ACS is moving into Spain’s data center industry through a strategic acquisition that brings together Arcano Partners and the asset portfolio of Arcano Spanish Opportunity Real Estate (AVA III), managed via a local subsidiary. The deal, backed by guidance from Colliers and Eversheds Sutherland, positions ACS to develop a significant data center footprint near Alcalá de Henares in the Community of Madrid. The assets involved are characterized in real estate terms as a land parcel suitable for future data center development.
The transaction spans 6.7 hectares, totaling about 67,000 square meters, with a guaranteed electricity supply of 50 MW required to bring the project online. Construction is slated to occur over the next five years, with initial operations anticipated in 2025, according to statements from Juan Santamaría who leads the company and oversees this initiative. Arcano has prepared the site for rapid development by advancing urban planning and land readiness to a ready-to-build status. The seller noted that all permits necessary for construction have been secured, enabling a swift transition to the building phase.
Eduardo Fernández-Cuesta, Arcano’s Real Estate partner, described the move as a critical part of the firm’s strategy to unlock value in overlooked or underperforming real estate assets by transforming them into productive long-term infrastructure. He emphasized Spain’s emerging role as a key European hub for data centers and signaled continued market evaluation of opportunities in this space. The broader ambition is to align with Spain’s growing status in digital infrastructure and to support ACS in expanding its global portfolio of next-generation facilities.
ACS issued a formal statement highlighting the strategic importance of the Henares Corridor for data centers. The corridor has gained attention from operators and hyperscalers alike thanks to its robust fiber connectivity, notably along the main link between Madrid and Barcelona via the A-2. This connectivity is viewed as a decisive factor in attracting large-scale data center investments to the region.
Despite this being ACS’s first foray into Spain, the company already operates data centers internationally through Turner in the United States and CIMIC in Australia and the broader Asia-Pacific region. The move marks a further milestone in ACS Group’s push to strengthen its role in digital infrastructure on a global scale. The company regards the acquisition as a signal of its commitment to capitalizing on growth opportunities in expanding markets for next-generation facilities.
The data center sector in Spain has attracted attention from several angles. An acquisition of Iridium and Arcano was viewed as a highly strategic choice because the site comes with a guaranteed energy supply, a critical factor in sustaining continuous operations. Industry observers have noted that supply reliability has become a central challenge for many data center developers in Spain, sometimes restricting expansion plans. A recent market assessment from Colliers highlighted a cooling growth trend in the Iberian Peninsula’s data center activity compared with the prior year, underscoring the importance of accessible, reliable power and well-located land for future projects.
According to Colliers, current projects in Madrid and its metropolitan area sum to a substantial cumulative capacity, even as individual developments face pauses or delays. The collaboration among ACS, Arcano, and Iridium aims to mitigate these headwinds by ensuring that the underlying land is fully prepared to support large-scale, energy-ready installations. The emphasis is on delivering a completed, build-ready platform that can attract both regional demand and international hyperscalers seeking a foothold in southern Europe.
Analysts suggest that the Madrid region’s data center pipeline remains robust, with a favorable mix of industrial and commercial real estate assets that can be converted into high-availability facilities. The positioning around the Henares corridor is seen as a differentiator, given its proximity to major logistics corridors and the established fiber backbone that supports ultra-fast connectivity. This blend of reliable power, strategic location, and strong connectivity is shaping investor sentiment and guiding longer-term development plans for Spain’s data center market.
In sum, the ACS initiative in Alcalá de Henares is a concrete step toward bolstering Spain’s standing in the European data center landscape. By combining Arcano’s land position, Iridium’s operational experience, and ACS’s global infrastructure expertise, the venture aims to deliver a scalable, energy-secure platform that can attract next-generation digital infrastructure operators. The deal aligns with a broader industry trend: turning well-located, power-ready sites into premier data center campuses that can meet growing demand from cloud, AI, and enterprise clients across North America and Europe. The market will watch closely to see how the project progresses through permitting, construction, and eventual operation, as it could set a benchmark for similar plays in Spain and beyond.