The new venture builds on Bain’s 2024 acquisition of AQ Compute and will serve as a dedicated hyperscale provider, led by industry veteran Oliver Schiebel, formerly CEO of Mainova WebHouse.
According to the firm, hscale’s leadership team has collectively delivered nearly 7GW of data centre capacity across EMEA and APAC markets.
Backed by a planned multi-billion-euro investment, hscale aims to address surging demand for high-density, AI-ready infrastructure, with more than 100MW of capacity already under construction and a pipeline exceeding 1GW in major hubs including Milan, Frankfurt, London, Madrid, Oslo, Barcelona and Zaragoza.
“With access to cleaner energy projects, we will develop future-proof, scalable digital infrastructure tailored to the evolving needs of hyperscalers,” Schiebel said.
Aquila Group, which previously owned AQ Compute, retains a 20% stake in hscale and will continue to support the venture’s sustainability strategy through its renewables arm, Aquila Clean Energy. The partnership will focus on deploying low-carbon technologies, including liquid cooling and heat reuse, as part of efforts to align with hyperscaler ESG goals.
Michael Huber, principal at Bain Capital, said hscale is “poised for rapid expansion,” describing it as a “customer-friendly” platform purpose-built to offer fast, scalable buildouts.
The official launch of hscale is set for the Datacloud Global Congress in Cannes this June, where CTO Abed Jishi will speak on a panel outlining its vision.
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