Polarise secures EUR €117m for European AI data hubs
Polarise and Macquarie's Commodities and Global Markets business have agreed a financing partnership of up to EUR 117 million for AI data centre work in Germany and other projects across Europe.
Polarise said the funding will cover the fit-out of its Munich data centre and a wider programme of AI data centre and GPU development projects in Germany and elsewhere in Europe. Macquarie noted its Specialised and Asset Finance division will provide the financing.
Polarise operates in what it describes as full stack AI infrastructure and is also an NVIDIA Cloud Partner. The company refers to its AI data centre projects as "AI Factories". The Munich site sits at the centre of a planned industrial cloud platform in Germany, according to the companies.
Macquarie said the financing package was structured through its Specialised and Asset Finance team within Commodities and Global Markets. The group said the team works on bespoke financing for AI and high-performance computing infrastructure projects.
Munich Facility
Polarise described itself as a specialist in building AI data centres. It said the Munich facility forms the core of its work linked to a new industrial cloud platform in Germany.
The companies said the financing arrangement allows Polarise to continue the expansion of the Munich site as planned. They also said the work connects with a planned launch in early 2026.
"This financing is pivotal in helping us realise our vision to support Germany's AI-driven industrial transformation and building the backbone of Europe's AI ambitions. Macquarie's ability to execute within an extremely short timeframe, combined with their deep understanding of the AI and data centre sector, has been instrumental in making this project possible. The Munich AI data centre will set a new benchmark for reliability, scalability, and sustainability for our customers," said Michel Boutouil, CEO, Polarise.
Financing Terms
The companies did not disclose detailed terms for the financing, including the breakdown between debt, leasing, or other instruments. They described the arrangement as a strategic financing partnership with a headline amount of up to EUR 117 million.
Macquarie said its Specialised and Asset Finance unit provides leasing and asset financing services, alongside other forms of capital. It positioned the unit as active in structuring funding for technology infrastructure, including AI and high-performance computing systems.
"We are proud to partner with Polarise in supporting this groundbreaking project and have been thoroughly impressed by their deep HPC expertise. This partnership reflects our shared commitment to innovation and advancing transformative technologies in the AI infrastructure sector," said Tom McDonell, Associate Director, Macquarie.
European Pipeline
Alongside the Munich data centre, Polarise and Macquarie pointed to a pipeline of GPU development projects. The companies said these projects would take place across Germany and the rest of Europe.
Polarise said it develops and operates AI data centres in Germany and Europe. Its product range includes AI colocation, private AI clouds, and application programming interfaces for direct usage. The company also said it offers access to "sovereign AI computing power" via its own cloud platform.
The transaction adds to the range of infrastructure financing activity targeting AI-related computing demand, as data centre operators, equipment suppliers, and specialist platforms seek larger pools of capital for build-outs and hardware procurement. The companies said the Macquarie funding covers both facility work and GPU-related development projects.
Polarise worked with PwC's M&A Real Asset Team as financial adviser. Macquarie said its Specialised and Asset Finance division will continue to focus on financing and asset management solutions for AI and high-performance computing infrastructure projects globally.