AVAIO Digital Partners (ADP) and ADAM Real Estate have announced a joint venture to develop the Gatineau Data Hub, a 50MW facility they plan to construct in Gatineau, Que.

The partners call the scalable facility a “sustainable, hyper-scale” data centre in the announcement. No information about a potential timeline for construction was immediately available.

The partners see Gatineau as a prime location for the project for several reasons, including access to Quebec’s low-carbon hydroelectric power, its location just across the Ottawa River from the City of Ottawa and its large network of federal government facilities, and its central location between Toronto and Montreal, two of Canada’s largest data centre markets.

“Gatineau is an exciting location for new data centre capacity to serve customers in the National Capital Region and beyond, especially given Quebec’s abundant and inexpensive low-carbon power and supportive development environment,” said AVAIO partner Mark McComiskey in the announcement.

“We look forward to working with our partner ADAM Real Estate, as well as the Province of Quebec and the Gatineau and Greater Ottawa communities to help develop new critical, sustainable digital infrastructure in this key market.”

ADAM a Gatineau firm

ADAM is a Gatineau-based real estate and development company with a diverse portfolio of properties and development land spanning the commercial and retail, hospitality and multiresidential sectors. The portfolio is focused on Gatineau and Ottawa.

“We are excited to be bringing this project to help serve the National Capital Region’s growing technology industry,” said ADAM Real Estate president Alain Adam. “GDH offers a great opportunity to meet Canada’s need for new green data capacity.”

ADAM was founded in 1980 by Ricardo Adam.

AVAIO Capital, ADP

AVAIO Digital Partners specializes in data centres and is managed by AVAIO Capital, a New York-based build-to-core infrastructure investment firm.

Founded in 2016 by Mark McComiskey and Anthony Gordon as the private infrastructure investment arm of AECOM, one of the world’s largest engineering companies, AVAIO was spun out into an independent, partner-owned business in 2019.

ADP was created in 2021 to pursue build-to-suit development and construction of facilities in the Americas and Europe. It is funded by a $375-million equity commitment from a large investment manager with more than $25 billion of assets under management. 

ADP says in the announcement it has a pipeline of hyperscale projects under development in the U.S., Canada and Western Europe representing over 400 MWs of capacity.

One of its other projects is in Mayo County, Ireland, where it is acquiring land on which to build a data centre.

AVAIO Capital makes equity investments in, and brings investment, development and construction expertise to the creation and redevelopment of sustainable infrastructure assets throughout North America and Europe in four sectors: digital, water, energy transition and transportation.  

The team has completed more than $4 billion of equity transactions and over $50 billion of infrastructure development and construction projects.