AirTrunk to Invest US$3 Billion in Two New Malaysian Data Centres
Synopsis
Australian data centre company AirTrunk has announced a US$3 billion investment to build two new hyperscale data centres in Johor Bahru, Malaysia, doubling its existing footprint in the country. The expansion takes AirTrunk's total Malaysian investment to US$6.8 billion across four sites with more than 700 megawatts of capacity. The announcement follows AirTrunk's agreement last week to acquire Indian data centre developer Lumina CloudInfra, with US$5 billion planned for India. Owned by a Blackstone-led consortium that paid A$24 billion for the company in 2024, AirTrunk will have more than 3 gigawatts of capacity across 20 data centres once the India deal closes.
Australian data centre firm AirTrunk invests an additional US$3 billion in Malaysia, doubling its footprint. Blackstone-backed company has also put together a US$5 billion India push to create one of Asia-Pacific’s largest data centre networks.
Key Highlights
- AirTrunk is to build two new hyperscale data centres in Malaysia for US$3 billion.
- With a total capacity of 280MW, the two new centres will bring AirTrunk’s combined Malaysian capacity to over 700MW across four sites.
- Upon completion of the new centres, total investment in Malaysia will be US$6.8 billion.
- Last week, AirTrunk announced it would spend US$5 billion in India with the acquisition of Indian data centre developer Lumina CloudInframe.
- With the India deal closing, AirTrunk will have over 3GW of operating and awaiting construction capacity across 20 data centres in six markets.
AirTrunk Expands While Keeping Costs Down to US$3 Billion in Malaysia
Australian data centre supplier AirTrunk said Thursday it would invest $3 billion to build two new hyperscale data centres in the southern Malaysian city of Johor Bahru. The new centres will be located adjacent to AirTrunk’s existing sites and add 280-plus megawatts of capacity in total.
AirTrunk will have a total of 4 data centres in the country, including its existing facilities in Malaysia with more than 700 megawatts of total capacity and US$6.8 billion cumulative investment. “The demand for cloud and AI infrastructure across Asia-Pacific is moving faster than people expected, so our job is to run ahead of that,” CEO Robin Khuda said.
Expanding in India
Last week, AirTrunk acquired Indian data centre developer Lumina CloudInfra, a deal that opens the floodgates for potential US$5 billion of spending in India, and now the company is announcing its first move outside of Australia with another facility in Malaysia. When completed, the acquisition will see AirTrunk own over 3 gigawatts of capacity across 20 data centres in six Asia-Pacific regions.
The company is expanding what should be the primary independent data centre network in the region, at a pace and scale that illustrates just how quickly the AI and cloud infrastructure demand is moving across Asian markets.
Who Owns AirTrunk, and The Size of the Bet
AirTrunk, which was founded in Australia, was sold to a consortium led by Blackstone for A$24 billion ($18 billion) in 2024, the biggest data centre deal of all time at the time. The ability to accelerate across multiple markets in parallel comes from being well-backed, with Blackstone behind AirTrunk. If you focus just on Malaysia and India investments, that alone equals US$8 billion of committed capital, and the company has indicated it intends to grow its presence across Asia-Pacific as it ramps up AI infrastructure.
FAQs
- Where are the new data centres being established in Malaysia?
Both will be based in Johor Bahru, the same city where AirTrunk’s two Malaysian sites already are.
- What will the total capacity of AirTrunk be in Malaysia after this expansion?
Over 700MW across four data centres, US$6.8 billion investment
- Who owns AirTrunk?
By 2024, the now Australian-founded purchase by a consortium led by Blackstone at A$24 billion was the largest data centre acquisition in history.
- How large will AirTrunk become with the close of the India deal?
20 data centres across six Asia-Pacific regions and more than 3 gigawatts of total capacity.
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