I Squared Capital invests $500m to create edge data centre platform in Europe

I Squared Capital’s latest global infrastructure fund has invested over $500m to create an edge data centre platform in Europe.

I Squared, via the ISQ Global Infrastructure Fund III fund, has committed over half a billion dollars of equity to establish NLighten, a platform with a plan to bring colocation services to underserved cities and regions across Europe.

NLighten intends to build, acquire and operate multiple edge data centre platforms across Europe. The initial focus will be in Germany, where it expects to open 10 strategic locations in Berlin, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Hannover, Cologne, Leipzig, Munich, Nuremberg, and Stuttgart in the second half of 2023.

NLighten is led by former senior executives from Equinix, including Harro Beusker, co-founder and CEO, and Chad McCarthy, co-founder and CTO.

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Other members of the management team include Christian Zipp, former VP of sales of Germany and Netherlands for Digital Realty and before that regional VP of sales in Germany for Equinix, and Martin Essig, former MD of Telecity Germany.

Beusker said: “With our team of experienced professionals, we are looking to create a step-change in the data centre industry. “We will be close to the customer, bring connectivity ecosystems to regional markets, and actively support the energy transition.”

The NLighten platform is part of I Squared Capital’s global data centre portfolio, including KIO in the Americas and BDx in Asia.

Source: Real Assets IPE

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