Global Technical Realty breaks ground at UK data centre campus

Author: Beatrice

It was an exciting moment in the Global Technical Realty (GTR) journey as the company broke ground on its first 40.5 MW IT load UK data centre campus – GB One. GTR, a $1bn European build-to-suit data centre platform agreed to lease the site at Slough Trading Estate, London’s premier data centre hub in June 2021, partnering with estate owner, SEGRO, which will be developing the building shell.

When complete, the campus will be the largest in the area, comprising three independent data centres capable of operating individually, or as one interlinked facility. Each building will accommodate over 5,375 square metres of net technical area and 13.5 MW IT load.

“The data centre sector is experiencing phenomenal growth and is evolving at a rate we’ve never seen before”, says Franek Sodzawiczny, Founder and CEO at Global Technical Realty.  “GTR is in the unique position of having an equity capital commitment with KKR’s third global infrastructure fund. This gives us the flexibility to not only fund projects rapidly but to also offer continuity of support to our customers across multiple facilities and locations. We are motivated to get our first UK data centre up and operational and are delighted to be partnering with SEGRO to help achieve this.”

Focused on providing data centres for hyperscalers in challenging markets primarily across EMEA, GTR was launched by leading global investment firm KKR and Franek Sodzawiczny, a highly experienced and successful serial entrepreneur in the data centre sector. The company designs, builds and operates bespoke data centres for large technology clients, meeting growing demand for third-party data centre provision amid ever-increasing growth in data usage and cloud services adoption. The company is led by an established team of data centre experts, delivering projects across the globe. GTR prides itself on blending design and construction specifics, with flexible solutions that meet the operational, capacity and contractual needs of its customers.

James Craddock, SEGRO’s Managing Director for Thames Valley, comments: “Over the last 100 years, Slough Trading Estate has evolved in terms of the customers based there. Data centres are part of the latest evolution, breathing new life into the estate alongside some of our more traditional customer base. Our data centre team is looking forward to using its unrivalled sector experience to work with GTR to create this state-of-the-art facility at Slough Trading Estate.”