Former Switch executives have launched Astor to address Europe's shortage of ready-to-power data center capacity.
Astor has launched as a new European data centre developer focused on addressing a shortage of metropolitan sites that possess both planning approval and access to sufficient power. The London-based company will develop power-connected, permitted sites and multi-tenant data centres across European markets, where grid constraints frequently hinder the delivery of new capacity. Backed by private markets investment firm Margaux Platforms, Astor will specialise in metropolitan facilities under 100MW and is led by a team of former Global Switch executives.
Astor targets what it describes as the “last mile” of AI and cloud infrastructure: securing suitable land, power, and regulatory approvals close to where compute capacity is required. The company plans to prepare ready-to-build sites for AI, hyperscale, and enterprise customers, while also developing its own multi-tenant data centres. Its reference design is engineered to accommodate diverse computing workloads, featuring power and racking infrastructure that can be redistributed within the same floor space as customer requirements evolve.
Astor is led by CEO Elliot Dittes, formerly Global Head of Project Delivery & Engineering at Global Switch. He is joined by former senior Global Switch colleagues Benjamin Ryder as Chief Technology Officer, Robert Hogan as Chief Commercial Officer, and Benjamin Worth as General Counsel. Non-Executive Chairman Dan Wong brings prior experience as Global Co-Head of Macquarie Capital and Head of Europe at Stonepeak. According to Margaux Platforms CEO Conrad Lucas, the Astor team carries a combined 1.1GW track record in data centre development.
“The next phase of digital growth demands agile infrastructure that can be delivered quickly even as access to grid power becomes more constrained,” said Dittes. Astor argues that Europe lags three to five years behind the United States in AI and cloud penetration. The company contends that ageing grid infrastructure and extended power-connection queues threaten to constrain the region’s digital ambitions, though it did not provide supporting data for this comparison in its announcement. While demand is already present, Astor maintains that suitable infrastructure cannot always be delivered quickly enough. “Europe is not short of data centre demand. It is short of land in the right place, with power and the requisite technical expertise to unlock it,” said Wong. The company believes this gap creates a clear opportunity for a specialist developer.
Rather than pursuing large hyperscale campuses, Astor will focus on facilities below 100MW located in metropolitan and network-edge areas. Its business model offers two market entry routes: preparing powered land for compute providers or developing multi-tenant facilities in-house. Designs will incorporate waste-heat recovery, low water usage, and stable voltage ride-through capabilities. Power and racking configurations can be redistributed within the same footprint as customer needs shift, eliminating the need for additional retrofitting expenditure. “Modern computing needs are broadly underserved today by legacy infrastructure in the locations where capacity is needed most,” added Lucas.
Astor’s launch represents a targeted bet on Europe’s infrastructure bottlenecks. As AI and cloud demand intensifies pressure on available power and prime metropolitan land, the company aims to make capacity deliverable in locations where existing infrastructure falls short.
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