Additional details of the deals are expected to be announced early next week by GI Partners. The Planet and EV1Servers will maintain independent operations and identities but may operate with a consolidated balance sheet, according to industry sources, who said customers are unlikely to see any immediate changes.
GI Partners was founded in 2001 with more than $500 million in financial backing from CB Richard Ellis Investors and CALPERS, the world’s largest public pension fund. Its primary focus was the data center and Internet gateway sector, where it was able to acquire premier properties at attractive prices due to oversupply and bankruptcies in the hosting and telecom sectors. In 2004 the company bundled its 21 data center properties and created a real estate investment trust, Digital Realty Trust, which was taken public and now owns more than 10 million square feet of technology real estate.