European Edge firm nLighten has acquired seven data centers from sister company Exa Infrastructure.
The two I Squared Capital-owned companies announced the deal this week. nlighten said the move positions it as a "frontrunner" in the European data center market, while allowing Exa to focus on its terrestrial and subsea fiber network.
This expansion brings nLighten's total number of data centers to 34. The acquired facilities are in Ghent, Belgium; Zurich and Geneva, Switzerland and Madrid, Spain – all new markets for nLighten. It also adds sites in existing nLighten markets in Amsterdam, London, and Paris.
Specific details on the locations and capacities of each facility weren't shared.
“By expanding our European operating base, nLighten customers will benefit from nLighten’s diverse portfolio, including a wide range of colocation, connectivity, and on-site services,” said Harro Beusker, co-founder and CEO of nLighten. “This acquisition underscores nLighten's commitment to empowering businesses across Europe with world-class data center solutions and brings us closer to our goal of building and operating a leading European Edge data center platform.”
nLighten, owned by I Squared Capital's ISQ Global Infrastructure Fund III, launched last year.
The company acquired its 10 initial data centers in Germany from Exa Infrastructure (another I Squared Capital company). The company then acquired French operator Euclyde Data Centers, taking over six facilities across the country. After acquiring a Dutch data center in Amsterdam, it then acquired UK Edge firm Proximity in September, taking over a further 10 facilities.
Nick Collins, chief commercial officer at Exa Infrastructure, added: “This is the start of an exciting collaboration with our sister company, nLighten, as we each focus on our core competencies to better fulfill our missions. The sale allows Exa Infrastructure to exclusively focus on building and operating the mission-critical network infrastructure that enables our customers’ growth.”
I Squared Capital launched Exa Infrastructure in 2021 after closing its acquisition of GTT’s infrastructure business.
