Metrobloks to Make Data Centres More Sustainable

Data centre infrastructure development startup Metrobloks has secured an oversubscribed US$5.2m seed round, which will enable Metrobloks to deliver high-performance data centres to urban metro markets. The funding was led by Current Equity Partners and backed by Serena Capital.

CEO Ernest Popescu founded metrobloks, with a goal to create a data centre that he, as a former customer, wished existed.

“Metrobloks’ goal is to extend data centre capacity to these devices, especially in underserved metro markets,” he said. “By providing ‘AI at the edge,’ we enable real-time processing and decision-making without reliance on cloud servers.”

Now, Metrobloks can address low-latency computing for AI workloads, a critical need in the data center market.

Modularity, sustainability, software and AI at Metrobloks

In order to address low-latency computing for AI workloads in the data center market, Metrobloks has developed a unique approach to design, deploy and operate modular and scalable data centers, for underserved urban markets. This approach will not only enhance performance for businesses but also significantly impact urban communities by increasing access to high-performance computing at scale.

Over the last year, the leadership team at Metrobloks has noticed how AI capabilities are being placed in the hands of consumers. Recent product announcements have amplified that AI will be integrated into edge and endpoint devices. For Ernest, Metrobloks’ goal is to extend data centre capacity to such devices, especially in underserved metro markets. 

“By providing ‘AI at the edge,’ we enable real-time processing and decision-making without reliance on cloud servers. This decentralisation of AI processing offers low-latency capabilities and improved reliability to enterprise customers and traditional hyperscalers, whose services are often located in congested and over-developed campuses far away from end users,” Ernest said.

Investing in the new digital economy

Metrobloks has created an ecosystem of data centers, operating across the Internet Exchange Points (IXPs) and the Availability Regions (ARs), with a goal to reinvent how data centers are built and operated by integrating modularity, sustainability, software and AI, to help data center infrastructure perform to its maximum potential, which will support providers as well as end-users. 

“This gives us a significant advantage over traditional data centers trying to rethink their design, layout, and equipment choices to accommodate AI workloads,” he added.

For Alejandro Maldonado, Chief Strategy Officer of Metrobloks, a primary goal was finding the right investment partners, in order to achieve sustainable and future-proof data centers in underserved urban markets around the world. 

“As we continue to develop different sites and our programmatic investment platform grows, we will continue to focus on engaging the right equity partners,” said Alejandro.

Metrobloks certainly found the right investors with Current Equity Partners, a private equity firm focused on investing in the new digital economy and Serena Capital, one of the largest tech venture capital firms in Europe. 

“We are thrilled to partner with Ernest and the broader metrobloks team as they address a growing crucial need in the data center market,” said PJ Fielding, Managing Partner at Current Equity Partners. “Their deep experience and innovative approach make them well-positioned to transform how data centers operate in metropolitan areas.”

“We believe the Data Center space is ripe for significant innovation,” shared Bertrand Diard, partner at Serena Capital. “By adding a technology layer Metrobloks will be able to make a larger impact on this industry”.

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