VIRTUS Expands Slough Campus With New 32.5MW AI-ready Data Centre

VIRTUS Data Centres has announced plans to expand its Slough Trading Estate campus with LONDON19, a new 32.5MW AI-ready data centre that will further strengthen one of Europe’s most established digital infrastructure locations.

Planning permission has already been secured through the Slough Trading Estate Simplified Planning Zone (SPZ), with construction expected to begin following design approval. Developed in partnership with SEGRO, the facility will add capacity to support growing demand for hyperscale cloud, enterprise computing and AI workloads.

Upon completion, VIRTUS’ UK estate will exceed 300MW of operational and committed capacity, reinforcing its position as one of Europe’s largest data centre operators.

The announcement also highlights why established infrastructure locations continue to attract investment, even as new regional markets emerge across the UK and Europe.

Why Slough Still Matters

Recent discussions around digital infrastructure have increasingly focused on new markets emerging beyond London.

Power constraints, planning complexity and land availability are encouraging developers to explore locations such as Northern England and Scotland for future hyperscale growth.

Yet Slough continues to occupy a distinctive position within the European market.

For more than two decades, the Slough Trading Estate has been one of the UK’s largest concentrations of digital infrastructure, supported by dense fibre connectivity, established customer ecosystems and a planning framework designed to support long-term investment.

Those characteristics remain difficult to replicate.

Rather than replacing established locations, operators are expanding where mature infrastructure already exists while also developing regional capacity to support future demand.

Infrastructure Readiness as Investment Advantage

One of the most notable aspects of the project is that it builds on infrastructure already in place.

SEGRO will deliver the powered shell, allowing VIRTUS to complete the facility to its operational specifications. Planning approval has already been secured through the estate’s Simplified Planning Zone, reducing some of the uncertainty that often accompanies large-scale infrastructure developments.

Infrastructure readiness has become an important advantage.

Across many European markets, power availability, permitting and planning timelines influence how quickly new capacity can be delivered. Expanding within an established campus provides greater certainty around those variables while enabling operators to respond more quickly to customer demand.

The announcement illustrates that mature campuses continue to evolve rather than simply maintain existing capacity.

Sustainability is Becoming Part of New Developments

LONDON19 is designed to incorporate advanced cooling systems, sustainable construction materials and provision for the future export of waste heat to neighbouring users. The facility is also targeting a BREEAM “Excellent” certification.

These features reflect how sustainability is being integrated into new data centre developments alongside performance, resilience and operational efficiency.

Building on an Established Partnership

Adam Eaton, CEO of VIRTUS Data Centres, said the development reflects continued customer demand for scalable AI-ready infrastructure.

“We are delighted to expand our Slough campus with the addition of LONDON19, further strengthening our ability to support customers seeking scalable, resilient, and sustainable data centre capacity in London’s western corridor,” said Eaton. “This development builds on our long-standing relationship with SEGRO and enables us to deliver critical power and IT capacity aligned with customer demand.”

Andrew Pilsworth, Managing Director of Data Centres and Strategic Partnerships at SEGRO, highlighted the long-term importance of the Slough Trading Estate.

“The Trading Estate has been at the centre of the UK’s data centre market for more than 20 years, and the scale of infrastructure, power availability and planning certainty we have established there… continues to support customers like VIRTUS as they expand in a highly constrained environment.”

The comments reflect the continued importance of locations where infrastructure, planning and power are already established.

Established and Emerging Markets Are Developing Together

Recent analysis has highlighted how Europe’s next phase of data centre growth is extending beyond the traditional FLAP-D markets, with regional hubs emerging across the UK and continental Europe.

The VIRTUS announcement demonstrates that this does not reduce the importance of established locations such as Slough.

Instead, the market is expanding through complementary strategies.

Regional markets are creating opportunities for future growth where land, power and planning conditions support new development. Mature campuses continue to attract investment by offering infrastructure readiness, operational certainty and established customer ecosystems.

Both approaches contribute to the next phase of Europe’s digital infrastructure, but they serve different roles within it.