Company receives expressions of interest for Taiga Cloud and Ardent divisions
Northern Data has launched a new data center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The firm is also being courted by potential buyers.
Northern Data launches in Pittsburgh
The company this week announced the opening of its new North American AI and HPC data center, acquired in early 2024.
The facility will be operated by Ardent Data Centers, Northern Data’s wholly-owned HPC data center provider subsidiary.
The facility will provide 20MW of capacity, expected through a phased development approach. Set to house GPUs and large-scale compute infrastructure and support 135kW+ rack densities, the site will utilize rear door heat exchangers (RDHx) and direct-to-chip (D2C) liquid cooling, and operate with a target PUE (Power Usage Effectiveness) as low as 1.15.
John Hoffman, chief operating officer of Northern Data Group, said: “Today’s announcement marks a significant step in Northern Data’s goal of becoming a leading global AI infrastructure provider. Our commitment to strategic site selection, integration of the latest data center technologies, and our modular design strategy positions us for significant growth opportunities.”
Ardent/Northern acquired the data center, at 615 McMichael Road in McKees Rock, early last year for $7.12 million. Set on 7.5 acres, the 41,000 sq ft (3,900 sqm) building currently offers 5MW. It was constructed around 1980 and refurbished in 2008.
Interested parties circle Northern Data?
Northern Data Group was initially founded as Northern Bitcoin AG in Germany in 2009 and branded itself as a 'green' Bitcoin mining company.
In 2020, Northern Bitcoin was officially renamed Northern Data Group and moved its focus to HPC. And in the summer of 2023, Northern split its business into three brands: Taiga Cloud, Ardent Data Centers, and Peak Mining.
Late last month, Northern Data announced it had received expressions of interest from unnamed "US-listed companies" to enter into discussions focused on merging or acquiring its Taiga Cloud and Ardent divisions.
Details on the interested buyers or the potential terms weren't shared.
“While no decisions have been made and a transaction may not materialize, Northern Data’s board and management are evaluating these proposals to maximize value for shareholders,” the company said in a notice to shareholders. “Northern Data has retained strategic advisors. The divestiture of the Peak Mining division remains ongoing.”
Northern Data’s current portfolio has the potential to provide access to more than 850MW of HPC-ready data center capacity across Europe and the US.
Ardent Data Centers has approximately 250MW of power deployed or coming online across eight global data centers by 2027, according to Northern.
Ardent operates data centers in Boden, Sweden; and Lefdal and Kristiansand, Norway. The Lefdal site is hosted by Lefdal Mine, and Kristiansand by Bulk. The company is planning a large development in Maysville, Georgia. Northern’s most recent earnings presentation says the group also has colocation capacity in the UK and Portugal. Its website also lists a 6MW site in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Northern Data’s Taiga unit operates more than 20,000 GPUs, according to the company's most recent quarterly results, with another 4,000 set to be deployed by the end of Q1.
Northern's Peak Mining unit is also developing a 30MW crypto site in Grand Forks, North Dakota, and is developing two 300MW sites in Corpus Christi, Texas.
Previous reports suggest Northern was looking at initial public offerings (IPOs) for both Taiga and Arden, potentially targeting a $10-16 billion valuation. The company is looking to divest its crypto mining business.
