers.
With its state-of-the-art infrastructure and scalable design, the campus aims to offer cutting-edge solutions to enterprise customers, hyperscalers, and cloud service providers, positioning Chicago as a key data centre hub in the United States.
Maincubes Launches Second Frankfurt Data Center
Maincubes, a European data center operator, has inaugurated its second data center facility in Frankfurt, Germany. With an investment of approximately €150 million, the new data center underscores Maincubes’ commitment to expanding its presence in one of Europe’s leading data center markets.
According to the company website, the facility offers 7.4MW of IT capacity across 4,700 sqm (50,590 sq ft) of IT white space. The facility has a cooling wall system that uses large heat exchangers with chilled water flowing through them for air conditioning. The data center also uses a rotating UPS system – known as an isolated parallel bus – and a kinetic flywheel energy storage unit in place of a battery.
Equipped with advanced infrastructure and security features, the facility is poised to meet the increasing demand for colocation and cloud services in the region, offering customers scalable and reliable solutions to support their digital transformation initiatives.
Data4 Plans €500m Data Center Campus in Milan, Italy
Data4, a leading European data center operator, has announced plans to invest €500 million in developing a state-of-the-art data center campus in Milan, Italy. This strategic investment reflects Data4’s commitment to expanding its footprint in key European markets to meet the growing demand for digital infrastructure services.
Data4 already operates eight data centers in Italy according to its website, all in the Milan region, and the development of the Vittuone campus forms part of a €1 billion ($1.07bn) investment in its digital infrastructure in the country.
Davide Suppia, country director and vice president for sales at Data4 Italia, said: “Thanks to this strategic investment, Data4 confirms itself among the Italian and European leaders of data centers. With the purchase of the land in Vittuone we pursue the objective of being increasingly present on the Italian territory, responding to the growing demand for data centers, driven by the acceleration of national digitalization.
The Milan campus will offer advanced colocation, interconnection, and cloud services, catering to the needs of hyperscale cloud providers, enterprises, and digital businesses seeking reliable and scalable data center solutions in the region.
Stack Plans 220MW Data Center Campus in Dallas, Texas
Stack Infrastructure, a leading data center developer and operator, has unveiled plans to build a massive 220-megawatt (MW data center campus in Dallas, Texas. With an estimated investment of several hundred million dollars, the project underscores Stack’s commitment to meeting the increasing demand for data center capacity in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex.
Spanning 1.5 million sq ft (139,355 sqm) across six 36MW data centers, the campus has a planned delivery of mid-2026 and will feature an on-site substation from utility provider Onocr.
“We continue to observe a steady demand for powered, large-scale campuses, particularly in established or growing markets,” said Ty Miller, chief commercial officer, Stack Americas. “This latest announcement reinforces our commitment to providing certainty and scalability for our clients, along with a favorable delivery target of mid-2026.”
The new campus will feature cutting-edge infrastructure, robust security measures, and sustainable design principles, positioning it as a premier destination for hyperscale cloud providers, enterprises, and digital content companies seeking scalable and reliable data center solutions.
Merlin Obtains Licence to Build 100MW Data Centre in Lisbon
Merlin, a prominent data center developer, has secured regulatory approval to construct a 100-megawatt (MW data center facility in Lisbon, Portugal. This significant milestone marks Merlin’s entry into the Portuguese data center market and reflects the company’s commitment to supporting the country’s digital infrastructure growth.
Ismael Clemente, the CEO of Merlin Properties, emphasized the company’s focus on increasing exposure in the capital and Portugal as part of its expansion plans.
“We already have a licence and electricity for the Lisbon data centre,” he told idealista/news.
A development timeline has not yet been announced.
The Lisbon data centre will be Merlin’s fourth on the Iberian Peninsula, alongside existing centres in Madrid, Barcelona, and Álava, with the latter three already operational.
The new data center, expected to require substantial investment, will enhance Lisbon’s position as a strategic hub for data-intensive industries and cloud services, contributing to the region’s economic development and digital innovation ecosystem.
Blackstone Buys Former Britishvolt Site to Build UK Data Centre
Blackstone, a global investment firm, has acquired the former Britishvolt site in Northumberland, United Kingdom, with plans to develop a cutting-edge data center facility. The purchase signals Blackstone’s entry into the UK data center market and underscores its commitment to investing in digital infrastructure projects.
Council leader Glen Sanderson said the investment would be the “largest ever” to come to Northumberland. The council will net £110 million from the sale of the land, and has added in a buy back clause if the project is not completed.
“The project would represent a significant inward investment of up to £10 billion, putting our county at the forefront of developments in the digital economy, and delivering over 1,600 direct jobs, including 1,200 long-term construction jobs, and over 2,700 indirect jobs over the course of the development,” Sanderson said.
The proposed data center, which is expected to require significant investment, will leverage the existing infrastructure and strategic location to provide scalable and reliable data center services to meet the growing demand for cloud computing and digital transformation initiatives in the UK.