BlackRock Unveils £500 Million Bet on UK Data Centers

BlackRock Inc. plans to pour as much as £500 million ($678 million) into an overlooked corner of Britain’s data center market, a commitment it unveiled as Chief Executive Officer Larry Fink prepares to join US President Donald Trump on his state visit to the UK.

The asset manager has acquired a site in west London that will seed a new venture with data center operator Gravity Edge, according to a statement. The so-called Digital Gravity Partners venture will seek to buy existing data centers with underutilized capacity, BlackRock’s global co-head of real estate Thomas Mueller-Borja said in an interview.