HYPER-CONVERGED INFRASTRUCTURE, APPLICATION STORAGE
prnewswire | March 24, 2023
EdgeConneX®, the pioneer in global Hyperlocal to Hyperscale Data Center Solutions, announces the successful execution of $3.3 billion in innovative sustainability-linked financing, which enables the development of critical digital infrastructure to support customers' global data center requirements. The significant scale of these transactions is also recognized by IJGlobal, a leading market intelligence firm for the energy and infrastructure finance industry, with the Digital Infrastructure Deal of the Year Award 2022 in the data center category.
In October 2022, EdgeConneX, the EQT-owned data center developer, reached financial close of a €2.4 billon sustainability-linked (re)financing EdgeConneX pan-EMEA data center portfolio of operational facilities across seven jurisdictions and provided CapEx facilities to support future developments. This financing is arranged across three tranches – a term loan, a CapEx facility, and a revolving credit facility, providing an optional line of credit if needed. Beyond consolidating EdgeConneX pan-EMEA portfolio, this deal allows it to transition from stand-alone project financing to a structured corporate debt package – thereby unlocking more flexibility and funding capacity to support anticipated growth across the region. In addition, this deal represents Europe's first data center platform financing and is rated as a pathfinder sustainability-linked portfolio financing.
Separately, in June 2022, funds managed by Ares Management's Infrastructure Debt strategy, committed a delayed draw sustainability-linked global debt facility to EdgeConneX. The debt facility commits up to $1 billion and can be used to fund the development and construction of EdgeConneX growing global development pipeline. In addition, the innovative funding regime in Euros and US dollars via a structured corporate debt package unlocks more flexibility and funding capacity to support EdgeConneX anticipated global growth.
Both facilities include sustainability-linked margin adjustments, whereby the interest rate payable is directly correlated to EdgeConneX achieving specific pre-determined sustainability targets. These targets align with EdgeConneX holistic ESG sustainability strategy, which includes a goal of becoming a carbon-, waste- and water-neutral data center provider by 2030 and developing and operating a data center platform powered by 100% renewable energy.
"We are honored by the IJGlobal Award distinction for our innovative financing structures that can be replicated globally," comments Joe Harar, Chief Financial Officer for EdgeConneX. "Sustainability is a necessity, and EdgeConneX has adopted sustainability principles across all aspects of our business. These financings leverage EdgeConneX Green Finance Framework and enable us to execute growth plans by reinforcing our commitment to delivering energy-efficient and innovative sustainable solutions for our customers anywhere in the world."
The greenfield element of these transactions wins EdgeConneX an IJGlobal award in this category in conjunction with the refinancings, which played a significant part in the deal and its reason for winning an award. The IJGlobal Awards took place in London on March 9, 2023, celebrating the best-in-class transactions and organizations across the international infrastructure and energy sectors.
EdgeConneX owns and operates 60+ data centers across 50 unique markets throughout 30 countries. The company's portfolio includes 200+ far edge and EdgePop deployments and 500+MW of capacity deployed and/or in development worldwide. Providing excellence and expertise across all deployment phases, EdgeConneX also specializes in build-to-suit data center facilities for Hyperscalers serving as the backbone of their cloud computing products for consumers globally.
About EdgeConneX
EdgeConneX, backed by EQT Infrastructure, part of the global investment organization EQT, EdgeConneX provides a full range of sustainable data center solutions worldwide. We work closely with our customers to offer choices in location, scale, and type of facility, from Hyperlocal to Hyperscale. EdgeConneX is a global leader in anytime, anywhere, and any scale data center services for a diverse portfolio of industries, including Content, Cloud, Networks, Gaming, Automotive, SaaS, IoT, HPC, Security, and more. With a mission predicated on taking care of our customers, our people, and our planet, EdgeConneX strives to Empower Your Edge.
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APPLICATION INFRASTRUCTURE, WINDOWS SERVER OS
US Signal and Igneo Infrastructure Partners | February 20, 2023
Igneo Infrastructure Partners, a worldwide infrastructure investment manager with assets under management of $16.5 billion, has completed the acquisition of US Signal Company, LLC, a distinguished provider of data center and network solutions.
Partner and co-head of Igneo in North America, Michael Ryder, said, "Igneo enters 2023 with strong momentum. We are excited to add US Signal to our growing portfolio in North America, where we continue to see strong tailwinds in the digital infrastructure sector." He added, "This is our third global investment in the digital sector. Our focus remains on high-quality, mid-market, critical infrastructure businesses like US Signal."
(Source – PR Newswire)
U.S. Signal, headquartered in Grand Rapids, Michigan, offers an array of services including network, data center, cloud hosting, connectivity, data protection, disaster recovery, and colocation to both sizeable national telecommunications carriers and regional enterprise customers. US Signal serves a broad customer base with eight data centers in the upper Midwest and a fiber network spanning 9,500 route miles across nine states.
This acquisition marks Igneo's initial foray into the U.S. telecom sector and the fourth platform asset in North America. In the past four years, Igneo has invested over US$2.0 billion of capital in companies such as Terra-Gen, Rialto Bioenergy, and Patriot Rail.
About US Signal
US Signal offers cutting-edge technology solutions for data centers, cloud services, and managed services that assist businesses in updating their IT operations and adapting to evolving technological and business demands. By leveraging a range of services such as colocation, IT infrastructure, data management, disaster recovery, endpoint monitoring, and security, US Signal can cater to even the most intricate technical requirements. US Signal's comprehensive fiber network powers all of these services, ensuring secure and reliable connectivity. The network is expertly designed to optimize edge computing, enabling private WAN connections and one-hop access to the internet via Tier 1 upstream relationships and direct connections to hyper-scale cloud providers.
About Igneo Infrastructure Partners
Igneo Infrastructure Partners is a globally recognized investment firm that focuses on investing in exceptional mid-market infrastructure companies across various regions, including the UK, Europe, North America, Australia, and New Zealand. Being an independent investment team under the First Sentier Investors Group, Igneo has built a robust reputation for partnering with companies and providing value to investors. Since its establishment in 1994, the firm has honed its expertise in identifying promising investment opportunities in the infrastructure space and has consistently delivered exceptional results. The team prides itself on its capability to work closely with portfolio companies, implementing innovative solutions and proactive asset management practices that foster long-term sustainable growth.
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APPLICATION STORAGE, IT SYSTEMS MANAGEMENT
Radisys&amp | February 28, 2023
On February 27, 2023, Radisys® Corporation, an industry leader in open telecom solutions, announced its partnership with Dense Air Networks, a company specializing in broadband solutions. The companies will develop a novel 5G small cell RAN solution set that utilizes licensed and shared spectrum to densify and improve coverage and capacity in 5G standalone networks. This innovative solution from Dense Air is designed to enable both MOCN and MORAN-based RAN sharing through the edge network capabilities of Radisys®5G RAN CU/DU software for outdoor and indoor deployments.
The partnership is the result of 15 months of intensive research and development conducted by Dense Air using the 5G CU and DU software portfolio from Radisys®. By leveraging the open interfaces and advanced 3GPP features from Radisys®, Dense Air manages shared 5G Neutral Host Infrastructure, and implements highly scalable, shared small cell solutions using high-performance RU hardware and a completely cloud-hosted, virtualized DU and CU platform.
Connect Open RAN 5G CU/DU solution hosted by Radisys® on the Dense Air platform is designed for high performance on various industry-leading processors and SoCs with
CU control-plane and user-plane scaling based on CUPS architecture.
CU/DU split over F1 interface as per 3GPP and O-RAN specifications.
Flexible lower-layer split alternatives in DU for SCF option 6 (FAPI/nFAPI) interface and O-RAN 7.2x fronthaul, allowing deployment of advanced features including Multi-TRP cluster cell.
Radisys® enables Dense Air to employ novel mmWave fronthaul working over O-RAN Split 6 interfaces and deploy shared streetside 5G small cell clusters installed on existing vertical assets, utilizing both licensed and shared spectrum.
Arun Bhikshesvaran, CEO of Radisys®, shared, "Radisys is excited to collaborate with Dense Air in designing this highly differentiated solution that extends the capabilities of 5G networks using advanced 3GPP features and open interfaces. Our field-proven 3GPP and O-RAN compliant software, integrated and benchmarked on multiple platforms, helps Dense Air deploy a highly scalable 5G RAN solution."
(Source – Business Wire)
About Radisys®
Based in Hillsboro, Oregon, Radisys® Corporation offers disaggregated platforms and integration services that leverage open reference architectures and standards combined with open software and hardware. This enables service providers to build highly scalable and high-performance networks at optimum total cost of ownership. Its end-to-end solutions portfolio includes digital endpoints, disaggregated and open access and core solutions, and immersive digital applications and engagement platforms, all designed to drive open digital transformation. With its world-class network services organization, the company delivers full lifecycle services to help service providers succeed in today's highly competitive telecom industry.
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