Hamburg/Madrid, 13th September – AQ Compute and CBRE, two key players in the field of data centre operations, announce their strategic agreement with the aim of making AQ Compute a pan-European leader in providing global clients with data centre services.
AQ Compute’s second data centre will be located in Barcelona. It will offer a capacity of 50 MW and is planned to be ready for operation by mid/end 2024. Further jointly operated sites across Europe are scheduled. All are planned to be supplied with 100 % renewable energy. The data centres will satisfy the needs of hyperscalers, large enterprises and other organisations that require extensive computing capacity while meeting sustainability goals.
Through their agreement, AQ Compute and CBRE are meeting the increasing demand from companies and organisations undergoing IT transformation. They constitute a strong partner for companies leveraging emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence or augmented reality. In addition, the planned data centres will form part of Europe’s critical infrastructure, which is in urgent need of renovation to meet the decarbonisation goals of the EU. Considering ongoing geopolitical conflicts, the demand for data centres that can handle business-critical data sensibly and at large scale is becoming ever more apparent.
Strong agreement between AQ Compute and CBRE
AQ Compute is the data centre business of Aquila Capital, an investment management and asset development company based in Hamburg, Germany. The company provides the financial leverage that will allow partners to build and operate their sites. Moreover, it’s planned to run data centres using clean energy stemming from hydropower, solar and wind energy plants managed by Aquila Capital.
CBRE, the world’s largest commercial real estate services and investment firm, will lead in the selection of sites and will also act as the operator of selected sites and as a real estate and financial advisory services provider. The agreement will greatly benefit from CBRE’s proven track record in operating data centres. CBRE currently manages over 850 data centres. In the months ahead, a dedicated core team will work on kick-starting the first projects.
Petter M. Tømmeraas, CEO of AQ Compute, comments: “We are delighted to enter this extraordinary agreement that will reshape the landscape of data centre services in Europe with a focus on sustainability. The need for computing capacities is rising and, together with CBRE, we will be able to cater for the high demand from clients in Europe and across the globe.”
Enrique Martínez Laguna, Vice President of CBRE, adds: “Together, CBRE and AQ Compute are in the position to create a leading pan-European data centre operator. Our joint expertise and capabilities are unique in the market, and we are very much looking forward to leveraging the ideal locations for our first data centres.”
Henry Daunert, Executive Vice President AQ Compute, adds: “Our unique approach to sustainability, efficiency and innovation that we at AQ Compute will bring to our clients in the quest for data decarbonisation will set new standards in this European project. CBRE as a core partner is fully aligned with these goals and a key part of our strategy.”
About AQ Compute
AQ Compute is a sub-brand of Aquila Capital, an investment and asset development company focusing on generating and managing essential assets on behalf of its clients.
The brand provides data centre and colocation services around Europe powered by renewable energy sources. AQ Compute pursues a pan-European data centre strategy and anticipates the ever-increasing demand for computing capacity with a strong focus on sustainability.
AQ Compute focuses on the European continent with an emphasis on secondary markets. Growing markets, such as the Nordics or the Iberian Peninsula, offer ideal conditions for the development and operations of sustainable data centres with excellent access to renewable energy.
To be able to provide its clients with a wide range of locations, the company aims to enter additional markets in Europe. AQ Compute’s first data centres are located in Oslo in Norway and Barcelona in Spain with more to follow.
Please find more information on our website: www.aq-compute.com.
Press contact AQ Compute:
Caroline Schröder
FGS Global (Europa)
Phone: +49 69 921 874 621
Email: caroline.schroeder@fgsglobal.com
About CBRE
CBRE Group, Inc. (NYSE:CBRE), a Fortune 500 and S&P 500 company headquartered in Dallas, is the world’s largest commercial real estate services and investment firm (based on 2020 revenue). It has more than 100,000 professionals in more than 100 countries. CBRE has been operating in Spain since 1973, where it provides real estate services via nine offices (Madrid, Barcelona, Bilbao, Valencia, Alicante, Malaga, Seville, Zaragoza and Palma de Mallorca).
CBRE offers its clients a wide range of services in the following departments: A&T Industrial, A&T Office, Property Management, Building Consultancy, Corporate Finance, Cross Border, Debt Advisory, Investment Funds, Global Corporate Services, Hotels, Institutional Investments, Private Investors, Residential, Retail, Land and Valuations. For more information please visit www.cbre.com and www.cbre.es.
CBRE is a founding member of ACI (Association of Real Estate Consultancies).
Press contact CBRE:
Ángela Laborda
Head of Communication CBRE Spain
Phone: +34 646 556 002
Email: angela.laborda@cbre.com