Regional German data center operator and ISP, IPHH Internet Port Hamburg (IPHH), has been acquired by Arcus Infrastructure Partners. At the same time, Arcus has announced the launch of their new European data center colocation platform, Portus Data Centers. Portus’s edge data center platform now comprises four high quality facilities in the key regional data center locations of Hamburg, Munich, and Luxembourg.
Following the acquisition of a recently constructed data center in Munich from SpaceNet AG, a local supplier of IT services, and its acquisition of European Data Hub, a data center firm located in Luxembourg, earlier this year, Arcus European Infrastructure Fund 3 SCSp has now acquired IPHH.
Adriaan Oosthoek has been named Chairman of Portus Data Centers ("Portus"), the business formally announced today. Mr. Oosthoek’s future growth and development as the quickly expanding data center operator’s boss will be his responsibility in his new position.
Adriaan Oosthoek, Chairman of Portus Data Centers, expressed his excitement about the company's debut and future development prospects in Germany and the neighboring countries. “Our present edge platform gives us a great starting point since it offers instant capacity via first-rate facilities in Hamburg, Munich, and Luxembourg. To accommodate the increasing demand from our customers, we want to increase capacity at all of our facilities. In the next months, we also want to increase the number of sites where we operate.”
With the booming regional German data center industry as a focal point, John Shea, Partner at Arcus, stated, "IPHH is an excellent investment opportunity for AEIF3 and a great fit for Portus. Its industry-leading connectivity, solid management, highly qualified staff, and expanding clientele make it an ideal match for Portus' buy-and-build regional data center aggregation strategy. As a member of the Portus Data Centers family, we are very excited to collaborate with the IPHH team to support its next stage of expansion.”
IPHH’s Data Centers
“Our present edge platform gives us a great starting point since it offers instant capacity via first-rate facilities in Hamburg, Munich, and Luxembourg,” said Adriaan Oosthoek, the newly appointed Chairman of Portus Data Centers.Following his recent 25-year anniversary with the firm, IPHH CEO Sascha Pollok said, "The IPHH team has been extremely pleased with Portus’ collaborative highly professional attitude as well as its long-term plan and vision for the future. We are thrilled to be joining Portus and are looking forward to working with Arcus and senior management to build our company and keep offering our customers - both old and new - the best service available in the industry in the years to come.”
Currently providing 2.4MW of sellable IT power capacity, IPHH maintains two data centers in Hamburg's east. For optimal connectivity, its facilities are situated at the intersection of East-West and North-South. Its clientele is diverse and well-connected, consisting of international telecom carriers, social media and technology organizations, and content distribution networks. Further expansion initiatives at IPHH would further expand its footprint and marketable capacity.
The energy used in IPHH's data centers is certified as coming only from renewable sources, and the buildings are quite efficient, with a power use effectiveness ratio of around 1.3x. These factors are in line with Arcus' commitment to making sure that its investments have a good ESG impact. Arcus plans to significantly enhance IPHH's ESG practices and standards in the future.
As a connecting hub for the North of Germany, Hamburg would rank as the country's fourth-largest market for data centers. In the next years, demand for regional data center capacity is anticipated to surge due to a number of factors, including corporate clients outsourcing their IT needs, local managed services providers and IT businesses, global technology enterprises, and content distribution networks.
Arcus is an independent fund manager that focuses on three main areas of European infrastructure investing: energy, transportation, and telecommunications. They would collaborate closely with the management teams of portfolio companies to build stronger, more robust companies that assist address the infrastructure requirements of the future. Aon (insurance), BDO (financial and tax), Arup (technical), and Noerr (legal) provided advice to Arcus Infrastructure Partners.
The Appointment of Adriaan Oosthoek
Adriaan Oosthoek has been in the sector for over 20 years, holding prominent roles throughout that time. He has vast expertise in both colocation and wholesale operations, and he is well-versed in the conditions of the European data center market. He held the position for eight years, until 2019, as Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Data Center Alliance business group.
Under Adriaan Oosthoek's leadership, Interxion operated 60 data centers throughout 13 European nations and 15 cities from 2016 to 2022. He held the positions of Senior Vice President of Operations, Construction, and IT. In this capacity, he managed the smooth transition process the business underwent when Digital Reality acquired it in 2020.
Executive Vice President of Data Center Services at Colt Technology Services, UK&I Managing Director at Telecity Group UK, and Managing Director Netherlands at Redbus Interhouse are among the positions held before.
Previously, Adriaan Oosthoek also co-founded Teles, a European supplier of IT services, and its Dutch affiliate. In addition, he worked for Racal Datacom and had a variety of executive roles overseeing multiple regional markets throughout Europe.
“I am delighted to have been appointed by Portus Data Centers to steer the further expansion of the company,” said Adrian Oosthoek, Chairman of Portus Data Centers. “There is a sharp rise in demand for regional colocation capacity due to the rapidly expanding order book for regional and edge data centers. To support Arcus and our clients in this expanding sector, I am eager to contribute my skills to the organization.”
Adriaan Oosthoek is a business informatics bachelor’s degree holder. He received his NIMA A and NIMA B marketing certifications and attended The Hague's Business School for Economics in the Netherlands.
