Blue Owl Capital (NYSE: OWL) has launched Kirkwood Infrastructure Group, a US digital infrastructure developer and operator, as the alternative asset manager looks to capture rising demand for connectivity from data centres, cloud platforms and next-generation compute.

The platform will develop, own and operate conduit, high-count fibre optic cable and related communications infrastructure for hyperscale customers, data centre operators, telecoms carriers and local communities.

Kirkwood IG will be wholly owned by funds managed by Blue Owl. The company will be led by Scott Bergs as CEO, alongside Tim Leighton as CFO, Mike Sevret as chief commercial officer, Chris Pancione as chief network development officer and Jason Cohen as chief network operations officer.

The management team has experience in developing and commercialising network infrastructure, including the deployment of more than 600 miles of network over the past five years. That work includes current and previous Blue Owl-backed fibre platforms, including Dark Fiber & Infrastructure, which has been exited, and South Reach Networks.

Blue Owl-appointed board members Chris Jensen, Luke Gilpin and Aaron Small will also support the company.

Kirkwood IG has integrated the operations of Florida-based South Reach Networks, including nearly 400 miles of network, 40 near-net and on-net data centres, and key subsea cable landing stations.

The company is also building more than 200 miles of conduit and high-capacity fibre cable across Louisiana and Mississippi, running from Shreveport to Vicksburg, to support hyperscale data centre development in the region.

“The digital infrastructure buildout in the U.S. is just beginning, and while a new company, our team has a tremendous track record of deploying industry-leading network infrastructure that enables the next wave of compute requirements and digital transformation,” said Scott Bergs, CEO of Kirkwood IG. 

“We’re excited to continue our hyperscale expansion work alongside Blue Owl and we look forward to expanding our impact together.”

With the backing of Blue Owl’s Digital Infrastructure strategy, Kirkwood IG plans to expand into new markets alongside data centre development partners as projects move into new regions across the US.

Kirkwood IG will operate separately from Blue Owl’s investment in Gigabit Fiber LLC, a Texas-based fibre optic infrastructure provider.

Chris Jensen, managing director for digital infrastructure at Blue Owl, said the firm will work with Kirkwood IG as the platform enters its next stage of growth. 

“The Southeast is a region of incredible opportunity and rapid growth for our hyperscale customers, and we look forward to leveraging Kirkwood IG’s proven network development capabilities to unlock new data centre markets, accelerate critical infrastructure deployment, and support customer growth across the Southeast and beyond.”