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Alternative Assets  + Real Assets  |  January 2, 2026
Element Critical Launches New U.S. Data Center Platform  
Joe Palmisano
By: Joe Palmisano

Element Critical Launches New U.S. Data Center Platform  

Element Critical has launched a new U.S. data center platform backed by 26North Partners, Arctos, Mercuria, and long-time sponsor Safanad, anchored by the acquisition of two enterprise facilities in Houston and Austin. The expanded partnership builds on Safanad’s decade-long development of Element Critical and aims to accelerate acquisitions, development, and strategic growth across top-tier U.S. markets. 

The platform is designed to meet surging demand from enterprise clients as well as the capacity requirements of AI inference and next-generation workloads in sectors such as financial services, healthcare, energy, and technology. “Through this investment and data center acquisition strategy, Element Critical will be well-positioned to support the needs of leading clients,” said CEO Ken Parent. “These Texas facilities will anchor our expansion into other top U.S. markets.” 

Guggenheim Securities and Goldman Sachs served as financial advisors to Safanad, with King & Spalding as legal counsel. DLA Piper advised 26North, while Kirkland & Ellis acted as legal advisor to the platform for the Texas acquisitions. BofA Securities, Citizens Bank, and Huntington National Bank led the transaction financing. 

Don’t miss the chance to gain exclusive insights into the next groundbreaking technology poised to transform the commercial real estate industry and shape the future. Connect North American Investment in Digital Infrastructure & AI is scheduled for Feb. 11, 2026 in Montreal.   

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Element Critical

About Joe Palmisano

Joe Palmisano is editorial director of Connect Money, where he oversees daily coverage of alternative assets, direct investments, financial advisory and the economy. He brings three decades of experience as a financial journalist, analyst and portfolio manager. Before joining Connect Money, Palmisano wrote for The Wall Street Journal, covering foreign exchange, global fixed-income and equity markets. He later served as a senior research analyst and portfolio manager, producing market analysis and managing foreign exchange and U.S. equity portfolios for FX Concepts. His work has also appeared in SFO Magazine and CMT Association publications. Palmisano earned a bachelor’s degree in finance from The American University and holds the Chartered Market Technician (CMT) designation and is a member of the CFA Institute.
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