Merlin Properties identifies new data center demand from AI and Chinese firms

Merlin Properties is observing a shift in the Spanish data center market as new types of clients emerge. Beyond traditional hyperscalers and cloud providers, the company is identifying two new profiles: large Chinese technology firms and companies specializing in artificial intelligence and large language models.

Ismael Clemente, CEO of Merlin Properties, noted during a first-half results presentation that AI companies, some of which are preparing for IPOs, are seeking to secure sufficient IT capacity to support projected growth. Unlike traditional models, these AI firms often prefer to contract space and technological capacity directly from data centers rather than relying solely on cloud providers, allowing for greater control over the infrastructure used to train and deploy their models.