Data Center Investment News — 21/08/2026
August 21, 2026
Written by Angela Cáceres, Ensar Aljimi, Siddhi Pandit
KIO Data Centers unveils Mexican expansion plan
Mexican data centre developer KIO Data Centers has announced a major expansion of its domestic footprint, headlined by plans to invest up to US$1.3 billion in a new data centre in Querétaro. The programme also includes new projects in Mexico City and Monterrey, reinforcing the company’s position across the country’s three most strategic digital infrastructure hubs.
The planned investments come in response to accelerating demand for cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and mission-critical applications in Mexico. The move places KIO alongside a growing field of domestic and international players — including ODATA, CloudHQ, and Terranova — competing to serve the fast-maturing Mexican market.
Amaco seeks approval for $1.5 billion Kenya AI data centre – report
Greek energy group Amaco Energy is reportedly seeking approval for a $1.5 billion AI data centre in Mombasa, Kenya, according to Business Daily Africa. Notably, the facility is designed to operate independently of Kenya’s national electricity grid, sidestepping one of the most persistent constraints on large-scale digital infrastructure in East Africa.
The project could ultimately scale to as much as 1GW of capacity, a figure that would place it among the most ambitious data centre developments announced on the continent to date. If approved, it would add significant momentum to Kenya’s emergence as a regional digital hub, following recent moves by iXAfrica, Airtel’s Nxtra, and others.
Google reveals it is behind 506-acre Project Clydesdale data center in Oklahoma
Google has publicly confirmed that it is the company behind “Project Clydesdale,” a 506-acre data center campus being developed by Beale Infrastructure near the Cherokee Industrial Park in Owasso, outside Tulsa, Oklahoma. The campus was approved by county commissioners in September 2025, with construction already underway, and planning documents point to multiple phases each backed by private investment that has grown from $700 million to at least $1 billion.
The reveal deepens Google’s long-standing commitment to Oklahoma, where it launched its first campus in Pryor in 2011 and has since invested $15 billion statewide, with additional projects in Stillwater and Sand Springs. As part of the development, Google will fund new water lines and infrastructure upgrades for the local rural water district, positioning the project as a community investment as much as a capacity play.
Plans filed for 180MW data center development in South East London, UK
An application has been filed with the Royal Borough of Greenwich for a large-scale data center development on the former Stone Foundries site and VIP Industrial Estate in Charlton, South East London. Known as Charlton Gateway, the project is led by Greater London Industrial (GLi) — a joint venture between real assets investor Patrizia and developer Kingston Space Property — and envisions a 180MW facility spanning roughly 70,325 sqm, with some $1.4 billion set to be invested.
The proposal marks a decisive pivot for a site that saw multiple residential schemes rejected between 2018 and 2020, with developers now citing the location’s confirmed power connection, high-speed fiber, and proximity to financial markets. Construction could begin as early as 2027/2028, with completion targeted for 2028/2029, adding meaningful capacity to a London market where power-ready sites remain scarce.
Plans filed for 10-story data center outside Brisbane, Australia
Northern Concept Swanb Pty Ltd has filed plans with Ipswich City Council for a 10-story data center in the Swanbank area, southwest of Brisbane, Queensland. The eight-hectare site sits near Powerlink Queensland’s Blackstone Substation and a planned 200MW battery energy storage system, with Stage 1 alone comprising roughly 104,000 sqm of gross floor area and city staff already recommending approval subject to conditions.
The project has, however, become a flashpoint for local opposition, with a dedicated campaign website calling for a moratorium on data center development in the area and criticizing the project’s assessment pathway as lacking scrutiny. The tension underscores a broader pattern playing out across Australia and beyond, as gigawatt-scale ambitions increasingly collide with community concerns over water, power, and process.
AWS pledges $6bn investment in data center campus in Shreveport, Louisiana
Amazon Web Services has committed $6 billion to a new data center campus at the Resilient Technology Park in west Shreveport, bringing its total pledged data center investment in Louisiana to $18 billion across three campuses. Like AWS’ existing projects in Caddo and Bossier Parishes, the Shreveport buildout will be led by Stack Infrastructure, and is expected to create around 210 permanent jobs and 2,250 construction roles.
The announcement expands on the $12 billion commitment AWS made to the state in February 2026 and comes as Amazon guides toward roughly $220 billion in capex this fiscal year. AWS says it will fund all required water and wastewater improvements and is working with utility SWEPCO to fully fund new energy infrastructure and grid upgrades — a ratepayer-protection framing that has become central to hyperscaler expansion messaging.
CBRE: Europe data center market to grow by nearly a quarter in 2026
Europe’s total data center market is on track to grow around 20 percent this year, reaching 13GW of capacity by year-end, according to new research from CBRE. Growth remains intrinsically tied to AI infrastructure, with hyperscaler self-build capacity expected to expand 22 percent to 4.3GW — the seventeenth consecutive year of double-digit growth in that segment — and neoclouds quadrupling their new colocation signings in the first half of the year to 420MW.
The geography of demand is also shifting: markets outside the traditional Frankfurt, London, Amsterdam, Paris, and Dublin (FLAPD) core now account for 55 percent of European take-up, with the Nordics attracting the bulk of neocloud capacity thanks to lower renewable energy costs. Even so, vacancy in the FLAPD markets declined further, and CBRE notes that demand continues to outpace supply as power availability delays construction across the region.
Helios looks to build data center on 860 hectares in Finnish Lapland
Nordic renewable energy firm Helios has submitted a zoning request to the municipality of Tervola for a data center in the Koivu area of Finnish Lapland, on a site totaling roughly 860 hectares. While full project details have yet to be disclosed, the company points to Finland’s reliable grid, cool climate, and stable operating environment as core advantages for large-scale compute.
The Tervola project is the third data center development announced by Helios, following a 500MW project in Lapinlahti and another site in Iisalmi. Founded in 2019 and owned by VINCI Group since 2024, the solar developer’s push into digital infrastructure reflects a broader Nordic trend of renewable energy players converting generation portfolios into data center opportunities.
Turkish real estate investment firm Koray GYO targets data centers, eyes developments in US
Koray Real Estate Investment Partnership (Koray GYO), a Turkish real estate investment trust formed in 1996 as a joint venture between Yapı ve Kredi Bankası and the Koray Group, has announced it is evaluating land in Texas and Louisiana for data center investment. The company says discussions have already begun with financial institutions to assess financing options for the development.
The move follows the firm’s June announcement that it was exploring data center investments both domestically and internationally, marking a notable pivot for a group whose development track record has centered on residential projects. It also illustrates how the US data center boom continues to draw capital from an increasingly global and non-traditional pool of investors.
Core Scientific completes acquisition of Polaris DS
Core Scientific has closed its acquisition of Polaris DS in a deal with a cash value of $444 million, securing approximately 440MW of grid-connected power capacity and 40 acres of land adjacent to its existing campus in Muskogee, Oklahoma. The capacity, previously used by Polaris for bitcoin mining under agreements with Oklahoma Gas & Electric, clears the way for Core Scientific to expand the Muskogee campus to 1.5GW of gross power and 1GW of leasable capacity.
CEO Adam Sullivan noted the company has added more than 600MW of leasable power through site acquisitions this year, as the onetime cryptomining operator continues its pivot to AI data center development. The first 70MW building at Muskogee was slated for handover to CoreWeave in Q2 2026, with a further 82MW tranche on track for an unnamed customer beginning in the second half of 2027.
