Echelon Data Centres has partnered with controlled affiliates of Starwood Capital Group to acquire a 37-acre site near Milan. This is where it plans to build a data center campus with an investment of €3 billion (US$ 3.5 billion).
In a press release the company revealed that the site will host a data center campus with a total electrical capacity of 250MVA, including 100MVA available immediately via an existing onsite substation. Construction on LIN10 is set to commence immediately and expected to be fully operational in 18 to 24 months.
The Milan project named LIN10, is part of Echelon’s expansion plans across continental Europe. Readers would recall that Echelon had recently announced a €2 billion (US$ 2.5 billion) joint venture with Spanish energy company Iberdrola to develop data centers in Spain.
Niall Molloy, CEO, Echelon said, “Echelon is very pleased to partner with Starwood Capital to enter this new market, LIN10 has grid power, scale, and flexibility, making it one of the most attractive projects in Europe. It’s ready to build and offers exceptional opportunities for hyperscale operators.”
David Smith, Chief Investment Officer, Echelon, described this collaboration as “Another significant milestone” for the company. He further said, “We have a strong pipeline of exciting opportunities across Europe and expect to add additional markets over the next 24 months to continue supporting the growth of our customers.”
Maximilian Gentile, Senior Vice President, Starwood Capital, highlighted Milan’s growing importance as a digital hub by saying “We believe in the fundamental growth drivers of the Milan data center market, demand for capacity continues to grow exponentially worldwide, and this investment reflects Echelon’s commitment to meeting the power and scale needs of an increasingly AI-driven economy.”
Echelon currently operates seven data center facilities across Ireland, the UK, and Spain, with a combined capacity of around 1.25GW. The Milan development marks the company’s first site in continental Europe and supports its goal to add an additional 1.5GW of capacity over the next five years.