JLL advises Kao Data on acquisition of 40 MW data centre development in Manchester

LONDON, 12 MAY 2023 – JLL has advised UK-based developer and operator of high performance data centres, Kao Data, on the acquisition of a 39,000m² ex-industrial site for a new 40MW sustainable data centre development in Manchester.

The new data centre, which is planned to become operational in late 2025, will provide space for nine data halls, creating a leading infrastructure hub to support Greater Manchester’s growing technology ecosystem and the UK’s largest high performance computing (HPC) and artificial intelligence (AI) sectors outside of London and the Oxford-Cambridge arc.

Kao Data Chief Commercial Officer Spencer Lamb said, “Our move into Manchester marks an important next step in the continued evolution of our organisation, and we’re excited to bring our industry-leading data centre platform to one of the UK’s most influential technology and business hubs.”

“We believe our new facility will deliver a significant boost for the local economy and set a new standard for sustainable data centres within the region. What’s more, it will provide a piece of foundational infrastructure that supports both Northern England’s advanced computing clusters, and the UK governments’ ambitions to become a technological and economic powerhouse.”

Tom Glover, Head of Data Centre Transactions, EMEA, JLL added: “This latest acquisition represents a significant step forward for Kao Data and their growing platform. Moreover, it reaffirms Manchester and the North of England’s position as a burgeoning hub for technology and digital transformation supporting the UK’s digital economy.

As businesses increasingly rely on data-intensive operations, the need for robust and scalable infrastructure becomes paramount. JLL is delighted to have sourced and advised Kao Data on the acquisition of such a significant development.”

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About Kao Data

Founded in 2014, Kao Data develop and operate high performance data centres for advanced computing. With hyperscale-inspired facilities east and west of London, we provide enterprise, cloud, HPC and AI customers with a world-class home for their compute.

Designed, engineered, and operated by one of the industry’s most respected teams, our carrier neutral data centres offer the highest calibre OCP-Ready and DGX-Ready environments. We are the UK’s home for the most demanding computing infrastructure, with our east of London facility in Harlow housing NVIDIA’s Cambridge-1, the UK’s most powerful supercomputer. This is complimented by state-of-the-art facilities in west London, which combined, deliver a data centre footprint of 55MW, all powered by 100% renewable energy.

Backed by leading international investors, Kao Data is one of the UK’s most pioneering data centre developers and operators. We underpin our customers’ mission-critical workloads with high performance infrastructure, operations and compute efficiencies, representing the future in industrial scale computing. kaodata.com