A new UK data center developer has secured investment from a real estate firm.
SUB1 this week announced a major strategic investment from Boultbee Brooks Real Estate. Terms of the investment weren’t shared.
Quietly launched last year, SUB1 aims to focus on redeveloping brownfield sites on industrial estates and business parks with existing or potential on-site power to quickly deploy high-performance data centers.
The company aims to offer AI-focused facilities designed for single-occupier use, available for purchase or exclusive lease.
“The AI boom demands a different approach to data center deployment,” said Dominic Rumsey, founder and CEO of SUB1. “Our model is built on speed and flexibility, delivering tailored, high-density infrastructure in months, not years, and at a more competitive cost. Companies can take control of their AI hosting strategy today rather than waiting for traditional colocation options to catch up.”
Rumsey continued: “We are thrilled that Boultbee Brooks has chosen SUB1 as its first data center investment. Their expertise in property and renewable energy will be invaluable as we bring this disruptive model to market, offering cutting-edge performance, strong commercial returns, and environmental benefits to a new class of customers.”
The company reportedly searches brownfield sites for existing buildings in locations with power availability that are suitable for converting to data centers in the 1MW to 20MW range for mid-size facilities and 50-100MW+ for larger facilities.
Several facilities are reportedly set to go live “soon,” although few details are available.
On its website, SUB1 lists a 3.3MW powered shell data center available in London, UK, and a 15MW facility in North Carolina.
It also lists plans for a 19MW development in Birmingham, UK, that will be available as a powered shell in 2026. SUB1 said it is also currently working on developments and JVs in the US, UK, and Nordics.
Clive Boultbee Brooks, founder of Boultbee Brooks, said: “Boultbee Brooks has a long history in property investment and, in recent years, has been actively investing in renewable energy. Data centers represent a power-intensive real estate opportunity, making this sector a natural next step for us.
“We see immense value in SUB1’s ability to move fast, repurpose existing infrastructure, and bring much-needed AI-ready capacity to market in record time. Additionally, providing the option to integrate our renewable energy pipeline with SUB1’s developments will accelerate the launch of sustainable, environmentally friendly facilities tailored for the AI-powered future."
SUB1 CEO Rumsey was previously MD of THG Ingenuity Cloud Services, the IT and cloud wing of UK e-commerce group THG (formerly The Hut Group).
Property development company Boultbee was founded in 1987 and has invested in a number of shopping centers over the years. The company founded a UK-focused property company, Boultbee Brooks Real Estate, in 2014. The company is also an investor in energy firms Infrabee and Power Sync Technologies.
