H.I.G. Infrastructure Acquires Controlling Interest in Data Center Operator Polar
LONDON – October 7, 2024 – H.I.G. Capital (“H.I.G.”), a leading global alternative investment firm with $65 billion of capital under management, is pleased to announce that one of its affiliates has acquired a controlling interest in PolarDC Group Limited (“Polar” or the “Company”).
Polar develops, owns, and operates data center infrastructure targeting high-performance computing (“HPC”) applications. The Company’s first data center in Norway will provide up to 48MW of capacity once fully operational, and will be powered using 100% renewable, hydroelectric power. It will offer its customers best-in-class Power Usage Effectiveness, given the naturally colder Norwegian climate and modular design architecture. 100% of its initial capacity has already been presold.
The Company is actively developing several other data center projects across Europe. The Polar management team has extensive experience in developing and operating data center infrastructure, and H.I.G.’s investment will enable the Company to deliver its near-term pipeline. The Company will continue to benefit from the knowledge and expertise of its early-stage investors LIAN Group, who will retain a minority stake in the Company going forward.
Andy Hayes, CEO at Polar, said, “We are delighted to partner with H.I.G. to develop our pipeline of projects. H.I.G.’s investment in the Company, combined with its track record of supporting high-growth, early-stage companies, will allow Polar to benefit from the rapid development of artificial intelligence.”
Andrew Liau, Co-Head of H.I.G. Infrastructure, said, “We are extremely excited by this transaction as data center infrastructure is becoming an increasingly critical enabler of the next wave of digital transformation. We look forward to working with Polar’s highly respected management team and our co-investor, LIAN Group, by bringing H.I.G.’s extensive capabilities and relationships to support the Company’s growth.” Fiorenzo Manganiello, Co-Founder of LIAN Group, added, “Polar’s future-proofed infrastructure will deliver truly innovative solutions as connectivity, power, and cooling demands grow among the world’s leading cloud computing providers.”
About Polar
Polar is a European owner and operator of HPC data center facilities. Its data centers are designed to facilitate the use of High-Performance Computing for Artificial Intelligence workloads. The company provides a full service offer from design through initial implementation and ongoing operations and prioritizes sustainability by relying on 100% renewable energy sources coupled with attractive PUE metrics. Polar’s design philosophy is modular to facilitate flexible scale with minimum business disruption. For more information, please visit polardc.com.
About LIAN Group
LIAN Group is an investment firm building and funding successful companies in the most impactful industries, while collaborating closely with accomplished entrepreneurial leaders. LIAN Group focuses on opportunities in the Healthcare, Digital Assets, and Infrastructure sectors. For more information, please visit liangroup.io.
About H.I.G. Capital
H.I.G. Capital is a leading global alternative investment firm with $65 billion of capital under management.* Based in Miami, and with offices in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco in the United States, as well as international affiliate offices in Hamburg, London, Luxembourg, Madrid, Milan, Paris, Bogotá, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Dubai, and Hong Kong, H.I.G. specializes in providing both debt and equity capital to middle market companies, utilizing a flexible and operationally focused/value-added approach:
- H.I.G.’s equity funds invest in management buyouts, recapitalizations, and corporate carve-outs of both profitable as well as underperforming manufacturing and service businesses.
- H.I.G.’s debt funds invest in senior, unitranche and junior debt financing to companies across the size spectrum, both on a primary (direct origination) basis, as well as in the secondary markets. H.I.G. also manages a publicly traded BDC, WhiteHorse Finance.
- H.I.G.’s real estate funds invest in value-added properties, which can benefit from improved asset management practices.
- H.I.G. Infrastructure focuses on making value-add and core plus investments in the infrastructure sector.
Since its founding in 1993, H.I.G. has invested in and managed more than 400 companies worldwide. The Firm’s current portfolio includes more than 100 companies with combined sales in excess of $53 billion. For more information, please refer to the H.I.G. website at hig.com.