Crusoe Enters Israeli Market with 40MW AI Data Center Deal from Anan
April 28, 2026
Crusoe Enters Israeli Market with 40MW AI Data Center Deal from Anan
Crusoe, the US-based cloud and data center company known for its AI infrastructure and modular edge solutions, is making its first move into the Israeli market through a strategic agreement with Anan Data Center. The deal marks a significant expansion for Crusoe into the Middle East, a region increasingly positioning itself as a hub for artificial intelligence and high-performance computing.
Under the terms of the agreement, Anan will provide Crusoe with 40 megawatts of AI-ready data center capacity at its Afula facility, currently under construction and located roughly an hour from Tel Aviv. The long-term contract is estimated by Forbes to be valued in the hundreds of millions of dollars, with potential for further expansion beyond the initial allocation.
The Afula data center, which is expected to offer a total of 100MW of capacity, will span 30,000 square meters (approximately 322,920 square feet), comprising one underground floor and three above-ground stories. Anan is also developing a second facility, called "Tzora," situated between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, which will deliver around 32MW across 24,000 square meters (258,335 square feet).
Crusoe emphasized the strategic importance of the partnership in a statement shared with Forbes. “We view Anan as a central and highly strategic partner for our operations in Israel. As part of our regional expansion, we are working to deepen our local presence through specialized teams, guided by a long-term perspective that positions Israel as a key hub in the global AI landscape. In this context, Anan serves as our leading local partner,” the company said.
Anan echoed the sentiment, stating, “We welcome the agreement with Crusoe and view them as a long-term strategic partner moving forward. This collaboration represents an initial step in a broader initiative to establish a global AI infrastructure platform from Israel to the world.”
Founded in 2022 by CEO Maor Maloul, singer Omer Adam, and investor Nissim Shriel-Gaon, Anan has ambitious plans to build out a portfolio of 500MW of data center capacity across Israel through additional undisclosed sites. Ownership of the company is concentrated among its founders, with Shriel-Gaon holding around half, while Adam and Maloul each own an 18 percent stake. In November 2025, US investment fund Battery Global Advisors acquired a 20 percent stake in the firm.
For Crusoe, the deal adds to an already aggressive expansion strategy. The company both develops its own data centers and leases capacity from partners, offering cloud services through four regions across the US and Europe. It has partnered with Digital Realty and Equinix in the US, atNorth in Iceland, and announced plans to lease a facility from Polar in Norway. Crusoe also self-builds data centers, with a pipeline of 3.4GW, 9.8 million square feet (910,450 square meters) of floorspace, and nearly 1 million GPUs. Notable projects include its gigawatt-scale campus in Abilene, Texas, which is serving OpenAI and will soon serve Microsoft. Additionally, Crusoe manufactures modular "Crusoe Spark" edge data center units at a factory in Brighton, Colorado.
The partnership with Anan signals Crusoe’s intent to leverage Israel’s growing role in the global AI ecosystem, while providing Anan with a marquee international tenant to anchor its flagship facility. As demand for AI infrastructure continues to surge, the deal underscores the increasing competition among hyperscale and colocation providers to secure capacity in emerging markets.
Source: datacenterdynamics
