Hello and welcome to the third edition of Harper Harrison’s Data Center News. We know how busy many of the industry leaders are in this thriving sector, so we thought we would highlight some of the months industry news into a bite size format. Download your copy below:

VOLUME 1, ISSUE 3 (November 2020) 

3rd Edition 

Industry Insights 

November, for the most part, continued the 2020 trend of being a strong month for the industry across the globe. With further investment, development, acquisitions and even tax incentives to continue the trend of growth that we have seen for quite some time. The most notable high profile move this month was Michael Coleman joining TerraScale as their new CIO, Mr Coleman was formerly Google’s Head of Data Center Operations. Mr Coleman will likely oversee their Commercial Data Center and Green Infrastructure projects. 

Vantage & Data Colony $1.25bn Capital Raise 

Vantage announced that is has raised $1.25 billion in equity capital from existing investors. The funding will be used for ongoing expansions and developments in North America and Europe. Vantage have continued to expand through the second half of 2020 and recently opened their flagship European campus in Frankfurt. “Hyperscale data center demand remains strong, and this capital will allow Vantage to accelerate its global expansion of sustainable, large-scale campuses” Sharif Netwalli, CFO (Business Wire, 2020). 

Salt Lake City Data Center Market Spurred on by Tax Incentives 

Utah boasts some of the most attractive tax incentives for data center developers. These tax incentives can generate millions in savings compared to other geographic locations across the US. Not only do providers benefit from the tax incentives, but Salt Lake City also has extensive fibre infrastructure and access to some of the cheapest electricity and natural gas rates in the country (Data Center Frontier, 2020). 

Burns & McDonnell Launches European Data Center Practice 

The US based engineering firm Burns & McDonnell have launched their European Mission Critical practice to expand their offering across the globe. B&M originally founded their first UK office in Birmingham and focused on the energy sector, playing their part as the UK moves to net-zero carbon emissions. The new London office will act as the business's European HQ and they have already appointed leadership with a wealth of experience in the data center sector to complement their already star-studded global facilities team. 

NTT Global Data Centers Begins Construction in Madrid 

NTT’s global data center division has begun construction on its first data center in Madrid, Spain. The facility will be 39,000 sq ft. and hold 6MW of capacity. Araceli Pedraza, Country Managing Director of NTT Spain said: ‘This new data center represents a clear commitment to the Spanish market and will undoubtedly contribute to the positioning of Spain as a Digital Hub for Southern Europe.’ 

365 Data Centers Acquires Atlantic Metro 

365 Data Centers announced the acquisition of Atlantic Metro Communications building 365’s presence in the Northeast corridor. The expansion comes not long after 365 were acquired by private equity firm Stonecourt Capital, which said they were planning on deploying significant additional capital. Bob DeSantis, CEO said ‘this transaction is a milestone event for both companies’ (Data Center Frontier, 2020).