Overview
Sector | Infrastructure |
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Sub-sector | Technology |
Asset type | Data centre |
Invested | 2018 - Present |
Location | Dallas, Phoenix, Ashburn and Salt Lake City |
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An innovative solution
Sustainability is becoming a decisive factor in the selection of data centre providers. For Aligned Data Centers, ESG and sustainability is front of mind given the large amount of power the data centres consume. As the company brings new data centres online, sustainability at scale remains of paramount importance, as does the goal of delivering a “zero carbon” data hosting offering. In order to realise those sustainability goals on an expedited timeline, Aligned Data Centers needed to re-evaluate its existing financing in order to free up capital for investments into sustainable technologies.
Aligned Data Centers created Delta Cube (Delta³), an award-winning data centre cooling technology removing heat at its source. The technology uses less energy, less (or zero) water, and lowers client’s lifetime operating costs. This has resulted in an industry-leading Power Use Efficiency ratio. Customers have cited sustainability-linked practices such as these as influential factors in their purchase decisions.
In early 2020, Aligned Data Centers committed to matching 100% of customer IT load with renewable energy sources across all data centres. With this expanded sustainability program, Aligned Data Centers continues its commitment to the Future of Internet Power’s (FOIP) Corporate Colocation and Cloud Buyers’ Principles. Aligned will provide written attestation to its customers in accordance with FOIP’s documentation requirements for supplier-procured renewable energy.
100% | of customer IT load matched with renewable energy sources |
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0 | water utilisation |
Market-leading | energy efficiency through proprietary technology |
Leveraging the strengths and relationships of the Macquarie network
Through Macquarie’s long-standing financing relationships, Aligned Data Centers was able to strengthen the capital position of the company, allowing for more rapid investments into data centres, and a quicker response to customer demands to scale up sustainability measures.
In addition, Aligned Data Centers is actively working with its customer base, some of the largest IT companies and Cloud companies globally, to provide a greener energy solution. This investment unlocks partnership opportunities for Aligned Data Centers with other areas in Macquarie Group to collocate solar and other renewable energy deployments.
In May 2020, Aligned Data Centers announced an increase of its secured credit facility to $US575 million as the company experienced continuous and consistently strong customer demand for its adaptive infrastructure solutions. This was followed by the completion of a $US1 billion senior secured credit facility in September 2020, the first U.S. data centre sustainability-linked financing. Aligned has also successfully increased its sustainability linked loan subsequent to 2020.
To date, sustainability linked practices have been influential factors in selling capacity to customers at attractive pricing. Value contributions include more capacity, lower operating costs, and a better GHG footprint.
A collaborative approach to refinancing
Anton Moldan, Managing Director
Andrew Schaap, Aligned Data Centers CEO
Our insights
All information current as at November 2020, unless otherwise stated.