Mediterra Expands Southern European Footprint with Acquisition of Sicily's Open Hub Med Data Center
February 4, 2026
European data center operator Mediterra has announced the acquisition of Open Hub Med, a carrier-neutral facility in Palermo, Sicily, marking a strategic expansion into a key Mediterranean digital gateway. The move underscores the growing investor interest in Southern Europe's data center markets, driven by demand for digital infrastructure that connects Europe to emerging markets in North Africa and the Middle East. The transaction, announced this week, is expected to close by the end of the first quarter of 2026. Financial terms were not disclosed. The acquired facility is a 2-megawatt (MW), 1,000-square-meter data center located in Carini, near Palermo. Originally launched around 2017 by a consortium of telecom and infrastructure firms, the site was expanded last year and has significant growth potential, being expandable to 4MW and 4,000 square meters. Mediterra has secured access to additional space and power to execute a major expansion of the site in the coming years. In a statement, Emmanuel Becker, CEO of Mediterra DataCenters, highlighted the strategic rationale behind the deal. "The acquisition of Open Hub Med is a milestone in our expansion strategy in Italy and Southern Europe," Becker said. "Sicily is Italy’s fourth most populous region and serves as a natural bridge to emerging markets. Bringing high-quality premium infrastructure here means enabling the digital transformation of the public administration and local businesses, while simultaneously guaranteeing a privileged gateway for global players, to whom we can offer ultra-low latency and unparalleled resilience." Mediterra, launched in 2024 and backed by the DWS Infrastructure-managed fund PEIF III, is led by industry veteran Becker, former managing director of Equinix Italia. The company already operates a 4MW, 6,000-square-meter facility in Rome, acquired in 2024, and has plans to develop sites in Spain, France, and Portugal. This acquisition strengthens Mediterra's portfolio and positions it to capitalize on Sicily's unique geographic advantages for subsea cable connectivity and low-latency services linking Southern Europe, Africa, and the Middle East.
Source: datacenterdynamics
