iTWire - Data Centres

STT GDC invests US$3.2 billion to expand data centre capacity in India

2024-09-10T19:48:50+10:00

Singaporean company ST Telemedia Global Data Centres (STT GDC) has invested US$3.2 billion ($4.8 billion) to expand its data centre capacity in India by 550MW, tripling the IT load capacity to meet the demands of India’s economy over the next five to six years.

STT GDC says the investment reflects confidence in India’s economy as well as demand for digital infrastructure, driven by the surge in data consumption, cloud computing, digital transformation, and growing adoption of AI applications.

“Prime Minister Modi's vision for Digital India has paved the way for opportunity; today the India digital economy's growth rate of almost three times overall GDP growth is putting the country on pace to achieve a US$1 trillion digital economy by 2027-2028,” said STT GDC group CEO and president Bruno Lopez.

STT GDC claims the investment solidifies its leadership in India where it has a command of about 28% of market share by revenue.

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STT GDC India is majority-owned by STT GDC in partnership with Tata Communications, which holds a minority stake in the company.

Its portfolio consists of 28 data centres across 10 cities throughout India. Today, its data centre portfolio has a total combined capacity of over 318MW of IT load, with a well-diversified portfolio of about 1,000 enterprise customers that include many Fortune 500 companies.

Previously, STT GDC inaugurated its third data centre campus in India earlier this year.

In April 2024, it was reported India led growth in the APAC region’s data centre market with many hyperscalers choosing to invest in the country.

Blackstone agrees to acquire AirTrunk for A$24 billion

2024-09-04T20:57:27+10:00

Asset manager Blackstone, along with Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, has entered into an agreement to acquire data centre platform AirTrunk from majority stakeholders Macquarie Asset Management and Public Sector Pension Investment Board for A$24 billion.

In a statement, Blackstone said the agreement is capitalising on the estimated US$1 trillion of capital expenditures in the United States and another US$1 trillion of capital expenditures outside the country over the next five years to build and facilitate new data centres.

Blackstone has invested in other data centre companies including as owner of QTS, Coreweave, and Digital Realty.

It is also an investor in power and utility companies such as renewables developer Invenergy in the US.

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Blackstone said the acquisition is the “largest investment in the Asia Pacific region.”

It is also the largest deal in Australia this year.

The deal is subject to approval from the Australian foreign investment review board.

“AirTrunk is another vital step as Blackstone seeks to be the leading digital infrastructure investor in the world across the ecosystem, including data centres, power, and related services,” said Blackstone president and chief operating officer Jon Gray.

“Digital infrastructure is experiencing unprecedented demand driven by the AI revolution as well as the broader digitisation of the economy,” say Blackstone infrastructure global head Sean Klimczak and Blackstone real estate global co-head Nadeem Meghji.

“Prior to AirTrunk, Blackstone’s portfolio consisted of US$55 billion of data centres including facilities under construction, along with over US$70 billion in prospective pipeline development,” they added.

“We look forward to partnering with the outstanding AirTrunk management team to further accelerate its growth.”

“This transaction evidences the strength of the AirTrunk platform in a strong performing sector as we capture the next wave of growth from cloud services and AI and support the energy transition in Asia Pacific,” said AirTrunk founder and CEO Robin Khuda.

Previously, Bloomberg reported that AirTrunk was reportedly up for sale at A$12 billion last January.

A month later, Blackstone announced interest in AirTrunk. Then, it made a bid in June with companies DigitalBridge and GIP to make the deal.

AirTrunk this year commenced the construction of its 20 megawatt (MW) data centre OSK1 in West Osaka. In May, it opened its second data centre in Tokyo, TOK2, scalable to over 110 MW.

It then commenced operations in Malaysia, following the opening of its flagship Malaysian 150 MW hyperscale data cenre in Johor Bahru (JHB1).

AirTrunk is a data centre platform based in the Asia Pacific region with a presence in Australia, Japan, Malaysia, Hong Kong, and Singapore.

NEXTDC launches its first Tier IV Data Centre in Adelaide to ‘advance South Australia’s innovation economy’

2024-09-04T13:05:05+10:00

Data centre provider NextDC has officially opened A1 – Adelaide’s first Tier IV certified data centre, providing the critical infrastructure needed to support and accelerate the digital transformation of government and business sectors operating in South Australia (SA).

Located within Adelaide’s city grid, A1 has a target capacity of 5MW and approximately 3,000 square metresof IT space. Built as a next generation data centre, A1 Adelaide will play a critical role in supporting the progress of South Australia’s government, defence, space, health, mining and resources industries.

A1 will provide world class digital infrastructure which features Artificial Intelligence (AI) Certification, and 100% Uptime guarantee to assure secure, low latency access to a national ecosystem of over 750 global cloud and digital service providers. The facility will allow customers to fully maximise the benefits of Advanced and Quantum computing, automation and robotics and help position South Australia as the nations’ digital hub for technology innovation.

NEXTDC CEO Craig Scroggie says, “The A1 facility is Adelaide’s first Uptime Institute Tier IV-certified data centre which will play a pivotal role in accelerating digital innovation and preparing South Australia to take advantage of the fourth industrial revolution powered by the development and adoption of AI.”

“A1 Adelaide which is located in the heart of Adelaide’s CBD offers high density power, liquid cooling and diverse connectivity, and will provide real-time responsiveness to mission-critical requirements for key South Australian industries such as aerospace, defence and mining.”

“Additionally with global tech’ companies expanding their footprint to include a presence in Adelaide, A1 will provide AI certified, trusted critical infrastructure to drive their innovation ambitions as well as make the state attractive for ongoing investment.”

South Australian Treasurer Hon. Mr Stephen Mullighan says, “NEXTDC’s A1 represents a key advancement for South Australia’s digital economy, providing numerous large-scale investment opportunities for local and global organisations seeking to leverage our state as a platform for economic growth, innovation and development “

“The South Australian business and government sectors will be able to substantially improve the resilience of their digital products and services offered to citizens, customers and partners, further strengthening our Digital Strategy to enable every South Australian to live and thrive in the digital world.” Hon. Mullighan added.

The economic value of the new NEXTDC A1 facility was also highlighted by Invest SA Executive Director, Chris Wood.

“The team at Invest SA has worked with NEXTDC for several years to support the company’s investment into South Australia, and it is exciting to see this state-of-the-art data centre come to fruition. The data centre will underpin South Australia’s critical technologies ecosystem and expand the state’s digital infrastructure, helping us to make our economy more complex while creating important jobs for South Australians.”

Leading Australian fibre network provider – Vocus, is also collaborating with NEXTDC at the A1 Adelaide facility, which will enhance the Vocus fibre network capability from Adelaide to Melbourne, Perth, and Darwin to meet the growing demand for cloud computing and artificial Intelligence technologies (AI).

Vocus CEO, Ellie Sweeney said, “Digital infrastructure plays a critical role in the success of every business, and I am delighted to be strengthening our partnership with NEXTDC to advance South Australia’s digital economy. The A1 Adelaide data centre is another pivotal intersection in the Vocus and NEXTDC footprint that is delivering high-capacity fibre networks and high-capacity data centres for communities and industry across South Australia and beyond.”

Several organisations have subscribed to being Foundational Partners in the Digital Ecosystem at A1 Adelaide to further expand and connect the SA digital economy to a nationwide ecosystem of service providers and global cloud platforms. These partners include Aussie Broadband, New Era Technology, GSL Networks, Sygnite, Unibeam and NetVault.

As an A1 Adelaide Data Centre foundation partner, Aussie Broadband welcomed the launch of A1. "The expansion of A1 will provide Aussie Broadband with another point of presence within the growing Adelaide metropolitan area, offering us the potential to further scale our fibre and network footprint in the area," Aussie Broadband CEO Brian Maher said.

"We're proud to continue our deep relationship with NEXTDC as one of our key strategic partners and suppliers who has enabled us to provide high-quality broadband services to Australians and Australian businesses all across the country." He added.

Key technical specifications of A1 Adelaide include:
• 5MW
• 2,922m2 technical space
• 100% Uptime guarantee
• 1,470 rack capacity
• Mission Critical Operations Space (MCX)

For details on NEXTDC’s A1 Adelaide Data centre, and other facilities please view here: https://www.nextdc.com.au.

Blackstone close to acquiring AirTrunk for A$24 billion

2024-09-04T10:26:45+10:00

Asset manager Blackstone is poised to acquire Australian data centre operator AirTrunk for more than A$24 billion (US$16.1 billion) including debt, according to people familiar with the matter said, in what could be "the largest digital infrastructure deals" this year, Bloomberg reported.

According to the Bloomberg report, Blackstone has emerged as the preferred bidder of AirTrunk as it offered more cash than it rivals.

Macquarie Group and PSP Investments, which own a majority stake in AirTrunk, are in discussions with Blackstone to close the deal. However, the companies declined to comment on the acquisition.

AirTrunk was reportedly up for sale for A$12 billion last January. Bloomberg back then reported that Macquarie Asset Management and PSP Investments could start with sale in a matter of weeks.

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Then, Data Centre Dynamics reported that Blackstone was interested in buying the company a month later. Then, it made a bid in June with DigitalBridge and GIP to acquire AirTrunk.

Now, Blackstone seems to be in the perfect position to get AirTrunk. If the deal pushes through, it would be the largest transaction in Australia this year.

The Financial Times reported that Blackstone has been ramping its data centre portfolio in recent years. Its portfolio and other data centres under construction are valued at US$55 billion.

Blackstone CEO Stephen Schwarzman said the company plans to invest billions more in "prospective pipeline development" during an earnings call in June.

AirTrunk this year commenced the construction of its 20 megawatt (MW) data centre OSK1 in West Osaka. In May, it opened its second data centre in Tokyo, TOK2, scalable to over 110 MW.

It then commenced operations in Malaysia, following the opening of its flagship Malaysian 150 MW hyperscale data cenre in Johor Bahru (JHB1).

Raxio Group opens US$30 million data centre in Congo

2024-08-27T08:38:32+10:00

Data centre company Raxio Group inaugurated a new 1.5MW data centre in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

Named Raxio DRC1, the data centre is backed by a US$30 million investment, spans 1,542 square meters, and houses up to 400 racks. It is located in Limete, southeast of Kinshasa.

The 24/7 “always-on” facility is ideally located along key fibre routes, Raxio Group says.

The project was completed in time since breaking ground on construction in early 2023.

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“DRC is one of Africa’s largest and fastest-growing markets with an existing latent demand for digital products and services that is forecast to soar in the coming years. With this facility, we are providing the critical infrastructure essential to supporting the digital economy and enhancing connectivity – and we expect to expand our presence in DRC through additional capacity and new facilities in years to come. Our investment reflects unwavering confidence in the DRC’s immense potential and our commitment to sustainable digital development across Africa,” says Raxio Group CEO Robert Mullins.

“The commitment and pragmatism of the government has been a key enabling factor in spurring our project from inception to completion in record time and stands as an inspiration for the wider region in grasping this incredible opportunity for a broad-based digital economy expansion. We are looking forward to welcoming customers into an international-standard data centre environment,” says Raxio DRC general manager Yannick Sukakumu.

Established in 2018, Raxio Group is part of the US-based Roha Group investment firm, reported Data Center Dynamics.

It first launched a data centre in Uganda in 2021, and has expanded into Ethiopia and Mozambique and has facilities planned in Côte d’Ivoire, Tanzania, and Angola.

NextDC debuts new data centre facility in Darwin

2024-08-16T11:12:04+10:00

Data centre provider NextDC opened a new data centre facility in Darwin (D1), developed in partnership with the Northern Territory Government and Vocus.

The opening has been three years in the making after NextDC won the NT government’s data centre expression of interest process in October 2021, according to Arn.

Key technical specifications of Darwin D1 includes:
7MW target capacity
3,000m2 technical IT space
100% Uptime
1,000 rack capacity
2,000m2 mission critical space (MCX)

Australian specialist fibre and network solutions provider Vocus integrated its Terabit Territory fibre network within the data centre to connect networking required for digital infrastructure and mission critical operational centres in Darwin.

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“Connecting to the Vocus’ Darwin-Jakarta-Singapore Cable (DJSC) submarine system will unlock Darwin as a major new digital hub for the Asia-Pacific, delivering unparalleled redundancy and reliability to the region,” states Vocus CEO Ellie Sweeney.

D1 provides digital infrastructure combined with low latency access to a national partner ecosystem which interconnects the region to global cloud platforms, telecommunication providers, and digital service providers.

“This facility will enable organisations operating in the Northern Territory to embrace digital innovation and compete in new and dynamic growth markets across the APAC region,” says NextDC CEO Craig Scroggie.

“The close proximity to Darwin’s CBD and direct access to major subsea cable infrastructure will enable real-time responsiveness to operational and mission-critical requirements across all sectors, including government, mining, resources, and defence industries," he adds.

“D1 Darwin marks an exciting milestone for the Territory’s accelerating digital economy, providing numerous local and global organisations with mission critical infrastructure combined with access to global cloud platforms to drive and implement their digital growth strategies,” says Northern Territory chief minister Eva Lawler.

“Northern Territory business and government will be able to significantly boost the capability of their current digital footprint, actively supporting our Digital Territory Action Plan to enable all Territorians to reach their potential and thrive in a digital economy,” Lawler adds.

Importantly, several organisations are also involved as Foundational Partners in the Digital Development Program at D1 Darwin to further expand and connect the NT digital economy to critical infrastructure in addition to a nationwide ecosystem of service providers and global cloud platforms. These partners include Aussie Broadband, GSL Networks, and NetVault.

The opening of D1 comes months after NextDC initiated raising $1.3 billion capital to ramp the development and fit-out work across its Sydney and Melbourne data centres.

US Signal acquires new data centre in Michigan

2024-08-16T08:43:39+10:00

Digital infrastructure solutions provider US Signal has acquired Detroit North Data Centre at 1035 West Entrance Drive, Auburn Hills, Michigan.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Spanning 76,000 sq. feet, the Detroit North Data Centre is ready for immediate lease, offering 4MW of available power with the ability to expand up to 8MW. It is set to be upgraded including more than 5MW of critical IT load capabilities.

It features 17,000 sq. feet of raised floor space. The site is SSAE 18-audited, HIPAA-compliant, and PCI-certified.

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“Our mission to fortify digital infrastructure in Michigan has never been stronger. This acquisition underscores our position as the leading data center and managed services provider in the region. With three facilities in Metro Detroit now fully operational and in high demand, we are poised for growth,” states US Signal chief operating officer John White.

Data Centre Dynamics reported the site was previously a DXC data centre, operated by HP before that.

The report added DXC Technology was founded in 2017 after HPE merged its enterprise services business with Computer Science Corporation (CSC).

A DXC data centre was sold last year and was set to be turned into a manufacturing facility.

White concludes, "Drawing from our success with the Indianapolis North Data Centre, the Detroit North facility is on track to become a pivotal hub for network connectivity and digital infrastructure services."

Equinix invests US$124 million in new HK data centre

2024-08-15T08:38:12+10:00

Digital infrastructure company Equinix has invested US$124 million in its International Business Exchange data centre in Hong Kong.

The new HK6 facility will be interconnected to Equinix’s five existing data centres, which serve as a hub for data and economic exchange between multinational enterprises, local and mainland Chinese companies in the Greater Bay Area (GBA).

The new data centre is located in a vicinity built for data centres in Tsuen Wan, approximately 1.5km from Equinix’s campus of HK1, HK2, and HK3.

Equinix said Hong Kong’s strategic location makes it a natural aggregation point for the region’s connectivity.

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HK6 is expected to open in Q1 2026. The first phase will provide 1,000 cabinets. Upon completion, the 17-story data centre will offer a total of 3,550 cabinets to support cloud and financial service providers.

Over the past year, the Equinix Internet Exchange traffic in Hong Kong has grown by almost 50%.

“HK6 will be Equinix's largest investment in Hong Kong in the past decade, further strengthening the city's digital infrastructure and showcasing our unwavering confidence in this dynamic market,” claims Equinix Hong Kong managing director Joanne Hon.

“This strategic investment solidifies Hong Kong's position as a crucial gateway for data exchange between China and the global community."

HK6 will support liquid cooling technology essential for supporting high-density, enterprise-grade AI workloads.

Like Equinix's other IBX data centres in Hong Kong, HK6 will be 100% covered by renewables.

Demand for AI-related data centre infrastructure pushes data centre capex forecast upward

2024-08-07T08:44:23+10:00

Dell’Oro Group revised its data centre capex forecast upward to a 24% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) by 2028 as a result of surging demand in AI-related data centre infrastructure.

Last January, the market research firm initially forecasted that data centre capex will grow 18% as investments shift towards AI.

“AI has the potential to generate more than a trillion dollars in AI-related infrastructure spending in cloud and enterprise data centers over the next five years,” says Dell’Oro Group research director Baron Fung.

“AI infrastructure, which includes servers with GPU or custom accelerators, along with dedicated networking, storage, and facilities, are highly capital-intensive. While the industry continues to assess the potential return on AI-related investments, major efforts have been underway in the ecosystem in achieving long-term sustainable capex growth,” explains Fung.

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Dell’Oro Group listed the following highlights from Data Center IT Capex 5-Year July 2024 Forecast Report:

- Worldwide server revenue is forecast to reach nearly $0.5 trillion by 2028.

- Accelerated servers may account for more than half of the total server revenues by 2028.

- Top 4 US-based cloud SPs—Amazon, Google, Meta, and Microsoft—will account for half of global data centre capex as early as 2026.

Eurofiber acquires data centre operations of Bytesnet

2024-07-30T09:52:18+10:00

Dutch-based telecommunications equipment supplier Eurofiber acquired the data centre operations of Dutch IT infrastructure service provider Bytesnet and taken over two data centres in Netherlands.

Bytesnet is a Dutch provider of colocation, high performance computing, cloud, and connectivity. With data centres in Groningen (d’ROOT, built in 2018) and Rotterdam (Spanish Cube, 2009), it offers colocation services to its customers in sectors including healthcare, education, and government.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed. In a statement, Eurofiber said the acquisition “strengthens its position in the regional edge data centre segment, supporting its long-term growth objectives for open access digital infrastructure.”

It adds Bytesnet CEO and co-founder Peter de Jong will remain “closely involved” with Bytesnet to ensure smooth integration with Eurofiber.

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“There is an increasing demand from parties who want to manage their data entirely or partially in the private Dutch cloud, so they can physically access it easily and have the guarantee that their crucial data does not leave our country,” comments Bytesnet co-founder and CEO Peter de Jong.

“Together with the exponential growth of data, partly due to AI, there is a need for scaling up. To achieve this, we have sought a buyer with experience, ambition, and financial strength. We are therefore very pleased with the agreement with Eurofiber.”

Per Data Centre Dynamics, the Groningen Internet Exchange (GN-IX) was founded in 1999 and spun out Bytesnet in 2008.

Bytesnet, which started in Groningen, initially rented a data centre space at various data centres including those of the University of Groningen, before building out its own spaces.

The Groningen facility covers around 5,000 sqm (53,820 sq ft). It uses immersion cooling and is part of a district heating scheme with WarmteStad Groningen.

The Rotterdam facility is located in the Spaanse Kubus office building.

Eurofiber operates a fibre optic network stretching over 70,500 kilometers in the Netherlands, Belgium, France, and Germany, providing extensive coverage across these markets.

In addition, Eurofiber offers cloud infrastructure solutions including colocation and private cloud services from data centres in the Netherlands and France.

This is not the first time Eurofiber acquired other data centres. It acquired Eura DC in 2019, which operated space in a Etix facility in Lille and its own site in Douai and Dutch provider Dataplace in 2016.

It acquired French B2B telecom providers Appliwave and Avelia from Septeo in 2023. It also acquired the entirety of its joint venture with Vattenfall earlier this year.

Data Centre Dynamics also reported Eurofiber’s French hosting and telecoms unit FullSave opened a new data centre in Auch last year.