Partners Group has agreed to acquire a majority stake in UK-based data centre power solutions provider AVK, with plans to commit more than $1bn (€860m) in initial equity to drive its European expansion.
The private markets manager will make the investment through its $15bn fourth direct infrastructure programme, alongside debt financing, while AVK’s management team will retain a minority stake.
AVK designs, installs and maintains backup power generators, microgrids and modular electrical units across Europe, having delivered 3.5GW of capacity to date. The data centre power solutions provider is active across Frankfurt, London, Amsterdam, Paris and Dublin, as well as emerging European growth markets.
The transaction builds on Partners Group’s existing exposure to European decentralised energy and digital infrastructure, following previous investments in regional platforms Gren and Eteck, as well as the buildout and exit of pan-Nordic data centre operator atNorth. It also follows the group’s 2025 acquisition of US-based behind-the-meter provider Life Cycle Power.
Nicholas Pepper, managing director, infrastructure, Partners Group, said: “AI is driving one of the largest infrastructure buildouts in decades, and access to power is becoming a defining constraint. This constraint and lengthening connection queues are critical bottlenecks to growth in the European data centre market, which on-site generation can alleviate by accelerating speed-to-power.
“AVK, with its deep expertise, track record, and pan-European footprint, is well-positioned to address this issue as a one-stop-shop for data centre power solutions. We see an exciting growth opportunity for AVK and we look forward to supporting the management team in its next chapter.”
Ben Pritchard, CEO, AVK, said: “Speed-to-power is now a defining opportunity for European data centre operators. Our new partnership with Partners Group will allow us to meet our customers exactly where the market demands. From the moment we launched our first microgrid, we recognised the challenge and the opportunity facing developers and operators globally.
“By adding capital to our power solutions portfolio, we can turn speed-to-power from an ambition into action. I am excited to lead AVK into this new chapter alongside Partners Group, leveraging the firm’s deep operational expertise in the data centre sector and power markets.”
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