Stockholm (Sweden) / Oslo (Norway), 10 April 2024 – The Triton Smaller Mid-Cap Fund I advised by Triton (“Triton”) has signed an agreement to sell Nemas Holdco AS (“Norstat” or “the company”), a leading data collector for market research, to Nalka Invest (“Nalka”), partnered with Kirk Kapital. Terms and conditions of the transaction are not disclosed. Closing is subject to customary regulatory approvals.

Since Norstat was acquired by Triton in 2019, it has been developed into a market-leading consumer data collection platform across Europe. Triton has, among other things, supported the company through strengthening its commercial capabilities, internationalising its business through acquisitions, improving its operations (including automation of processes), and adding new digital products and solutions such as Norstat Express and TestingTime. A total of seven strategic add-ons were completed by Norstat in Switzerland, Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway, and the UK from 2021 to 2023.

Today, Norstat serves more than 2,000 market research firms, private and public end-clients, media & advertising agencies, publishers, and consultancies across different industries. It delivers real data collected from real people across Europe that can be trusted to drive decision making.

Daniel Björklund, Investment Advisory Professional at Triton, said: “The team at Norstat have achieved great results and we are happy to conclude a very successful journey together. We have been able to drive significant growth, expanding Norstat’s offering and geographical reach, while continuously building on its strong commitment to quality and client service. We believe Nalka is the right partner to continue Norstat’s positive development and we wish them every success together.”

Erling Eriksen, CEO of Norstat, said: “Norstat and Triton have created and implemented a business strategy that has seen Norstat double in size the last years. Together we have built a bigger, stronger, and more professional company. During the years of Triton’s ownership, we have sought out new routes and opportunities; undertaken a rapid technological shift, launched several digital products and completed seven successful acquisitions and integrations. It’s been a great journey, made possible by fantastic employees dedicated to high-quality data and client service. In Nalka, we have found a new partner that is able to support us from the strong position we have achieved today, and we are very much looking forward to the co-operation”.

Martin Lagerblad, Managing Director, Nalka Invest said: “Norstat is truly a leading company within its market, that we have followed over time. We are impressed by the team and its position as the go-to provider of high-quality data and insights in Europe. The deal is pending regulatory approval, but we are looking forward to our future cooperation with Norstat and to contribute to the company’s development. We are also glad to partner with Kirk Kapital as a large minority shareholder, a strong partner sharing our values and long-term perspective on business development”.  

Norstat and Triton were advised by William Blair as lead financial advisor.

About Norstat
Norstat is one of the leading data collectors for market research and insight in Europe. We use well-grounded research methods to collect reliable data about any desired topic or target group. This information helps you to make the right decisions and become better in what you do. We don’t confine ourselves to a specific method of data collection – we do whatever works best: scientifically proven, fair to the respondents and sustainable for the industry.

The company was established in Norway in 1997 and has since grown its geographical presence to include Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Austria and Italy.

For further information: www.norstat.co

About Triton 
Founded in 1997 and owned by its partners, Triton is a leading European mid-market sector-specialist investor. Triton focuses on investing in businesses that provide mission critical goods and services in its three core sectors of Business Services, Industrial Tech, and Healthcare.

Triton has over 200 investment professionals across 11 offices and invests through three complementary “All Weather” strategies: Mid-Market Private Equity, Smaller Mid-Cap Private Equity, and Opportunistic Credit.

For further information: www.triton-partners.com

About Nalka Invest
Nalka is an investment firm investing in market-leading small and medium-sized businesses based in the Nordic and DACH regions. Nalka has offices in Stockholm and Munich and develops independent, competitive, sustainable and long-term profitable companies, through commitment and cooperation.
Read more at www.nalka.com

Press Contacts

Triton

Fredrik Hazén

Phone: +46 709 483 810

• EQT, together with its co-shareholders, to sell Rimes to Five Arrows
• During EQT’s ownership, Rimes has successfully transformed from a specialist vendor of Benchmark and Index (B&I) data solutions to a provider of full-spectrum Enterprise Data Management as a Service (EDMaaS) and Investment Management Platform offerings to the global investment industry
• Today, Rimes serves 60 of the world’s top 100 asset managers, as well as the 10 largest asset servicers in the world

EQT is pleased to announce that EQT Mid Market Europe (“EQT”), together with its co-shareholders, has agreed to sell Rimes (“Rimes” or the “Company”) to the Five Arrows Long Term Fund and Five Arrows Principal Investments (together “Five Arrows”). Five Arrows is the alternative assets arm of Rothschild & Co.

Founded in 1996, Rimes is a trusted partner to the world’s largest asset managers and asset owners, with its customers representing more than USD 75 trillion global assets under management. The Company helps its clients solve complex data problems, applying capabilities refined over 25 years, including an ecosystem of more than 800 data partners and deep domain expertise in investment data. Powered by its proprietary, multi-tenant cloud technology platform, Rimes’ data management solutions empower its clients to make better investment decisions using reliable data, while improving cost efficiency, and reducing operational risk.

Since EQT’s initial investment in 2020, it has supported Rimes in accelerating its growth and deepening its client relationships by expanding its market-leading B&I solutions to cover full-spectrum EDMaaS. In October 2021, Rimes further complemented its product offering with the acquisition of Matrix IDM, which added a powerful Investment Management Platform and data distribution and warehousing solutions. Today, Rimes is well-positioned to facilitate its customers’ strategic operating model transformations and to power AI-led investment strategies.

Robert Maclean, Partner within EQT Private Equity’s Advisory Team, said, “We were delighted when co-founder Christian Fauvelais chose to partner with EQT to pursue our shared vision of transforming Rimes into a global leader in EDMaaS solutions for the investment industry. It has been a pleasure working alongside management and the entire Rimes team to accelerate the Company’s growth.” Patrick McBride, Director within EQT Private Equity’s Advisory Team, added, “We believe Rimes has an incredibly bright outlook and is well-positioned to continue to deliver for its clients. We are grateful to have had the opportunity to partner with such an innovative and talented team, and we are confident that they will continue their successful growth with the support of Five Arrows.”

Brad Hunt, CEO of Rimes, “Rimes has been on a significant growth trajectory over the last few years, and I am proud of what the team has achieved by combining the customer-centric ethos and deep domain expertise that has differentiated us since 1996. Today, the firm’s most modern technology underpins an innovative, comprehensive product offering designed to address future investment data challenges. This transformation would not have been possible without the support of EQT and our Board, and we thank them for a productive and highly successful partnership. We look forward to joining forces with Five Arrows and building upon our strong momentum.”

Seif Khoufi and Constantin Sabet d’Acre, Managing Director and Director of the Five Arrows Long Term Fund, said “The Rimes team impressed us with their ambitious vision and their strong track-record of growing and scaling Rimes in a deeply customer-centric way. This is evidenced by industry-leading levels of customer satisfaction, and a history of solving a growing share of pain points for customers through continuous innovation. We are confident that Rimes is uniquely positioned to continue to support its customers’ expanding needs.” Vivek Kumar and Sacha Oshry, both Partners at Five Arrows Principal Investments, added, “We are delighted to be partnering with Brad and the team to unlock the next chapter of Rimes’ growth. We share in Rimes’ strategic vision centered around solving financial institutions’ most complex data problems across geographies, asset classes and customer types. We are thrilled to have the opportunity to support Rimes.”

The transaction is subject to customary regulatory approvals and is expected to close in the coming months.

EQT and Rimes were advised by Evercore (corporate finance) and Latham and Watkins (legal). Five Arrows was advised by Jefferies (corporate finance) and Shoosmiths (legal).

Contact
EQT Press Office, press@eqtpartners.com

About EQT
EQT is a purpose-driven global investment organization with EUR 232 billion in total assets under management (EUR 130 billion in fee-generating assets under management), within two business segments – Private Capital and Real Assets. EQT owns portfolio companies and assets in Europe, Asia-Pacific and the Americas and supports them in achieving sustainable growth, operational excellence and market leadership.

More info: www.eqtgroup.com
Follow EQT on LinkedIn, X, YouTube and Instagram

About Rimes
Rimes provides transformative Enterprise Data Management and Investment Management Platform solutions to the global investment community. Rimes is a trusted partner to the industry’s most sophisticated asset managers and asset owners, with its customers representing more than USD 75 trillion of global assets under management. Rimes helps its clients solve their most complex data problems, leveraging capabilities refined over 25 years including an unparalleled data partner ecosystem and deep domain expertise in investment data. Powered by its proprietary, multi-tenant cloud technology platform, Rimes’ data management solutions empower its clients to make better investment decisions using reliable data, while improving cost efficiency and reducing operational risk.

More info: www.rimes.com

About Five Arrows 
Five Arrows is the alternative assets arm of Rothschild & Co and has EUR 26 billion AuM with offices in Paris, London, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Luxembourg. With over EUR 9 billion of assets under management, the corporate private equity business of Five Arrows is focused on investing in companies with highly defensible market positions; strong management teams; business models with high visibility of organic unit volume growth and strong unit economics; and multiple operational levers that can be used to unlock latent value. Sectors are limited to data and software, technology‑enabled business services and healthcare.

GDS Founder, Chairman, and CEO William Huang (left) and Gaw Capital Partners President and Managing Principal Kenneth Gaw (right) at the signing ceremony in Hong Kong

Hong Kong, Apr 2, 2024 — GDS (NASDAQ: GDS; HKEX: 9698), a leading developer and operator of high-performance data centers in Asia, and Gaw Capital Partners, a private equity fund management firm focusing on real estate markets in Asia Pacific and other high barrier-to-entry markets globally, today announced a strategic partnership to build a 40 megawatts (MW) data center campus in Tokyo, Japan. With GDS making its first entry into the Japanese market, this move marks a significant expansion of GDS’s international footprint into North Asia following its successful growth in Southeast Asia and aims to meet the rising demand for digital infrastructure in Japan.

The partnership will see the development of a carrier-neutral data center campus in Fuchu, West Tokyo, addressing the growing demand for secure, scalable, and state-of-the-art digital infrastructure in Japan. Gaw Capital Partners, through a fund under its management, has acquired the two adjacent data center sites located in Fuchu Intelligent Park, a well-established data center cluster less than 30km from central Tokyo. Spanning a total land size of 10,969 sqm and with IT capacity expected to reach 40 MW, it will be the largest data center facility in Fuchu City in terms of IT load. GDS has already garnered preliminary customer demands and the operation is expected to commence by the end of 2026.

Japan is one of the world’s largest Tier 1 data center markets with over 3,000 MW of total IT load under development[1]. Greater Tokyo, known for its extensive domestic and international connectivity, serves as Japan’s largest data center hub, making it an ideal location for GDS’s first entry into the Japan market. The collaboration between GDS and Gaw Capital Partners underscores their shared commitment to advancing Japan’s digital infrastructure landscape.

William Huang, Founder, Chairman, and CEO of GDS, said, “Japan is one of the three core data center markets in the Asia-Pacific region, with its market size ranked among the top ten globally. GDS’s entry into Japan further strengthens our international presence and underscores our commitment to enabling digital transformation. Our successful cooperation with Gaw Capital Partners signifies that our international business now fully covers the three most important markets in the Asia-Pacific region outside of mainland China: Hong Kong, Southeast Asia region centered on SIJORI (Singapore-Johor-Riau Islands), and Japan. We are thrilled about the opportunities this collaboration presents for our global development. Given the booming demand for AI, we believe that the international business of GDS will achieve rapid growth.”

Kenneth Gaw, President and Managing Principal of Gaw Capital Partners, said, “Today marks a momentous step towards a digital future in Fuchu. This partnership combines Gaw Capital’s global real estate experience with GDS’s proven track record in operating high-performance data centers, signifying our shared commitment to delivering cutting-edge data solutions that meet and exceed the needs of businesses in the region.”

With its first data center in Japan expected to be operational by 2026, GDS’s expansion reaffirms its position as a leading provider of high-performance data centers in the Asia Pacific region.

-END-

About GDS  

GDS Holdings Limited (NASDAQ: GDS; HKEX: 9698) is a leading developer and operator of high-performance data centers in Asia Pacific. Its facilities are strategically located in primary economic hubs where demand for high-performance data center services is concentrated. With a track record spanning 23 years, GDS has successfully delivered services to some of the largest and most demanding customers in need of outsourced data center solutions. GDS serves over 860 customers as the largest carrier-neutral data center service provider in China. With over 100 data centers, GDS offers data center services to hyperscale cloud service providers, large internet companies, financial institutions, telecommunications carriers, IT service providers, as well as large private sector and multinational corporations. To learn more about GDS, please visit http://www.gds-services.com.

About Gaw Capital Partners

Gaw Capital Partners is a uniquely positioned private equity fund management company focusing on real estate markets in Asia Pacific and other high barrier-to-entry markets globally.

Specializing in adding strategic value to under-utilized real estate through redesign and repositioning, Gaw Capital runs an integrated business model with its own in-house asset management operating platforms in commercial, hospitality, property development, logistics, IDC, and Education. The firm’s investments span the entire spectrum of real estate sectors, including residential development, offices, retail malls, serviced apartments, hotels, logistics warehouses and IDC projects.

Gaw Capital has raised seven commingled funds targeting the APAC region since 2005. The firm also manages value-add/opportunistic funds in the US, a Pan-Asia hospitality fund, a European hospitality fund, a Growth Equity Fund and it also provides services for credit investments and separate account direct investments globally.

Gaw Capital has raised equity of US$22.3 billion since 2005 with assets of US$33.7 billion under management as of Q3 2023.

[1] Structure Research DCI Report Japan+ Osaka, 2023

GDS Holdings (GDSH) Limited, a leading developer and operator of high-performance data centers in China and Southeast Asia, announced that GDSH’s wholly-owned subsidiary, GDS International (GDSI), that acts as the holding company for GDSH’s international data center assets and operations, has entered into definitive agreements with Princeville Capital and other leading international private equity investors including Hillhouse, Rava Partners, Boyu Capital, and Tekne Capital to invest in GDSI’s US$587 million Series A. This transaction is a significant step forward for GDSI in obtaining dedicated financing for the development of its current significant data center pipeline, as well as further international expansion.

GDSI was established in 2022, with its corporate headquarters in Singapore. Its portfolio currently comprises 330 MW of data center capacity in service and under construction and a further 340 MW held for future development across strategic locations in, among others, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia. GDSI has secured commitments and reservations from customers for over 200 MW of capacity, of which over 70 MW is already revenue-generating.

“I am delighted to announce this landmark capital raising, which is a big step forward in our strategy to obtain dedicated financing for the development of our international business on a standalone basis,” said Mr. William Huang, Chairman and CEO of GDSH and Chairman of GDSI. “Within a short period of time, we have established market-leading positions in the major hub markets of Hong Kong and Singapore-Johor-Batam. We see tremendous opportunities for growth in these markets as well as in other new markets which we are currently evaluating. This equity issue benchmarks the significant value, which we have created for our shareholders. We look forward to additional achievements by our international business, further emulating our success in China.”

GDS Announcement: https://investors.gds-services.com/news-releases/news-release-details/gds-announces-landmark-us587-million-equity-raise-its

Ardian will support Verne with up to $1.2bn of commitment to fund an ambitious and sustainable expansion plan across Northern Europe
• Ardian is securing a newly green financing package underwritten by a group of tier 1 European and International banks
• Management will benefit from Ardian’s expertise in the region, its industrial approach and experience across the full digital infrastructure value chain

NEW YORK, NY and DALLAS, TX – Blackstone Credit & Insurance (“BXCI”) and Aligned Data Centers, a leading technology infrastructure company offering innovative, sustainable, and adaptive Scale Data Centers and Build-to-Scale solutions for global hyperscale and enterprise customers, today announced that Blackstone has provided an initial $600 million senior secured credit facility to support the development of Aligned’s newest and largest data center in West Jordan, Utah. The senior secured credit facility is committed entirely by insurance accounts managed by BXCI’s Infrastructure & Asset Based Credit Group.

“Blackstone’s support contributes to Aligned’s continued growth in meeting the capacity demands of customers across the globe,” said Anubhav Raj, Chief Financial Officer at Aligned. “The capital demands of this industry make strong financial backing crucial. Strategic financing partnerships focused on ingenuity and collaboration are a key advantage. We are excited to embark on this initial transaction and build on future opportunities with Blackstone.”

Robert Horn, Global Head of Infrastructure & Asset Based Credit at BXCI, said “We are thrilled to partner with Aligned and this partnership highlights our ability to support large scale digital infrastructure build-out with flexible and efficient financing solutions.”

Alan Carcich, Principal, Infrastructure & Asset Based Credit at BXCI, said “Aligned is one of the fastest growing data center platforms in the Americas and has a focus on sustainability – we look forward to working with the Aligned team.”

Aligned’s SLC-03 data center is a two-story, 80 MW build-to suit project on its hyperscale campus in West Jordan, Utah, which now houses three facilities. This is the company’s fourth hyperscale data center in the Salt Lake City metro area.

About Aligned Data Centers
Aligned Data Centers is a leading technology infrastructure company offering innovative, sustainable, and adaptive Scale Data Centers and Build-to-Scale solutions for global hyperscale and enterprise customers. Our intelligent infrastructure allows densification and vertical growth within the same footprint, enabling customers to scale up without disruption, all while maintaining industry-leading Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE). By reducing the energy, water, and space needed to operate, our data center solutions, combined with our patented cooling technology, offer businesses a competitive advantage by improving sustainability, reliability, and their bottom line. For more information, visit www.aligneddc.com and connect with us on X, LinkedIn and Facebook.

About Blackstone
Blackstone is the world’s largest alternative asset manager. We seek to deliver compelling returns for institutional and individual investors by strengthening the companies in which we invest. Our more than $1 trillion in assets under management include global investment strategies focused on real estate, private equity, infrastructure, life sciences, growth equity, credit, real assets, secondaries and hedge funds. Further information is available at www.blackstone.com. Follow @blackstone on LinkedIn, X (Twitter), and Instagram.

Press and Analyst Inquiries
Jennifer Handshew for Aligned Data Centers
jennifer@180-mktg.com
+1 (917) 359-8838

Kate Holderness for Blackstone
Kate.holderness@blackstone.com
+1 (917) 318 6818

This investment will enable expansion into new markets around the world to fulfill customers’ global data center capacity requirements and become their provider of choice

This new partnership will build out hundreds of megawatts of new data center capacity to support future cloud, AI and other critical digital infrastructure requirements

EQT is pleased to announce that the EQT Infrastructure VI fund (“EQT Infrastructure”) has agreed to partner with EdgeConneX to build and operate high-powered and purpose-built data centers for hyperscale customers around the world, expanding into new markets. EdgeConneX is a leading data center provider backed by funds EQT Infrastructure IV and EQT Infrastructure V.

Since EQT’s acquisition in 2020, EdgeConneX has more than tripled its capacity and expanded into Asia, Latin America and new European markets. Today, the company has a global footprint of 80 data centers in operation or development in more than 50 markets across North America, Europe, APAC and South America.

The continued growth of the data center industry is supported by key trends including digitalization, cloud adoption and the rise of artificial intelligence (AI). It is estimated that the capacity needed to serve AI-focused deployments will triple by 2030. This investment by EQT Infrastructure VI, in partnership with EdgeConneX, intends to build out hundreds of megawatts of data center capacity necessary to support hyperscale customers and the world’s digital economies.

Jan Vesely, partner within EQT Infrastructure’s Advisory team, said, “With the support of EQT Infrastructure’s global presence, industry expertise and dedication to sustainable growth, EdgeConneX together with this new initiative is well-positioned to be a leading provider of critical digital infrastructure worldwide. EdgeConneX is a pioneering data center solutions provider, and its team has the proven track record and deep experience necessary to help lead this expansion and meet hyperscale customers’ needs around the world.”

EdgeConneX CEO Randy Brouckman said, “We have always taken a customer-centric approach, focused on giving our customers the capacity they need, in the right configuration, in the right markets, at the right time. Amid the rapid proliferation of data and compute, data centers are the critical infrastructure housing and connecting the technologies, the companies, and the end-users, thus enabling the future growth of the world’s digital economies. With the support of EQT’s deep local presence in critical markets around the world, EdgeConneX has expanded rapidly, and we’re excited about the opportunities this new partnership with EQT will unlock.”

With this transaction, EQT Infrastructure VI is expected to be 30-35 percent invested (including closed and/or signed investments, announced public offers, if applicable, and less any expected syndication) based on target fund size.

The information contained herein does not constitute an offer to sell, nor a solicitation of an offer to buy, any security, and may not be used or relied upon in connection with any offer or solicitation. Any offer or solicitation in respect of EQT Infrastructure VI will be made only through a confidential private placement memorandum and related documents which will be furnished to qualified investors on a confidential basis in accordance with applicable laws and regulations. The information contained herein is not for publication or distribution to persons in the United States of America. Any securities referred to herein have not been and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and may not be offered or sold without registration thereunder or pursuant to an available exemption therefrom. Any offering of securities to be made in the United States would have to be made by means of an offering document that would be obtainable from the issuer or its agents and would contain detailed information about the issuer of the securities and its management, as well as financial information. The securities may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an exemption from registration.

Contact
EQT Press Office, press@eqtpartners.com, +46 8 506 55 334

About

About EQT
EQT is a purpose-driven global investment organization with EUR 232 billion in total assets under management (EUR 128 billion in fee-generating assets under management) within two business segments – Private Capital and Real Assets. EQT owns portfolio companies and assets in Europe, Asia-Pacific and the Americas and supports them in achieving sustainable growth, operational excellence and market leadership.
More info:www.eqtgroup.com
Follow EQT onLinkedIn,X,YouTube andInstagram

About EdgeConneX
Backed by EQT Infrastructure, part of the global investment organization EQT, EdgeConneX provides a full range of sustainable data center solutions worldwide. We work closely with our customers to offer choices in location, scale, and type of facility, from Hyperlocal to Hyperscale. EdgeConneX is a global leader in anytime, anywhere, and any scale data center services for a diverse portfolio of industries, including Cloud, AI, Content, Networks, and more. With a mission predicated on taking care of our customers, our people, and our plante, EdgeConneX strives to Empower Your Edge.
More info:www.edgeconnex.com

JV will deliver approximately 500 megawatts of IT capacity across three Tier 1 metros in Europe and North America

Austin, TX and New York – December 7, 2023 – Digital Realty (NYSE: DLR), the largest global provider of cloud- and carrier-neutral data center, colocation and interconnection solutions, and Blackstone Inc. (NYSE: BX) announced today that Blackstone-affiliated funds led by Infrastructure, Real Estate and Tactical Opportunities have agreed to establish a joint venture with Digital Realty to develop four hyperscale data center campuses across three metro areas on two continents. The developments are expected to support approximately 500 megawatts (MW) of total IT load upon full build out of all campuses. Blackstone will acquire an 80% ownership interest in the joint venture for approximately $700 million of initial capital contributions, while Digital Realty will maintain a 20% interest. Subsequent to closing, the joint venture parties will fund their pro rata share of the remaining development costs. Digital Realty will manage the development and day-to-day operations of the joint venture, for which it will receive customary fees.

The four hyperscale data center campuses are located in Frankfurt, Paris and Northern Virginia and have a total estimated development cost of approximately $7 billion over the course of the next several years. The campuses are planned to support the construction of 10 data centers with approximately 500 MW of potential IT load capacity. Of this capacity, 46 MW is under construction and is 33% pre-leased. The remaining land capacity is in varying phases of pre-construction and is expected to be developed to meet customer demand. Approximately 20% of the total potential IT load capacity is expected to be delivered through 2025, with the balance expected to be delivered in 2026 and beyond.

“By partnering with Blackstone, the world’s largest alternative asset manager, Digital Realty is better able to deliver capacity to meet the burgeoning demand of our hyperscale customers, by accessing a deep pool of likeminded private capital,” said Andy Power, President and Chief Executive Officer of Digital Realty. “Digital Realty is focused on executing on the sizable opportunity that lies ahead and this partnership helps to accelerate the monetization of nearly 20% of our industry-leading land bank.”

Greg Wright, Chief Investment Officer of Digital Realty, added, “Partnering with Blackstone marks the culmination of a record year of capital recycling and aptly reflects the shift in our funding strategy, to diversify our sources of capital and bolster our balance sheet in order to capitalize on the significant opportunity that lies ahead.”

Jon Gray, President & COO of Blackstone, said, “Data centers are experiencing once-in-a-generation demand growth, driven by cloud adoption and the AI revolution. Digital infrastructure is one of our highest conviction investment themes as a firm, and this transaction with a trusted data center operator in Digital Realty is another example of how we are investing behind this trend.”

Greg Blank, Senior Managing Director at Blackstone Infrastructure, and Mike Forman, Managing Director at Blackstone Real Estate, added, “Blackstone’s deep pools of capital and extensive sector experience position us to capitalize on the explosive growth in data. We look forward to partnering with Digital Realty to develop high-quality data centers in top markets around the world.”

The joint venture is scheduled to close in two stages over the course of the first half of 2024, subject to certain regulatory and other approvals, as well as other customary closing conditions.

Advisors
Latham & Watkins is serving as Digital Realty’s legal counsel. Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP is acting as Blackstone’s legal counsel.

About Digital Realty
Digital Realty brings companies and data together by delivering the full spectrum of data center, colocation and interconnection solutions.  PlatformDIGITAL®, the company’s global data center platform, provides customers with a secure data meeting place and a proven Pervasive Datacenter Architecture (PDx®) solution methodology for powering innovation and efficiently managing Data Gravity challenges. Digital Realty gives its customers access to the connected communities that matter to them with a global data center footprint of 300+ facilities in 50+ metros across 25+ countries on six continents. To learn more about Digital Realty, please visit digitalrealty.com or follow us on LinkedIn and X.

About Blackstone
Blackstone is the world’s largest alternative asset manager. We seek to create positive economic impact and long-term value for our investors. We do this by relying on extraordinary people and flexible capital to help strengthen the companies we invest in. Our over $1 trillion in assets under management include investment vehicles focused on private equity, real estate, public debt and equity, infrastructure, life sciences, growth equity, opportunistic, non-investment grade credit, real assets and secondary funds, all on a global basis. Further information is available at www.blackstone.com. Follow @blackstone on LinkedIn, X (Twitter), and Instagram.

For Additional Information

Investor Relations
Jordan Sadler / Jim Huseby
Digital Realty
+1 737 281 0101
InvestorRelations@digitalrealty.com

Media Contacts
Helen Bleasdale
Digital Realty
+1 737 267 6822
hcbleasdale@digitalrealty.com

Blackstone
Paula Chirhart
+1 646 583 6684
paula.chirhart@blackstone.com 

Jeffrey Kauth
+1 212 583 5395
jeffrey.kauth@blackstone.com

Safe Harbor Statement
This press release contains forward-looking statements which are based on current expectations, forecasts and assumptions that involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual outcomes and results to differ materially. Forward-looking statements involve significant known and unknown risks and uncertainties that may cause the Digital Realty’s actual results in future periods to differ materially from those projected or contemplated in the forward-looking statements as a result of, but not limited to, the following factors:  timing of the closing of the joint ventures; the development timing and cost of the campuses; potential IT load capacity; the satisfaction of customary closing conditions; and other risk factors relating to the industries in which Digital Realty operates, as detailed from time to time in each of Digital Realty’s reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. There can be no assurance that the proposed transactions will be consummated on the terms described herein or at all.  For a list and description of such risks and uncertainties, see the reports and other filings by Digital Realty with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Digital Realty disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Premier data centre solutions provider expands geographic footprint.

DIF Capital Partners’ (DIF) investee company Tonaquint Data Centers (Tonaquint) has acquired EdgeX Data Centers (EdgeX), adding a further site to its portfolio of data centres in the United States.

Tonaquint is a specialised data centre provider offering cloud, colocation, backup, disaster recovery and network-as-a-service solutions to mid-market organisations through its facilities in the Mountain West and Southwest regions of the United States.

This acquisition adds another data centre to Tonaquint’s existing platform in Boise, Idaho and St. George, Utah, and enables Tonaquint to extend its robust portfolio into the rapidly growing Oklahoma City market, and adjacent markets. Tonaquint was acquired by DIF in December 2022.

The EdgeX facility is a purpose-built Tier III data centre, comprising 65,000 square feet in total, including two 10,000 square foot data halls, situated on a highly secure 4-acre campus. The facility has the ability to deliver water-chilled cooling for high density workloads.

Tonaquint plans to commission a minimum of 2.5 MW of critical IT load, via a phased approach, in the first year of operations. With an expansion capability of up to 12MW, the EdgeX facility holds significant future upside.

Strategically located near Will Rogers World Airport, the EdgeX facility utilizes the same electrical grid that powers the airport and is designed to withstand tornado-force winds of up to 310 mph, positioning it to provide 100% uptime.

As part of the transaction, Terry Morrison, Co-Founder and CTO of EdgeX, will join Tonaquint as COO and CTO.

Willem Jansonius, Partner at DIF and Tonaquint board member said: “This acquisition is a great step towards further building out the Tonaquint platform and expanding into underserved markets. We welcome Terry Morrison to join the strong management team at Tonaquint. Data centres form an important part of DIF’s investment strategy. We believe the investment offers substantial opportunities for value enhancement in the coming years, combined with reliable cash flows from high-quality contracts.”

Matt Hamlin, CEO of Tonaquint said: “Working with the EdgeX team has been an absolute pleasure. This transaction will enable Tonaquint to accelerate its growth and expand the service offering to our clients.”

John Parsons, Co-Founder of EdgeX said: “We are thrilled to be able to bring EdgeX together with Tonaquint and are excited about continuing to work with them to extend the capabilities of the Tonaquint platform into the very vibrant Oklahoma City market.”

About DIF Capital Partners

DIF Capital Partners is an infrastructure fund manager with ca. EUR 16 billion of assets under management. DIF was founded in 2005 and has a leading position in managing mid-market investments, primarily in Europe, North America and Australia.

DIF follows two strategies: its traditional DIF funds invest in lower-risk mid-sized infrastructure projects and companies in the energy transition (incl. renewables) and utilities sector, as well as PPPs and concessions. The firm’s CIF funds invest in small to mid-sized companies that will thrive in the new economy. These companies are typically active in the digital infrastructure, energy transition and sustainable transportation sector.

With a team of over 225 professionals in 11 offices, DIF offers a unique market approach combining global presence with the benefits of strong local networks and investment capabilities. DIF is located in Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Helsinki, London, Luxembourg, Madrid, New York, Paris, Santiago, Sydney and Toronto.

For more information, please visit www.dif.eu or follow us on LinkedIn.

About Tonaquint

Tonaquint was founded in 2008 in St. George, UT, and entered the Boise, ID, market in 2020 with the acquisition of Fiberpipe Data Centers, Inc. Tonaquint provides a comprehensive set of data center solutions to a diverse and growing client base in the technology, healthcare, financial services, and industrial sectors, in high growth and emerging markets. In December 2022, DIF Capital Partners acquired Tonaquint, to enable Tonaquint to continue its growth. To learn more and get connected, visit tonaquint.com.

About EdgeX

EdgeX was founded in 2021, after acquiring a facility originally built by Devon Energy. EdgeX provides resilient facilities for businesses with demanding uptime, scalable compute, storage, and content distribution requirements, across the financial services, digital content distribution, and insurance verticals. For more information, please visit https://edgexdc.com/about-us.

Press contacts:

DIF Capital Partners: press@dif.eu

Tonaquint: jsa_tonaquint@jsa.net