Blackstone, the world’s largest alternative asset manager, has successfully closed its A$24 billion acquisition of Asia Pacific & Japan (APJ) hyperscale data centre specialist, AirTrunk, marking the completion of the largest-ever data centre deal globally and the largest transaction in Australia for 2024.
Following regulatory approvals, the transaction was completed with a consortium led by Blackstone, including Blackstone Real Estate Partners, Blackstone Infrastructure Partners, Blackstone Tactical Opportunities and Blackstone’s private equity strategy for individual investors, alongside the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPP Investments).
Robin Khuda, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, AirTrunk, said: “Today marks the biggest milestone in the AirTrunk journey so far, and is recognition of our leadership in the Asia Pacific & Japan region and the future growth opportunity. Blackstone’s global expertise and network, together with our shared ambition, will enable AirTrunk to continue to rapidly scale for our global technology customers. Our focus remains on growing responsibly as we prioritise sustainability, the energy transition, and positive social impact while continuing to deliver for our customers and employees.”
Greg Blank, Senior Managing Director, Infrastructure Group, Blackstone, said: “AirTrunk is a landmark Blackstone investment – an illustration of our scale, breadth and the depth of our strategies, and our commitment to investing in our high conviction investment themes. Blackstone is the leading digital infrastructure investor in the world across the ecosystem, from data centers to power. We have the access to capital, global reach and connectivity to some of the world’s largest and most valuable companies, and the firepower to continue to build AirTrunk and drive meaningful growth for the business, customers, employees, and our investors.”
Peng Wei Tan, Senior Managing Director, Real Estate, Blackstone, said: “This is the beginning of an incredible partnership with Robin and the entire AirTrunk team – integrating our experience, talent, and expertise – to support AirTrunk’s continued success and serve customers as a trusted solutions provider on a larger, global scale. Blackstone is the largest data center provider in the world, and we are excited to deepen our portfolio in the region through AirTrunk.”