DENVER AND LOS ANGELES — Data center developer and operator Vantage Data Centers has entered into a definitive agreement with an investor group led by Colony Capital Inc. (NYSE: CLNY) to form a $3.5 billion partnership that will expand Vantage’s data center platform in North America and Europe. The firms expect the agreement to be finalized toward the end of the month. As part of the agreement, the Colony-led investor group will invest $1.2 billion in Vantage’s portfolio, including 12 stabilized North American data centers that span more than 1.4 million gross square feet in Santa Clara, Calif.; Quincy, Wash.; Montreal; and Quebec City, Canada. Vantage’s management team, led by President and CEO Sureel Choksi, will continue to manage and operate these assets as part of its global data center footprint. The Colony-Vantage partnership will allow Vantage to develop and maintain top-performing data centers in new and existing markets. The Denver-based company has been expanding in Europe the past few months, entering Wales through its acquisition of data center campus Next Generation Data that was announced in April. Vantage also acquired data center provider Etix Everywhere in February. The deal included a data center under construction in Frankfurt, Germany. Vantage …
