AEW, one of the world’s largest real estate investment and asset managers, has acquired a fully let data centre in the heart of the Bavarian city of Nuremberg.
The acquisition by AEW Patrimoine formed part of a strategy for French retail investors that focuses on diversified investments in the German real estate market, said AEW, which is a subsidiary of Natixis Investment Managers.
The move was its first investment into the country’s rapidly growing data centre asset class, the company added.
JLL’s 2026 Global Data Center Outlook revealed that the global market for leased data centres is expected to grow at 14% per annum until 2030.
As the largest data centre market in the EU in terms of capacity, Germany’s market valuation is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 8.9% by 2030, according to figures from Prime East, a specialist real estate investment and development manager.
The fund now has a total portfolio asset under management of €169.9m, comprising 59,118sqm of space located around the country across office, retail, logistics and light industrial asset classes.
Antoine Barbier, head of AEW Patrimoine, said: “The acquisition of a fully let, well-connected data centre marks a strategic entry for AEW Patrimoine into the German digital infrastructure market.
“With established data centre hubs such as Frankfurt experiencing increasing power constraints and limited land availability, Nuremberg is emerging as a compelling alternative, offering excellent connectivity and benefitting from a robust local economy.”
Matthieu Samaran, investment director Germany at AEW, added: “The rising demand for data storage, coupled with a shortage of digital infrastructure supply, presents a timely opportunity to enter this dynamic sector.
“This core investment provides a strong covenant, long income visibility, and exposure to one of the most dynamic segments in real estate.”
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