Bain Capital's 'hscale' to Scale Data Centres Across EMEA

Bain Capital has officially launched hscale, a hyperscale data centre provider, which will see the investment firm scale its data centre projects across the EMEA region.

It's an initiative that aligns with Bain's overarching digital transformation strategy and aims to position the company as a significant player in the future of European data infrastructure.

The launch of hscale represents a leap forward in Bain's push to execute its global digital infrastructure strategy, which has included notable acquisitions like AQ Compute in October 2024.

hscale will be directed by a newly assembled leadership team, drawing from Bain’s past successes in both Asia and the United States. This team, boasting the delivery of 6.85GW of data centre capacity, is set to implement tried-and-tested strategies to ensure hscale's success in the competitive market.

At the helm is veteran of the industry Oliver Schiebel, the former CEO of Mainova WebHouse.

“hscale is set to leverage the robust capabilities and strategic assets of our heritage firm, aligning them with the innovative strategies and global expertise of Bain Capital,” he says.

What is Bain Capital's plan for hscale?

hscale has ambitious plans for substantial investment throughout European markets.

"With a planned multi-billion Euro investment over the coming years, hscale is poised for rapid expansion," says Michael Huber, Principal at Bain Capital.

The strategic roadmap lays out over 1GW of projects across cities such as Milan, Frankfurt and London, with 100MW of this capacity already under construction.

This positions hscale to provide immediate solutions to the rising demands of hyperscale clients.

The continuing role of Aquila Group

Aquila Group, a former owner of AQ Compute, will maintain a 20% stake in hscale, continuing to offer its expertise in renewable energy.

This collaboration is focused on integrating low-carbon technologies, thus addressing industry pressures to minimise environmental impacts of data centre operations.

"With access to cleaner energy projects, we will develop future-proof, scalable digital infrastructure tailored to the evolving needs of hyperscalers, driven by the rapid growth of AI and cloud services," explains Oliver.

hscale's strategy for entering the hyperscale market

hscale aims to establish itself as a customer-centric provider, tailoring its offerings to the specific needs of hyperscale operators.

"Our friendly, honest and timely customer service sets hscale apart, allowing our customers the quickest journey to market," Oliver says.

The company is set to make its official debut at the Datacloud Global Congress in Cannes, June, where Chief Technology Officer Abed Jishi is expected to outline the company's strategic direction going forwards.

What is the broader context in the data centre sector?

The demand for data centre capacity, propelled by the expansion of AI workloads and cloud services, continues to surge.

Bain Capital's expansion into the European hyperscale market intensifies competition in metropolitan areas already facing capacity challenges.

Drawing from its investment successes in Asia and the United States, Bain's introduction of hscale is poised to offer bespoke, scalable infrastructure catering to major cloud providers seeking specialised facilities.

This initiative underscores the evolving landscape of digital innovation and the growing requirements of global cloud service providers.

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