nLighten broadens UK market reach with Proximity acquisition
nLighten, a subsidiary of I Squared Capital, has recently completed the acquisition of Proximity Data Centres.
Proximity is a regional platform in the UK with ten carrier-neutral edge data centers. With the acquisition, nLighten is set to extend its presence in the UK. This year, nLighten’s portfolio has experienced expansion both organically and through strategic acquisitions. The company now has 26 data centers with a 53-megawatt potential capacity, all managed by 130 employees.
The senior partner of I Squared Capital in London, Mohamed El Gazzar, is pleased with the company’s growth and says:
“We are excited that nLighten has grown so quickly and established itself in the three largest data center markets in Europe: Germany, France and the UK”.
According to nLighten, the UK market is mature, with large economic regions that may benefit from a more distributed network of data centers. Proximity, with its network of high-performance data centers, agile business model and a track record of successful local market entries, is seen as an ideal partner to tap this potential.
Moreover, both firms share a joint commitment to sustainability, with Proximity’s ten data centers sourcing electricity from renewable sources. nLighten intends to continue this green initiative, irrespective of the operational capacity.
As data sovereignty becomes a critical factor in Europe, nLighten has also made clear its intentions to retain the operational management of its data centers within the country.
The CEO of nLighten, Harro Beusker, expresses optimism about the acquisition, seeing it as a significant step towards creating a pan-European edge data center platform. John Hall, the managing director of colocation at Proximity, also welcomes the acquisition, perceiving it as an opportunity to enhance offerings with new products and services designed for the edge computing market.
“We will also be able to provide a highly comprehensive solution to customers looking for a broad network of data centers across multiple European locations,” he adds.
In August 2022, Proximity Data Centres made headlines for acquiring its tenth UK-based regional edge colocation data center, Proximity Milton Keynes Edge 10. This 48,000-square-foot Tier 3 standard data center features multiple data halls and can provide 3 MW of power.
Article Topics
acquisitions | edge data center | nLighten | proximity data centres
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