Digital Realty is expanding in the Kansas City metro with plans for a large hyperscale data center campus in De Soto, Kansas, anchored by an agreement for 600MW of utility power by early 2028 and rising to 2GW at full delivery.
The company said it has acquired approximately 1,440 acres of powered land at the Astra Enterprise Park in DeSoto, Kansas, at W 103rd St & Lexington Ave. The site was acquired from the Sunflower Redevelopment Group in April for approximately $475 million.
The first phase of the project, known as Astra North, would span approximately 280 acres. Plans call for up to nine buildings totaling around 3 million sq ft (278, 710 sqm), along with an on-site substation. Digital has entered into an energy service agreement with local utility Evergy to secure the initial 600MW of power, and the company will pay for energy on Kansas’ higher large-load tariff.
City documents suggest the campus is known as Project Jayhawk. The development will reportedly rely on outside air-cooling for most of the time, with evaporative cooling during peak hot periods. Digital also aims to fund a new industrial wastewater treatment plant as part of the project.
The Astra park covers 9,000 acres southwest of Kansas City and was previously home to the US Government’s Sunflower Army Ammunition Plant. The plant shut down in 1993, and the land was transferred over for redevelopment in 2005. The site is now operated by real estate firm Kessinger Hunter. Panasonic is developing a battery production facility on 300 acres at the industrial park, and a 600MW solar farm could be developed on around 3,000 acres within the park.
Digital Realty announced the Kansas expansion alongside two other transactions: an increase in its ownership of South African data center firm Teraco and the acquisition of US investment firm Columbia Capital.
"These transactions support the continued momentum of Digital Realty’s three core pillars of growth. The purchase of land in the Kansas City metro enhances our ability to serve hyperscale customers’ near-term requirements, while our increased stake in Teraco strengthens our position in Africa’s leading data center platform and supports the continued growth of our global colocation and connectivity business", said Andy Power, president and CEO of Digital Realty.
Power continued: "Our history of collaboration with Columbia Capital reflects a shared long-term perspective while providing additional flexibility to support the scaling of both our hyperscale development pipeline and our private capital platform."
In the Teraco deal, Digital Realty will purchase a further 16 percent stake for approximately $650 million, paid for principally via the issuance of 3.4 million shares of common stock. The deal is expected to close in the second half of 2026. After the transaction, Digital will own 77 percent of Teraco, acquiring shares from certain minority shareholders.
Founded in 2008, Teraco was valued at approximately $3.5 billion when Digital Realty acquired a majority stake in January 2022. At full expansion, Teraco’s total capacity across its portfolio is set to reach 191MW, including the Isando Campus (JB1/JB3/JB5: 70MW), Bredell Campus (JB2/JB4: 64MW), Cape Town Campus (CT1/CT2: 55MW), and Durban (DB1: 2MW).
Digital also plans to acquire Columbia Capital for approximately $485 million principally through the issuance of 2.3 million shares of common stock. Founded in 1989, Columbia Capital focuses on the communications, technology, and digital infrastructure space and has more than $9 billion in fund commitments from hundreds of investors, including sovereign wealth funds, pension funds, insurance companies, endowments, and other institutional investors. The acquisition is expected to close in the second half of 2026.
Digital Realty said the Columbia deal will accelerate its Strategic Private Capital platform. Earlier this year, the company closed its new $3.25 billion US hyperscale data center fund, which is primarily focused on the ownership and development of hyperscale data centers across Northern Virginia, California, Texas, Georgia, and New York. Digital Realty retains a 20 percent ownership interest in the fund’s portfolio and serves as the manager of the fund.
