Linklaters has advised Ardian, a world leading private investment house, on the acquisition of 100% of Verne (formerly Verne Global), a leading data center platform headquartered in the UK and diversified across Northern Europe, from Digital 9 Infrastructure plc (D9), an investment company listed on the London Stock Exchange.
Verne addresses a large and fast-growing market in Northern Europe, where it has consistently delivered access to cost-effective renewable energy and international connectivity spanning Europe and North America for its international clients. Verne currently operates with 100% renewable energy in Iceland and 100% decarbonized energy in Finland and the UK.
Ardian will support the expansion of Verne with up to US$1.2bn committed investment through equity and debt to deliver an ambitious growth plan for Northern Europe supported by Verne’s strong and experienced management team.
Alex Lehtinen, Partner, commented:
“This has been an exciting deal to work with Ardian on and the investment in Verne will go a long way in realising their ambitious plans and consolidating their position as a leading sustainable data center platform. The rise of artificial intelligence and cloud computing has seen a boom of investment in data centers, a trend that is likely to continue, and we are pleased to be at the forefront of the market supporting clients in this space.”
The Linklaters cross-practice team advising Ardian drew on expertise from the firm’s London and Paris offices; the team was led by Financial Sponsor partners David Martin and Alex Lehtinen, alongside managing associates Martin Arnal and Violette Grac-Aubert, and associates Daniel Green, John Dai, Andrew Huxtable and Tibi Sandu. Antitrust & Foreign Investment advice was led by partner Pierre Zelenko and partner Jamie Coomber advised on Tax.
Linklaters, led by partner David Martin, also advised Ardian on the acquisition of Mila, the largest telecoms provider in Iceland, in 2021.
Linklaters has been involved in some of the digital infrastructure sector’s biggest deals for many years. The practice’s expertise within this sector includes joint ventures, carve-outs, acquisitions, asset/capex and structured financing, together with advice in relation to commercial/customer contracts, real estate and regulatory matters.
