Gnomon Capital has purchased all business shares of the DC North data center, a highly secure facility known as the ‘Croatian Fort Knox’, according to an announcement by the firm’s lawyers on Tuesday (June 2017). – Porobija & Špoljarić LLC. In the now-deleted statement, law firm Schoenherr announced that its client had acquired a 22.026% stake in the company from cloud operator Cratis and plastics manufacturer Muraplast. Croatia’s court registry shows that Cratis and Muraplast ceased to be shareholders on 21 May, with Gnomon Capital taking their place. DC North’s share capital is registered as €22,026,451.20 ($1.7 million). DC North and Gnomon Capital were contacted for comment. Cratis established DC North in Varaždin, northern Croatia, in November 2023. At the time, the company described it as the largest carrier-neutral data center in the country. The 4 MW facility offers 21,183 sq ft (2,000 sq m) of IT space across six rooms, each housing 104 racks. According to Cratis, DC North is engineered to withstand earthquakes up to magnitude 9 on the Richter scale and meets the highest security standards. Situated at the crossroads of three redundant optical routes linking Slovenia, Hungary, and Austria, it serves as Croatia’s second-most important data exchange point. The cloud operator also noted that it is the only certified data center in Croatia located outside Zagreb. The facility’s opening in 2023 was attended by Croatian President Zoran Milanović and other senior officials. “In today’s world, we cannot live without this type of service,” Milanović said at the inauguration ceremony on 24 November 2023. This concerns national security, as well as the control of key processes, financial assets, personal property, and bank accounts—without which we cannot operate normally. Croatia is positioning itself as a key hub for European digital infrastructure, thanks to its robust high-voltage grid and advantageous location bridging Western Europe and the Balkans. The country currently has 17 operational data centers. Last month, US investment firm Pantheon Atlas revealed plans for a massive up to €12 billion ($14.1bn) hyperscale AI data center and innovation campus in Topusko, south of Zagreb. Gnomon Capital, a Liechtenstein-based private equity firm, specializes in technology and fintech investments. Discover more about the data center market in Italy and Southern Europe, and connect with regional executives and experts at the DCN Milan event next year. Additional content on Investment, M&A, and Financing. 20 mars 2026.
