Summary

• Magnora Data Center and Blix Group have acquired an operating Oslo data centre with approximately 1,400 m² of space and up to 2 MW of IT load.
• Magnora will own 75% of the facility and Blix 25%, with plans to connect it to other Oslo sites through Blix's fibre network.
• The partners are examining an upgrade towards higher availability standards and a possible district heating arrangement, but neither has been confirmed as completed.

Magnora Data Center has acquired an operating data centre in Oslo with up to 2 MW of IT load, adding an existing facility to its partnership with Norwegian connectivity provider Blix Group as the companies develop a network of interconnected urban computing sites.

Announced on 20 October, the acquisition covers approximately 1,400 square metres of data centre space previously owned by an international telecommunications operator. Magnora Data Center will hold 75% of the facility, with Blix Group owning the remaining 25%.

The property is already connected to fibre infrastructure, and Blix intends to integrate it into its own network alongside the partners’ other Oslo locations. It is the third site associated with Magnora’s metropolitan strategy, which targets enterprise computing, applications sensitive to network delay and customers with particular data location requirements.

The seller has not been named and the acquisition price remains undisclosed. Magnora describes the operating status of the building as a means of bringing additional infrastructure into its portfolio more quickly than developing another facility entirely from the beginning.

Existing operations shorten the development route

Data centre development depends on obtaining buildings or suitable land, electrical connections, cooling systems and telecommunications access. Each element can affect delivery, particularly where a project requires new utility infrastructure or substantial conversion work.

An operating facility has already passed some of those initial stages. Its established power and communications systems may allow customers to begin using space more quickly, subject to the building’s technical condition, available capacity and existing commercial commitments.

Magnora’s acquired property is described as supporting up to 2 MW of IT load. That figure represents the computing equipment load associated with the facility, rather than its total electricity demand or the amount of capacity occupied by paying customers.

The distinction is relevant to how the purchase contributes to Magnora’s business. Available power, usable floor space and customer contracts determine how much revenue an asset can generate, while equipment maintenance and operational costs influence its profitability.

Although the facility is already operational, Magnora has not disclosed customer occupancy, existing revenue or the investment needed to prepare additional space for new workloads.

The company says the building could be upgraded to meet EN 50600 Availability Class 3 or comparable Tier III requirements. Achieving higher availability standards may involve changes to electrical distribution, cooling, supporting equipment and maintenance arrangements.

Those standards concern the resilience and availability characteristics of data centre infrastructure. Magnora’s statement identifies upgrade potential and does not establish that the acquired building has already achieved certification or independent verification against either standard.

Any upgrade programme will need to account for existing customers and the practical difficulty of modifying critical infrastructure while maintaining operating services.

Blix provides connectivity between metropolitan sites

The acquisition forms part of Magnora’s plan to operate connected data centres across greater Oslo rather than develop isolated facilities. Blix will use its existing fibre network to link the acquired building with other sites operated or developed through the partnership.

That arrangement could support customers needing computing resources close to offices, users or other technical infrastructure. It may also provide opportunities to distribute workloads between locations, depending on available capacity and the network services offered.

Physical proximity can reduce network delay where traffic would otherwise travel longer routes. The performance advantage depends on the locations of users, the way communications are routed and the capacity of the connections between facilities.

Interconnected sites can also support resilience when applications are designed to operate across more than one location. However, the reliability of such arrangements depends on the independence of electrical supplies, telecommunications routes and supporting systems.

Two facilities connected through the same network are not necessarily protected from the same local infrastructure failure. Customers need to assess how data and applications would be restored if one location or a shared connection became unavailable.

Magnora identifies latency-sensitive applications and sovereign cloud requirements among the markets its metropolitan strategy seeks to serve. For customers handling regulated or commercially sensitive information, the suitability of an Oslo facility will depend on contractual safeguards, data processing arrangements and access controls as well as physical location.

New acquisition differs from August development

Magnora and Blix entered an earlier joint venture in August 2026 to develop another Oslo data centre in a former Norwegian payment clearing facility.

That arrangement concerned a commercial property requiring conversion into an AI and edge computing site. It was structured as a 50:50 venture and initially provided access to approximately 1 MW of power, with technical studies indicating potential expansion to 9 MW.

The larger capacity would depend on grid connection, cooling and structural requirements. An application for additional electricity capacity was already in the local network operator’s queue when the August project was disclosed.

The October acquisition is a separate transaction, with different ownership percentages and an existing operating facility rated at up to 2 MW of IT load.

Keeping those assets distinct is important when assessing Magnora’s portfolio. The company combines operating infrastructure with projects that require further development and whose future capacity may depend on external approvals and additional investment.

Magnora Data Center is separately listed, while Magnora ASA retains a majority shareholding. Its wider portfolio includes Nordic and European data centre developments alongside existing Norwegian operations through Storespeed.

Acquiring a functioning asset can add immediate operating responsibilities and potential commercial opportunities, while development sites provide scope for future expansion over longer periods.

Heat recovery remains under consideration

Magnora and Blix are also evaluating a possible district heating customer for surplus heat generated by the acquired Oslo facility.

Data centres convert much of the electricity used by computing equipment into heat, which must be removed to maintain suitable operating temperatures. Where local infrastructure and demand allow, some of that energy can be transferred into district heating systems.

Successful heat recovery depends on the temperature and volume of available heat, the distance to potential customers and the equipment needed to make it suitable for their requirements.

Commercial terms and the timing of demand also matter. District heating systems may require different quantities of heat throughout the year, while computing facilities need continuous cooling regardless of seasonal demand.

The Oslo proposal remains under evaluation. No completed heat supply agreement, installation specification or recovery volume has been announced for the newly acquired facility.

The company has also not disclosed site-specific electricity consumption or cooling efficiency figures, which would be relevant to a more detailed assessment of operating performance.

Commercial results depend on occupancy and upgrades

For customers, the immediate proposition combines an established facility with metropolitan fibre connectivity and the possibility of further technical improvement.

Magnora and Blix will need to demonstrate which capacity is commercially available, whether the building can support customers’ equipment requirements and how future upgrades would affect service continuity.

The acquisition adds an operating asset to a strategy that previously included substantial planned development. Its near-term contribution will be measured through customer occupancy, operating performance and completed network integration, while the proposed availability upgrades and heat recovery arrangement provide potential areas for further investment.