Private Equity Firm Gnomon Capital Acquires Croatia’s DC North Data Center
June 12, 2026
Private Equity Firm Gnomon Capital Acquires Croatia’s DC North Data Center
A private equity firm has taken full ownership of a highly secure data center in northern Croatia, marking a significant move in the country’s growing digital infrastructure market. Gnomon Capital, a Liechtenstein-based investment firm focused on technology and fintech, has acquired 100 percent of the business shares of the DC North data center in Varaždin, a facility often referred to as the “Croatian Fort-Knox” due to its stringent security measures.
The transaction was confirmed by law firm Schoenherr, which represented Gnomon Capital in the deal. According to the firm’s statement—later removed from public access—the acquisition involved purchasing all shares from cloud operator Cratis and manufacturing company Muraplast. Croatia’s court register records show that Cratis and Muraplast ceased as company members on May 27, with Gnomon Capital becoming the sole member of DC North. The data center’s share capital is listed at €1,451,120, equivalent to approximately $1.7 million.
DC North, which opened in November 2023, was described by Cratis at the time as the largest carrier-neutral data center in Croatia. The 4MW facility spans 21,500 square feet (2,000 square meters) of IT space and houses six IT rooms, each equipped with 104 racks. The data center is engineered to withstand earthquakes of up to magnitude nine on the Richter scale and meets the highest security standards, according to Cratis. Strategically located at the intersection of three redundant optical crossroads connecting Slovenia, Hungary, and Austria, the facility serves as the second most important data exchange point in Croatia. Cratis also noted that DC North is the only certified data center in the country located outside of the capital, Zagreb.
The inauguration of the data center in 2023 was a high-profile event, attended by Croatia’s president, Zoran Milanović, and other senior officials. Speaking at the opening ceremony on November 24, 2023, Milanović emphasized the strategic importance of such infrastructure, stating, “In today’s world, we cannot live without this type of service. This is a matter of national security, control of processes, finances, personal property, and bank accounts, without which we cannot function normally.”
Croatia is increasingly positioning itself as a strategic hub for European digital infrastructure, driven by its high-voltage grid capacity and its geographic location between Western European and Balkan countries. Currently, there are 17 data centers listed in the country. The acquisition comes amid a wave of investment in the region; last month, US investment group Pantheon Atlas announced plans to develop a hyperscale AI data center and innovation campus in Topusko, south of Zagreb, with an investment of up to €12 billion ($14.1 billion). The deal underscores growing international interest in Croatia’s data center market, which is seen as a key gateway for digital connectivity in Southern and Central Europe.
Source: datacenterdynamics
