Partners Group to Invest $1bn in AVK to Expand Data Center Microgrid Offering

Swiss private equity firm Partners Group has agreed to acquire a majority stake in UK-based data center power infrastructure provider AVK Power Solutions. Partners Group plans to invest more than $1 billion in equity, backed by debt financing, to accelerate AVK’s expansion and grow its microgrid offering for data centers. AVK CEO Ben Pritchard will remain in his role, with much of the existing executive team also staying on.

“Speed-to-power is now a defining opportunity for European data center operators. Our new partnership with Partners Group will allow us to meet our customers exactly where the market demands,” said Pritchard. “From the moment we launched our first microgrid, we recognized the challenge and the opportunity facing developers and operators globally. By adding capital to our power solutions portfolio, we can turn speed-to-power from an ambition into action.”

AVK has a 2GW pipeline and recently launched a 110MW natural gas-powered microgrid at a PureDC data center in Dublin, billed as Europe’s first large-scale data center microgrid. The company also launched its PowerPod modular system for hyperscale and AI data centers, which can operate on-grid or off-grid.

AVK is a major data center generator supplier, with long-standing partnerships with Rolls-Royce Power Systems and Wärtsilä. Partners Group has invested around $4 billion in data centers since 2021. Recent deals include Singapore-based Digital Halo and Australia’s GreenSquareDC, while its previous investments include Nordic operator atNorth and US-based EdgeCore.