Digital Realty acquires Slough data center site in latest expansion

Co-location company Digital Realty has bought a data center on the Slough Trading Estate for $200 million.

The acquisition is its first in west London, building on its existing facilities in the City of London and Docklands. The site will consist of two individual data centers with a combined capacity of 15 MW and has plenty of room for expansion.

Digital Realty already has more than 150 customers, including connectivity providers, technology companies and financial services firms, utilizing over 2,000 cross connects.

The site will be integrated into Digital Realty's existing Metro Connect solution, connecting its six campuses located throughout Greater London, and will also provide access to ServiceFabric, Digital Realty's open interconnection and orchestration platform.

"This expansion into Slough is a significant step for Digital Realty, reinforcing our commitment to supporting digital transformation in the UK and across Europe," said Séamus Dunne, managing director for the UK and Ireland.

"As the UK solidifies its position as Europe's premier technology hub, this acquisition enhances our ability to support customers as they grow and scale, further establishing our presence in this vital market."

The Slough data center campus will be powered entirely by renewable energy, in line with the company's policy of using 100% renewable energy in its European portfolio, and its aim of achieving carbon neutrality across the region by 2030.

Digital Realty currently runs 13 sites across London, with most capacity in the City and Docklands. Globally, it has more than 300 data centers across 25 countries, and in more than 50 metros.

New facilities were recently announced for Malaysia, India, Indonesia, and Australia, and the company is also believed to be planning to invest $390 million in building data centers in Africa over the next five years.

West London is a major - and expanding - region for data centers in the UK.

Late last year, Dutch company Yondr said it planned to invest £1 billion in a new 30MW facility in Slough that would create more than 3,500 jobs.

Build a future-proof data center

More recently, data center colocation firm Equinix announced plans for a new data center complex on the site of a former paint factory in Slough , with construction expected to start in 2027 or 2028.

Thanks to the recent announcement by the new Labour government, there's likely to be more infrastructural expansion in the area.

Deputy prime minister Angela Rayner and chancellor Rachel Reeves said this week that the government planned to re-open the planning process for data centers in Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire , and encourage permission to be granted where sites were likely to benefit local and national economies.