This Singapore Startup Has Raised $850 million for a Major Expansion in Asia Pacific

AirTrunk claims this is the largest funding by a data centre company in Australia

By Komal Nathani | Aug 21, 2018
Pixabay

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

You're reading Entrepreneur Asia Pacific, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media.

One of Singapore’s rapidly growing startup, AirTrunk has secured a whopping $850 million funding for a major expansion in Asia Pacific. The company, which entered Australia in November, will spend $621 million to expand its data centres in Melbourne and Sydney.

AirTrunk has designed its data centres to store, handle and process high volumes of information and content.

The funding includes debt financing from Deutsche Bank and capital from its existing investors Goldman Sachs, TSSP, as well as from the startup’s founder and chief executive office Robin Khuda. The company claims that it is one among the largest funding a data centre company has ever received.

The founder and CEO Robin Khuda says in a press release, “We saw a substantial amount of global interest in AirTrunk throughout the process, and are delighted to complete this financing arrangement with Deutsche Bank. Together with the new capital recently contributed by our shareholders, the new funds put us in a strong position to meet the growing demand from large cloud, content and enterprise customers in the Asia-Pacific region.”

Growth Journey in APAC

The company had opened its two data centres in September and October last year, which had a total capacity of 80 megawatts of IT load, and was launched with 64,000 sqm of hosting space. Today, the two centres are set to be the largest data centres in the Asia Pacific region.

To lead the operations, AirTrunk has appointed Dana Adams as the chief operating officer (COO). Adams has held a number of senior roles in the data centre industry, predominantly in the US, where she managed large data centre portfolios and led rapid growth through acquisitions, development and leasing. She has been responsible for scaling operations globally while managing over $1 billion in assets.

Adams joins AirTrunk from Iron Mountain in Boston, where she led the data centre business as vice president and general manager. Prior to this, she was the vice-president of portfolio management at Digital Realty.

The company has also appointed William Nicholson as technical director of critical environments. According to the company’s press release, Nicholson will deliver best practices in technical operations across the AirTrunk portfolio, including operational input during the design and construction phases of build projects.

One of Singapore’s rapidly growing startup, AirTrunk has secured a whopping $850 million funding for a major expansion in Asia Pacific. The company, which entered Australia in November, will spend $621 million to expand its data centres in Melbourne and Sydney.

AirTrunk has designed its data centres to store, handle and process high volumes of information and content.

The funding includes debt financing from Deutsche Bank and capital from its existing investors Goldman Sachs, TSSP, as well as from the startup’s founder and chief executive office Robin Khuda. The company claims that it is one among the largest funding a data centre company has ever received.

Komal Nathani

Former Correspondent, Entrepreneur Asia Pacific
A firm believer of hard work and patience. Love to cover stories that hold a potential to change the momentum of business world. Currently, a part of all-women web team of Entrepreneur's Asia Pacific edition to jig the wheel of business journalism!

Related Content

Business News

DBS Appoints Chief Credit Officer for North Asia

DBS has appointed Xu Qing as Managing Director and Senior Risk Executive for Hong Kong, and Chief Credit Officer for North Asia, according to a statement. The appointment is effective 1 February. In his new role, Xu will oversee credit and risk functions across Hong Kong, mainland China, and Taiwan, and will join the Hong […]
Business News

Hong Kong and Switzerland Hold Financial Dialogue in Bern

Hong Kong and Switzerland held the Eighth Hong Kong–Switzerland Financial Dialogue in Bern on 29 January, aimed at strengthening cooperation in financial services between the two markets. The dialogue was co-organised by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) and the State Secretariat for International Finance (SIF) under Switzerland’s Federal Department of Finance. It was chaired […]
Business News

Malaysia Airlines Takes Flight With Mumbai Indians as Global Airline Partner

Malaysia Airlines today announced a landmark partnership with the Mumbai Indians, India’s most successful and widely followed cricket franchise, as Associate Sponsor and Official Global Airline Partner. The collaboration marks a significant milestone in Malaysia Airlines’ sports-led brand and commercial growth strategy across priority global markets, while reaffirming India as one of the airline’s most […]
Business News

Citi Promotes Asia Corporate Banker to Global Role

Citi today announced a series of leadership appointments within its corporate banking business, reinforcing its global banking franchise and strengthening senior leadership across regions. Jason Rekate has been appointed Global Chair of Corporate Banking, and John Chirico has been named Global Chair of Investment Banking. Both will report to Viswas Raghavan, Citi’s Head of Banking […]
Business News

Advantest Selects Anaqua for Global IP Management

Advantest Corporation has selected Anaqua‘s AQX® platform to manage its global intellectual property operations, Anaqua said on Tuesday. The move comes as semiconductor companies adjust to faster development cycles driven by artificial intelligence, electrification, and next-generation devices. Advantest is seeking to standardize internal processes, streamline IP workflows across its global offices, and reduce operational complexity […]