A 13-bank consortium led by BNP Paribas, Crédit Agricole CIB, Societe Generale and Standard Chartered has committed £2.45 billion to VIRTUS Data Centres, providing long-term capital for one of the UK's largest pure-play data centre operators as it accelerates its build-out across the UK and Europe.
The package ranks among the largest data centre bank financings completed in the UK to date. It includes a £1.2 billion green capex facility with both term and revolving tranches, giving VIRTUS flexibility to draw down funding against specific projects rather than taking the full sum at once.
Imminent uses include the 78 MW AI-ready Saunderton campus in Buckinghamshire, further investment at LONDON19 in Slough, and European expansion across the wider STTGDC platform that owns VIRTUS. Macquarie Asset Management holds a significant minority stake through its European Infrastructure Fund 7.
VIRTUS CEO Adam Eaton described the deal as reflecting lender confidence in the company's existing portfolio and development pipeline. The consortium includes a diverse group of relationship lenders alongside the four lead arrangers, advised by Clifford Chance. VIRTUS was advised by Simmons & Simmons.
The transaction follows sustained demand for AI-ready and liquid-cooled data centre capacity across the UK, where major cloud providers and enterprises have been competing for power-secure sites. Saunderton is positioned as an AI-optimised campus designed to serve that demand.
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