News release

JLL Capital Markets Belux Advises Ghelamco in the Successful Disposal of Nexus Data Center in Belgium

Successful completion of the disposal of Nexus Data Center located in the Green Energy Park in Zellik

 

June 18, 2024

Alexandre De Wagheneire - Realex Invest bv

Senior Director Capital Markets
+32(0)2 550 25 26

Valina Sempot - VSMC srl

Head of Marketing & Communication, Research & Data Knowledge Belux
+32 (0)2 550 25 37

You can read the press release in Dutch & in French

Brussels, June 13 2024JLL Capital Markets Belux is thrilled to announce the successful completion of the disposal of Nexus Data Center located in the Green Energy Park in Zellik, within the Brussels Ring Road. 

The JLL Capital Markets team, working closely with experts from the European JLL Data Center Team, is immensely proud to have advised Ghelamco in this landmark transaction.

Nexus Data Center (10.000m²) is a next-generation facility and the first triple-certified (BREEAM Excellent, EDGE Advanced & UPTIME Tier III Design & Operation) data center in Belgium, setting new industry standards for sustainability and design. With a robust IT load capacity of 7.2MW, Nexus represents a truly remarkable achievement in the emerging market of data centers.

Alexandre De Wagheneire, from JLL Capital Markets Belux stated : "We are extremely happy to have advised Ghelamco in this truly unique transaction, as Nexus is the first triple certified and truly sustainable by design Data Center delivered in Belgium. This achievement underpins our local and international knowledge and capabilities in the emerging market which is the Data Center market.

The successful disposal of Nexus Data Center highlights Belgium's rising importance as a confirmed data center location, strategically positioned between the traditional FLAP (Frankfurt, London, Amsterdam, Paris) markets. The country offers excellent connectivity, accessibility, and stability, making it an attractive destination for data center investment.”

JLL Capital Markets Belux also extends hearty congratulations to Ghelamco for their exceptional ability and capability in building this highly technological asset. The development showcases Ghelamco's comprehensive understanding of the industry's intricacies and evolving trends, harnessing the latest advancements in data center design, infrastructure, and sustainability. The recipient of this cutting-edge facility is Penta Infra Datacenters, a true industry specialist. This actor is the leading provider of reliable, sustainable, and highly connected edge data centers in Europe. With sites in Germany, France, the Netherlands, and Denmark, Penta Infra Datacenters provides solutions ranging from full-service colocation to custom data center construction. The company now has a strategic hub in Belgium.

Luke Jackson, Head of EMEA Data Centre Capital Markets expressed : “The successful transaction of Nexus Data Center, on a Forward Sale structure, highlights the strong-conviction that investors have in the fundamentals driving occupancy growth in the data center sector and this despite economic headwinds. 

Brussels is emerging as one of the fast-growing data centre markets in Europe. Nexus Data Center is situated within a designated Life Sciences Precinct, where I can see it catering to the compute-power needs of data-heavy enterprises within the locality.”

As the data center sector continues to flourish, and in conjunction with this achievement, JLL highlights the key takeaways from our research on the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on the green energy transition. 

As AI and machine learning become more democratized, data center design, site selection, and investment approaches are transforming to meet the growing demand for digital services. The power requirements for data centers are expanding rapidly, pushing operators and governments to seek sustainable energy solutions. Innovative design transformations, such as liquid cooling, are reshaping traditional data center designs to accommodate AI densities.

JLL's research also underscores the urgent need for increased power and emphasizes the exploration of emerging power solutions like onsite power generation, small modular reactors (SMRs), hydrogen fuel cells, and power purchase agreements (PPAs) for grid stability and optimization.

The successful disposal of Nexus Data Center and JLL's comprehensive research on the impact of AI and the green energy transition demonstrate our unwavering commitment to excellence and innovation within the data center sector.

Read the complete Press Release in Dutch & in French


About JLL

For over 200 years, JLL (NYSE: JLL), a leading global commercial real estate and investment management company, has helped clients buy, build, occupy, manage and invest in a variety of commercial, industrial, hotel, residential and retail properties. A Fortune 500® company with annual revenue of $20.8 billion and operations in over 80 countries around the world, our more than 106,000 employees bring the power of a global platform combined with local expertise. Driven by our purpose to shape the future of real estate for a better world, we help our clients, people and communities SEE A BRIGHTER WAYSM. JLL is the brand name, and a registered trademark, of Jones Lang LaSalle Incorporated. For further information, visit jll.com.