OMNES' STRATEGY: FOCUSING ON METROPOLITAN DATA CENTERS

Through its dedicated real assets fund for sustainable cities, Omnes supports the design and construction of metropolitan data centers that are more virtuous, higher performing, and energy-efficient. Explanation with Caroline Yametti, Partner, Sustainable Cities, Omnes.

What is your investment strategy?

Caroline Yametti: We target data centers located in or near major European metropolitan areas. Mid-sized by design, these assets can be built and brought online more quickly: they are therefore less capital-intensive than hyperscale sites serving only a handful of major tech players.They also have the advantage of addressing a wider variety of clients, which limits dependency on a single customer.

These diverse clients are generally sensitive to data sovereignty. Proximity to end-users reduces latency and supports a variety of local use cases: cloud, server outsourcing, and AI inference.

How do metropolitan data centers facilitate the integration of ESG considerations?

CY: By targeting metropolitan locations, it is more likely that already urbanised land can be used, limiting the artificialisation of new land. Their location close to city centres also allows surplus heat from servers to be reinjected into urban heating networks, improving energy efficiency across territories.

Finally, integration within the local fabric stimulates the economy: job creation, increased attractiveness for businesses, and positive spillovers across the territory. These benefits help strengthen social acceptance. Metropolitan data centers are expected to represent around 60 % of total market growth in data centers by 2030 (estimate).

First published in Scope Winter 2025