The merger brings together deep expertise in liquid cooling,\nmechanical and electrical (M&E) engineering, original design\nmanufacturing (ODM), connectivity and facilities management (FM),\nenabling data centre operators worldwide to rely on one partner from\ndesign through operations.<\/p>\n
LONDON (ANTARA\/PRNewswire) \u2014 3C, a data centre infrastructure\nservices company focused on liquid cooling and founded by former CoolIT\nSystems chief executive Steve Walton, has joined forces with\nLondon-based data centre engineering specialist Datalec Precision\nInstallations, founded in 2012, to create 3C Datalec. The new platform\ndesigns, builds and operates critical infrastructure for AI data\ncentres.<\/p>\n
Backed by new investment from Longbow Capital, S2G Investments,\nApogem Capital and QIC, 3C Datalec will accelerate its international\ngrowth, invest in skilled staff and expand its technical capabilities as\ndemand for AI rises. Over the next 12 months, the company will recruit\n200 engineers and open new facilities in Warsaw, Poland; Calgary,\nAlberta; and Austin, Texas.<\/p>\n
The combined business has around 1,000 team members and forecasts\nrevenue of more than US$400 million in 2026, with offices and\nmanufacturing facilities across Europe, the Middle East, Asia-Pacific\nand North America. It works with four of the five largest hyperscale\nservice providers and more than 25 colocation providers, as well as\nneocloud and enterprise customers. It has active projects in 16\ncountries, representing hundreds of megawatts (MW) in total.<\/p>\n
As AI workloads increase computing density, power requirements and\nthermal complexity, 3C Datalec is organising its capabilities around\nthree pillars:<\/p>\n
Create \u2014 design and engineering.<\/p>\n
Build \u2014 liquid cooling, mechanical and electrical (M&E)\nengineering, ODM manufacturing and connectivity installation.<\/p>\n
Care \u2014 commissioning, operations, maintenance and facilities\nmanagement.<\/p>\n
\u201cRack density has outgrown air cooling, and liquid cooling is no\nlonger optional,\u201d said Steve Walton, chief executive of 3C Datalec. \u201cAt\nCoolIT, we spent years preparing for this moment and became a global\nleader in liquid cooling. The hard part now is making cooling, power,\nconstruction and operations work as one system, while operating at\nscale. We are bringing our liquid-cooling expertise together with\nDatalec\u2019s engineering, manufacturing and facilities-management\ncapabilities, giving customers one partner from design through\noperations.\u201d<\/p>\n
The industry faces a shortage of skilled data centre engineers, so 3C\nDatalec trains its own. Team members can access apprenticeships,\ntechnical training and career development through the company\u2019s internal\nuniversity, and will share in the company\u2019s success through its\nLeadership & Employee Equity Programme (LEEP). The aim is to develop\na new generation of liquid-cooling and critical-infrastructure\nspecialists.<\/p>\n
\u201cDatalec has always been a people-first company. We have grown by\nbuilding strong relationships, meeting our customers\u2019 needs and creating\na culture people want to be part of,\u201d said Danny Keeper, Datalec group\ndirector and co-founder. \u201cFinding a partner like 3C that genuinely\nshares those values was essential to us. This partnership allows us to\ngrow globally while protecting the culture and identity that have been\nat the heart of Datalec since day one.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor more than a decade, our customers have entrusted Datalec with\ntheir most critical sites, and we have earned that trust on every\nproject,\u201d added Stuart Richmond, Datalec group director and co-founder.\n\u201cJoining 3C means we can now offer liquid-cooling services on a global\nscale. But our commitment has not changed: the same teams, the same\ncontacts and the same focus on ensuring every customer gets the best\nresults.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAI is changing data centre infrastructure requirements, and liquid\ncooling is at the centre of that shift,\u201d said Matthew Cunning, a\ndirector at Longbow Capital. \u201cSteve helped build a company that became a\nleader in liquid cooling, while Datalec brings a proven project-delivery\nbusiness and a loyal customer base. We are backing 3C Datalec to become\nthe partner of choice for AI-ready infrastructure.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe next phase of data centre investment will be shaped by the\ndevelopment of new facilities and the need to upgrade existing sites for\nhigher-density workloads,\u201d said Bala Nagarajan, managing director at S2G\nInvestments. \u201cDatalec has built deep trust in delivering complex\nprojects in these environments, and 3C brings the experience and\ncapabilities to expand those relationships into a broader range of\nservices across the facility lifecycle.\u201d<\/p>\n
Datalec\u2019s headquarters will remain in London, and its founding\nleadership team will continue in executive roles within the enlarged\ngroup. Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed.<\/p>\n
About 3C Datalec<\/p>\n
3C Datalec designs, builds and operates critical infrastructure for\nAI and high-density data centres. Established in 2026 through the merger\nof 3C, founded by former CoolIT Systems chief executive Steve Walton,\nand London-based Datalec Precision Installations, founded in 2012, the\ncompany brings together liquid cooling, mechanical and electrical\n(M&E) engineering, ODM manufacturing, connectivity and facilities\nmanagement, under its Create \u2022 Build \u2022 Care model. With around 1,000\nteam members and active projects in 16 countries, 3C Datalec serves\nhyperscale and colocation providers, neoclouds and enterprises across\nEurope, the Middle East, Asia-Pacific and North America. It is backed by\nLongbow Capital, S2G Investments, Apogem Capital and QIC. For more\ninformation, visit www.datalecltd.com.<\/p>\n
About S2G Investments<\/p>\n
S2G Investments is a multi-asset investment firm focused on building\nresilient, market-shaping businesses in the food and agriculture, energy\nand oceans sectors. It provides capital and value-added resources to\ncompanies commercialising solutions designed to improve efficiency,\nresilience and long-term value across industries that underpin the\nglobal economy. Through purpose-built financing and a systems-oriented\ninvestment approach, S2G aims to drive measurable, sustainable outcomes\nthrough tailored solutions spanning late-stage venture, growth equity,\nstructured finance and infrastructure. For more information, visit\ns2ginvestments.com or contact the firm on LinkedIn.<\/p>\n
About Longbow Capital<\/p>\n
Longbow Capital is a Canadian investment manager focused on the\nenergy, power, industrial and technology sectors. Since its founding in\n1997, Longbow has been a long-term strategic partner and active,\neffective shareholder in more than 150 high-growth investments. Its\ninvestment record, extensive network and deep understanding of how\nenergy systems work enable it to identify, assess and invest in\nopportunities arising from major ongoing social and economic shifts \u2014\ndecarbonisation, digital infrastructure development and deglobalisation\n\u2014 as technology-driven change reshapes markets and creates promising\ninvestment opportunities.<\/p>\n
About Apogem Capital<\/p>\n
Apogem Capital is a leading private markets investor with 35 years of\nexperience in private credit and private equity in North America. As at\n30 June 2026, it managed approximately US$44 billion in assets.\u00b9 Apogem\noffers a comprehensive range of solutions, including direct lending,\nprivate equity funds and co-investments, GP-led transactions, secondary\ntransactions in LP interests, GP stakes and private real assets.<\/p>\n
With a team of more than 250 professionals, including over 120\ninvestment professionals, Apogem combines deep domain expertise with the\nstability and long-term perspective of its parent company, New York Life\nInsurance Company. Apogem Capital is a wholly owned subsidiary of New\nYork Life through New York Life Investment Management Holdings, LLC. For\nmore information, visit apogemcapital.com.<\/p>\n
\u00b9 Assets under management (AUM) are unaudited estimates as at 30 June\n2026 and include non-discretionary assets and assets for which\ninvestment advisory services are provided by more than one adviser.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/3c-merges-with-datalec-to-create-liquid-cooling-and-data-centre-services-platform-1792072371", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }