New Data Center Developments: October 2024

The demand for new data centers isn’t showing any sign of slowing. With new projects being announced each week, keeping track of the latest data center developments is not always easy.

To keep you informed about the latest data center news involving design, construction, and related developments, we bring you the highlights from the past month.

This curated selection will help you stay on top of the latest data center development news with ease.

An investment partnership between Microsoft, BlackRock, and others will seek to unlock $30 billion in funds for data centers. IMAGE: ALAMY

North American Data Center Deals

Multibillion-dollar industry investments continued to make headlines over the past month, led by the news that Microsoft, BlackRock, Global Infrastructure Partners, and MGX launched a new partnership to drive the expansion of data centers in the US. 

In a joint statement, the tech and asset management firms said the Global AI Infrastructure Investment Partnership (GAIIP) will seek to unlock $30 billion of private equity capital to drive the efficient scaling of data centers. 

The news came as Microsoft was linked to a deal to bring Pennsylvania’s dormant Three Mile Island nuclear plant back to life to feed the tech firm’s voracious energy needs. If approved by regulators, Three Mile Island would provide Microsoft with the energy equivalent it takes to power 800,000 homes, or 835 MW. 

Related:AI Accelerated Servers Fuel Growth in Data Center Spending

In other hyperscale news, Google announced a $3.3 billion investment in South Carolina to expand its cloud and data center infrastructure, including two new data center campuses in Dorchester County and an expansion to its existing data center in Berkeley County. 

The company also announced new clean energy capacity and water sustainability partnerships in Nebraska. Additionally, it plans to spend $400 million to expand its Nevada data centers, according to reports. 

Elsewhere, Meta confirmed that Aiken County, South Carolina, will be home to its newest data center.  

“Once completed, the Aiken Data Center will represent an investment of more than $800 million and support approximately 100 jobs,” Meta said.  

The 715,000 sq ft campus will be Meta’s 22nd data center in the US and 26th in the world. 

Town Lane and PowerHouse Data Centers have announced the acquisition of 122 acres of land in Charlotte, North Carolina. The joint venture will establish a data center campus, PowerHouse Charlotte, which will be spread over 2.5 million sq ft across five data center shells and 300 MW of secured critical power. 

Duos Edge AI launched its first edge data center at the Region 16 Education Service Center in Amarillo, Texas. The new facility will provide infrastructure to support student learning by delivering reliable and high-speed internet access, the company said. 

Related:New Data Center Developments: September 2024

Dallas-based data center operator DataBank acquired 292 acres of land in Red Oak, just south of the city. It will build a new data center campus on it that will support up to eight, two-story 480 MW data centers to meet the insatiable demand of AI computing needs nationwide. 

More North American data center news: 

Google is starting the construction of its second data center in Latin America. IMAGE: GOOGLE 

Latin American Data Center Developments

In Latin America, Google broke ground on a new data center in Uruguay, marking its second major infrastructure investment in the region. 

The $850 million project in the city of Canelones aims to meet the increasing demand for cloud services while advancing AI capabilities and supporting economic growth in the region.  

Related:How to Effectively Manage Your Hardware in Colocation Data Centers

Further west, Google said it would halt plans to develop a $200 million data center in Chile over environmental concerns.

Microsoft announced its largest single investment in Brazil, with plans to spend $2.6 billion in cloud and AI infrastructure over three years. The initiative aims to foster the development of the AI ecosystem in Brazil, accelerating the country’s AI innovation. 

Elea Data Centers signed a partnership with internet exchange DE-CIX to host its first internet exchanges in Brazil and South America. DE-CIX’s points of presence will be deployed at Elea’s São Paulo-SPO1 and Rio de Janeiro-RJO1 data centers. 

An artist’s rendering of atNorth’s new DEN02 facility in Denmark. IMAGE: ATNORTH

European Data Center Developments

Blackstone led the charge in this month’s raft of European data center developments, with the private equity firm confirming it will invest £10 billion (around $13 billion) in a new AI-ready facility in Northumberland, UK. 

The deal will see the construction of the “biggest AI data center in Europe,” with more than 4,000 jobs being created through the venture. 

Amazon said it would spend £8 billion ($10.5 billion) to grow its cloud business in the UK, adding to a string of recent expansion moves in Europe. 

Nordic data center operator atNorth announced plans to build its largest data center to date in the town of Ølgod, Denmark. The site, known as DEN02, will have an initial capacity of 250 MW.  

Elsewhere in Denmark, edge data center company Penta Infra is expanding its presence in Copenhagen through the purchase of a second data center in the city.  

In Sweden, Conapto opened Stockholm 4 South, the latest addition to the expanding Stockholm South Campus. Together with the existing facility, Stockholm 2 South, this new data center offers 5,200 sq m of server space and 24 MW of power.  

EcoDataCenter is converting a former papermill plant in Borlänge, Sweden, into a data center “mega campus” spanning more than 20 acres and with at least 240 MW power capacity. 

In Spain, energy firm Solaria signed a deal to build a new data center in partnership with Datasection of Japan. The facility will be powered by renewable energy and geared towards AI operations.  

Meanwhile, Iberdrola plans to provide a Spanish data center with a grid connection and renewable power in exchange for up to 20% of the facility, which will cost as much as €2 billion ($2.2 billion) to build. 

Brookfield-backed Data4 will invest around €300 million ($331 million) to build and develop a new hub in Greece amid increasing demand for data centers driven by artificial intelligence services. 

Asia-Pacific Data Centers Builds

In Asia-Pacific data center news, Princeton Digital Group acquired land in India, Malaysia, and Indonesia and secured power supply for the sites to boost its capacity by nearly 50%, seeking to capitalize on rising demand for artificial intelligence services. 

The buildout is part of a $5 billion investment program and will happen in the next 12 to 18 months, chief executive officer Rangu Salgame said. 

Yondr Group is seeking private debt of about $500 million to fund a project based in Malaysia. The private loan will back the construction of data centers in the southern state of Johor in Malaysia, according to people familiar with the matter. 

Singapore-based ST Telemedia Global Data Centers announced plans to invest $3.2 billion over the next five to six years to add 550 MW to its data center capacity in India.   

Blackstone agreed to acquire Australian data center operator AirTrunk for $16 billion. The acquisition outweighs the company’s $6 billion takeover of Australian casino operator Crown Resorts in 2022.  

“AirTrunk is another vital step as Blackstone seeks to be the leading digital infrastructure investor in the world,” Blackstone president and chief operating officer Jon Gray said in a statement.  

More Asia-Pacific data center news this month: