Arcus buys Volta data centre in London market entry

Arcus Infrastructure Partners has agreed to acquire Volta Data Centres from Verne, giving it a foothold in the UK data centre market.

The transaction includes a 6MW carrier-neutral colocation and interconnection site in central London, which Verne has operated as its UK data centre. Close to the City of London, the facility serves customers in financial services, telecoms, IT and other enterprise sectors.

Arcus is making the purchase through Arcus European Infrastructure Fund 4, which has entered into a definitive agreement to buy the business. Financial terms were not disclosed.

The acquisition adds a London asset to Arcus's existing colocation interests through Portus Data Centres, an investment held by Arcus European Infrastructure Fund 3. The move into the UK follows an 18-month review of European markets that identified Britain as offering demand growth, limited supply and longer-term investment potential.

Volta's site has more than 40 on-site carriers and over 1,200 cross-connects, giving it a dense network position in one of Europe's largest colocation markets. Arcus also highlighted the facility's contracted revenues and low customer churn.

Market entry

The purchase reflects continued investor interest in digital infrastructure, particularly assets tied to cloud services, enterprise connectivity and artificial intelligence workloads. London remains a key market for colocation providers because of its concentration of financial institutions, network operators and corporate customers.

Carrier-neutral facilities let customers choose among multiple telecoms providers rather than rely on a single network. That model has helped make central London sites attractive to companies that need resilient connectivity and proximity to trading, business and technology hubs.

Charlie Scott, Senior Investment Director at Arcus, outlined the firm's view of the asset.

"Volta is an excellent fit with our AEIF4 investment strategy, providing critical digital infrastructure at the heart of one of Europe's premier colocation markets. The business stood out as a high-quality investment, combining stable contracted revenues, an entrenched position in London's connectivity ecosystem, and a clear path for growth and commercial improvement, supported by an experienced site team. Colocation has been a strategic focus for Arcus since 2024. We look forward to partnering with the Volta team to support the next phase of the business's growth and to building on this entry point with further acquisitions," said Charlie Scott, Senior Investment Director at Arcus.

Portfolio shift

For Verne, the sale marks a sharper strategic focus on data centre development in Northern Europe. It plans to concentrate investment and resources on low-carbon, high-density infrastructure aimed at artificial intelligence, high-performance computing and other intensive workloads.

That approach reflects a broader split in the data centre sector between urban colocation hubs, which prioritise connectivity and customer access, and larger regional or Nordic campuses, which often emphasise lower-cost energy, cooler climates and room for expansion.

Dominic Ward, Chief Executive Officer of Verne, said the disposal supports that direction.

"This agreement is the right next step for the London data centre, its customers and its team. Arcus has deep infrastructure experience and is well placed to support the site's next phase of growth. For Verne, this is a strategic portfolio decision that allows us to focus our investment and expertise on low-carbon, high-density data centre infrastructure in locations best suited to AI, high-performance computing and other demanding workloads. We will work closely with Arcus to support a smooth transition," said Dominic Ward, Chief Executive Officer of Verne.

The UK data centre market has drawn sustained attention from infrastructure funds, private equity firms and strategic operators as digital traffic rises and demand for secure third-party hosting continues. Investors have also been weighing the effects of power constraints, planning hurdles and land scarcity in and around London, factors that can limit new supply and support values for established facilities.

By acquiring an existing operational site rather than developing a new one, Arcus gains immediate exposure to a market where entry can be difficult because of infrastructure bottlenecks and the time needed to bring new capacity online. The central London location also gives the firm access to a customer base that typically values low-latency connections and direct links to multiple carriers.

The transaction is expected to complete in July, subject to customary closing conditions.