NEW YORK: The Artificial Intelligence Infrastructure Partnership (AIP) and Brookfield Asset Management Ltd are among possible bidders for Stack Infrastructure Inc’s data centres in the Asia-Pacific region, according to people familiar with the matter.
Other potential suitors include IFM Investors, KKR & Co and DigitalBridge Group Inc, which is being acquired by SoftBank Group Corp, the people said, asking not to be identified because the information is private.
Stack has been gauging interest and is preparing to start a sale process as soon as July, they said.
The number of prospective buyers reflects how data centres and related infrastructure have come to the forefront of dealmaking in Asia, with global funds seeking exposure to a sector and region riding high on AI’s rapid growth.
Considerations are preliminary and no final decision has been made, the people said. Other bidders could also emerge, they added.
Representatives for GIP, Brookfield, DigitalBridge and KKR declined to comment. Stack and IFM didn’t respond to requests for comment.
AIP’s founders include BlackRock Inc’s Global Infrastructure Partners, Microsoft Corp and Mubadala Investment Co’s MGX.
The group aims to invest in and expand AI infrastructure, and its first deal was a US$40bil acquisition of Aligned Data Centers announced in October.
Nvidia Corp, the Kuwait Investment Authority and Temasek Holdings Pte are also investors in AIP.
Stack’s data centres in the Asia-Pacific region are in Tokyo, Osaka, Melbourne, Sydney and Johor Baru in Malaysia, its website showed.
People familiar with the situation said previously that Stack, owned by Blue Owl Capital since last year, has been considering selling the assets and might fetch more than US$30bil for them.
AIP also plans to mobilise up to US$100bil in total investment capacity, it has been reported, targeting AI‑ready infrastructure across the United States, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development markets and partner countries. — Bloomberg
