ST Telemedia Global Data Centres has reached an agreement for Macquarie Asset Management, via Macquarie European Infrastructure Fund 7, to acquire a significant minority stake in data centre provider VIRTUS Data Centres.

VIRTUS provides colocation and cloud connectivity services to blue-chip clients, including global technology companies and enterprise clients. Its portfolio comprises 11 data centre facilities in Greater London with a combined capacity of over 180 MW, and an initial 100 MW pipeline of projects under consideration in prime locations across the United Kingdom and Europe.

VIRTUS is deeply focused on sustainability, sourcing its electricity needs from renewable energy. VIRTUS is also targeting net zero emissions across its data centre operations by 2030, it says.

"While London's data centre market is expected to continue seeing increased absorption levels, driven by strong demand for hyperscalers, we believe Europe including core markets such as Germany and France will present sizeable growth opportunities over the next decade," says Nathan Luckey, a senior managing director within Macquarie Asset Management's Real Assets team.

"We are delighted to partner with ST Telemedia Global Data Centres to help scale VIRTUS' operations, providing mission critical services that are central to the digital economy," he says.

"Through our long-term investment, we intend to further strengthen VIRTUS' focus on sustainability by backing further investment in its technology and enhancing the lifecycle management of its equipment," Luckey says.

Bruno Lopez, president and group chief executive officer at ST Telemedia Global Data Centres, adds, "We are pleased to have propelled VIRTUS' growth journey over the past seven years which has seen their platform grow into the UK's leading hyperscale data centre provider today.

"Our commitment has demonstrated the value of developing high-quality data centres in strategic locations," he says.

"With Macquarie's partnership, we look forward to building on this strong momentum, accelerating VIRTUS' growth strategy and expanding our services to customers across Europe," Lopez says.

Neil Cresswell, chief executive officer of VIRTUS Data Centres, says, "Our vision is to lead the data centre industry in Europe by being different by design.

"We are excited to have an experienced data centre investor in Macquarie join ST Telemedia Global Data Centres to support not only our growth plans, but also our continued innovation and commitment to ensure our facilities are futureproofed with sustainability at their core," he says.

Macquarie Asset Management is a leading investor in digital infrastructure around the world. As the world's largest infrastructure manager, Macquarie Asset Management currently manages investments in AirTrunk, a leading Asia-Pacific data centre developer and operator with facilities in Australia, Singapore, Japan and Hong Kong. Macquarie Asset Management is also supporting the expansion of leading United States data centre providers Aligned Data Centers and Netrality Data Centers.