West London-based Virtus Data Centres has announced plans for a new data center campus in Buckinghamshire.
Housed on a recently-acquired 50 acre freehold plot in Saunderton, close to the company's existing data center hub of Slough, the new facility is being launched in response to rapidly accelerating demands for AI and cloud applications, the company said.
The facility will include four data centers capable of delivering IT capacity of 75 MW.
Planning permission has been granted for the site, which has already been cleared in readiness for construction, with the build due to start by the end of this year and to come into service in the second quarter of 2026.
"The acquisition of this new 50-acre campus is a significant step in VIRTUS' strategic growth plans. It demonstrates our ongoing commitment to provide advanced data center facilities in the UK, whilst also expanding our operations in Europe," said Virtus CEO Neil Cresswell.
"Our focus is to support the evolving requirements of our customers, wherever they need them, and the burgeoning demand for AI-ready data infrastructure. We are dedicated to being at the forefront of supporting businesses on their digital transformation journeys, whilst ensuring that our data centers are built to the highest sustainability standards, aligning with our target to be carbon neutral by 2030."
Like its other sites, the campus will feature 100% renewable energy, according to Virtus. The company said it's also committed to a zero-waste-to-landfill principle during the facility’s operation, and that it hopes to achieve Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold accreditation for sustainability.
Other sustainability features include the use of rainwater harvesting and an exploration of the possibility of using waste heat for nearby farming. The company will also make an annual carbon offset payment to the local authority for the next ten years, with the cash going to local environmental improvement projects.
Meanwhile, Virtus said the development will bring improvements to local infrastructure, as well as training opportunities for the local community.
Virtus already has several facilities in the UK, totalling more than 178MW of power in over 77,000 square meters of data center space. All these locations, the company said, are interconnected to key sites in London by limitless connectivity from Tier I and Tier II carriers.
last year, it also announced plans for a 'mega-campus' in Wustermark in Germany, with 300MW of incoming power, aimed at hyperscale, government, and enterprise customers.
With the increasing popularity of AI and cloud technologies, demand for data centers is rocketing across Europe, and the industry is failing to keep pace.
In a report published last week, CBRE found there was 601MW of take-up across the 14 largest markets in Europe in 2023, compared with just 561MW of new supply delivered during the same period.
