Ardian is planning to invest more than €3bn in Nordic data centres through portfolio company Verne, as demand for digital infrastructure continues to rise, according to a report by Bloomberg.
The investment will support the development of new facilities in Norway and Denmark, with funding coming from Ardian’s $20bn Fund VI. The firm expects Verne’s capacity to reach 200MW in Norway by 2029 and 350MW in Denmark.
The Nordics have become an increasingly attractive market for data centre operators due to access to renewable power, lower energy costs and cooler climates, which can reduce cooling requirements. Verne already has more than 110MW of capacity in Finland either operational or due to be delivered by late 2027 or early 2028.
Ardian acquired Verne in 2024 and has been scaling the business as a Northern European data centre platform. The firm also recently announced plans to invest up to €5bn in a 500MW digital infrastructure hub near Paris, with an initial phase of more than 200MW scheduled for delivery by 2030.
Gonzague Boutry, head of digital infrastructure for Europe at Ardian, told Bloomberg that the investment reflects the firm’s view that AI presents “enormous opportunities and prospects”, while also supporting Europe’s digital sovereignty.
