Partners Group has agreed to acquire a majority stake in AVK Power Solutions, a leading European data center power solutions provider. The Swiss private markets firm plans to invest over $1 billion initially to accelerate AVK's growth. UK-based AVK designs, installs and maintains power solutions for data centers, including back-up generators and microgrids. The company has delivered over 20,000 projects and installed approximately 3.5 GW of power to date. European data center capacity is expanding rapidly due to cloud adoption and AI demand, but grid congestion creates connection delays of seven to 15 years in major markets. AVK's on-site power generation helps operators bypass these bottlenecks. Partners Group aims to transform AVK into an infrastructure platform offering Energy-as-a-Service solutions. AVK has a pipeline exceeding 2 GW of power opportunities across Europe. Management will retain a minority stake.

A data center outside Dublin has become Europe's first to operate on an independent microgrid, marking a potential shift towards privately powered AI infrastructure. The facility, run by AVK and Pure Data Centre Group, addresses lengthy grid connection delays that have plagued European data centers. The 110-megawatt Dublin site, with projected investment of €1 billion, currently runs on natural gas engines that can switch to Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil. Ireland eased its data center energy moratorium late last year, though connection waits persist. The country's data centers consumed 22% of national power in 2024. Europe's microgrid market is expected to grow nearly 10% annually due to aging infrastructure. McKinsey estimates 20% of European data centers now use behind-the-meter solutions, up from 5–10% eighteen months ago, though still trailing the US's 30%.