A new alliance in the data center sector aims to address the surging demand for hyperscale, AI, and cloud infrastructure. LightHouse Data Centers, a next-generation turnkey data center developer and operator led by former Amazon Web Services (AWS) executives, has partnered with Wharton Digital, an investment vehicle of Wharton Equity Partners. The collaboration, announced on January 14, combines LightHouse’s expertise in hyperscale development, leasing, and operations with Wharton’s institutional capital.
The joint platform is poised to deliver over 2 GW of capacity, catering to the growing needs of hyperscale, AI, and cloud customers. “We are excited to join forces with Wharton to build a premier data center platform at a time of unprecedented demand,” said Nick Etscheid, co-founder and CEO of LightHouse. “Wharton immediately understood the scale of what we are building, and this partnership allows us to accelerate delivery of next-generation infrastructure precisely when the market needs it.”
Wharton, with decades of experience in real estate, has invested in LightHouse and contributed its powered land business and related properties to the platform. This collaboration is expected to create a robust development pipeline with a long-term runway, spanning both hyperscale campuses and major metro infill sites. Peter C. Lewis, founder and chairman of Wharton Equity Partners, has been appointed chairman of LightHouse. The company stated that Wharton’s funding will enable corporate growth and project pipeline expansion for LightHouse.
LightHouse currently operates about 300 MW of power capacity and has over 2 GW in active development across markets in the U.S. Southeast, Southwest, and Midwest. The company also targets infill locations near major metropolitan areas. LightHouse plans to deliver multiple data center campuses later this year and in early 2027, each with significant follow-on power capacity. “We are seeing unprecedented demand for capacity in 2026 and 2027,” said Ben Basson, co-founder and chief development officer of LightHouse. “Given our team’s experience leading major AWS region expansions and launching gigawatt-scale campuses, our team is uniquely positioned to deliver large-scale capacity on accelerated timelines for our customers.”
LightHouse’s facilities are purpose-built for next-generation, high-density AI workloads, featuring liquid-cooled architectures while supporting traditional hyperscaler core services. “We are in the very early stages of one of the greatest paradigm shifts our world has ever seen and I am excited to join Nick and Ben’s vision to build something special and differentiated in delivering the infrastructure needed to support our digital economy,” said Lewis.
Etscheid and Basson previously spent nearly a decade delivering over $10 billion in data center projects for AWS and another data center provider. This strategic partnership could significantly shape the development of the data center sector, particularly in meeting the escalating demands of AI and cloud computing. The alliance’s ability to deliver large-scale capacity on accelerated timelines will be crucial in supporting the digital economy’s rapid evolution.