Ares, a major global alternative investment firm, has completed two U.S. data center transactions in Northern Virginia, expanding its exposure to digital infrastructure through its real assets and digital infrastructure businesses.
In a press release, Ares Digital Infrastructure revealed that it has acquired a 314-acre site along the I-95 South data center corridor in Spotsylvania County, Virginia. The site will be developed and operated by Ada Infrastructure, Ares’ data center platform. Phase one is expected to include two buildings with a combined 200 MW of IT load capacity. The campus has secured key utility infrastructure and is being designed to support next-generation GPU workloads, including flexible cooling configurations.
Michael Steele, Head of Ares Digital Infrastructure, said, “Our site acquisition in Spotsylvania County advances the global positioning of Ada Infrastructure through a project in a supply-constrained tier 1 market that continues to see accelerating demand from hyperscale customers.”
David Roth, Global Head of Real Estate Strategy and Growth in Ares Real Estate, said, “The acquisition of two stabilized data centers underscores Ares’ high conviction in New Economy real assets and Ares Real Estate’s ability to deploy flexible capital at scale.”
In a separate transaction, an Ares Real Estate fund acquired two hyperscale data centers in Leesburg, Virginia. The facilities total 745,000 square feet and 165 MW of IT load capacity. Both are fully leased under 15-year triple-net agreements to a single investment-grade hyperscale customer. The assets were completed in 2025 and are expected to provide stable, long-term income.
The transactions increase Ares’ footprint in Northern Virginia, one of the largest and most supply-constrained data center markets globally. The firm’s investments reflect continued demand driven by cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and other digital technologies.
