Linklaters has advised EXA Infrastructure, a leading digital infrastructure platform connecting Europe and North America (and portfolio company of I Squared Capital (ISQ)) on the sale of seven edge data centres in the UK, Belgium, France, Germany, The Netherlands, Spain and Switzerland, to nLighten, another ISQ portfolio company (its nascent and growing European data centre platform).

The transaction allows EXA to focus its efforts on maintaining and operating its comprehensive terrestrial and subsea fibre network, and on continuing to invest in infrastructure. For nLighten, this strategic move strengthens its position as a frontrunner in the European data centre market and expands its footprint and service offerings into new markets in Belgium, Switzerland and Spain, while growing its presence in Germany, France, the UK and the Netherlands.

The Linklaters team was led out of London by Corporate partner Peter McCabe, with associate Jake Thornton. They were supported by teams in Amsterdam, Brussels, Madrid and Paris; including specialist expertise from the firm’s TMT/IP teams, Antitrust & Foreign Investment Group, Employment & Incentives and Real Estate.

This is the latest example of Linklaters’ work in the data centre space, recently also advising Vantage Data Centers on the completion of a €2.5bn Investment Partnership with an Investor Consortium to Accelerate Growth in EMEA, as well as advising DigitalBridge and Vantage Data Centers on AustralianSuper’s €1.5bn investment in Vantage’s EMEA platform.

Linklaters advised ISQ on its original acquisition of EXA for $2.15bn – a carve-out of the fibre and data centre infrastructure division of GTT Communications.