CPPIB joins one of two bid groups seeking to acquire Australia’s AirTrunk: sources

Two bidding groups led by Blackstone and IFM Investors lodged final offers on Tuesday to buy Australian data centre group AirTrunk in a transaction worth about A$20 billion ($13.55 billion), according to two sources with direct knowledge of the matter.

Binding bids were due on Tuesday and AirTrunk, alongside its advisers Macquarie and Goldman Sachs, is now examining the offers, the sources said. There is no deadline for selecting a winning bid, one of the sources added.

Blackstone bid for AirTrunk alongside consortium partner the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB), one source said.

The IFM led consortium consists of DigitalBridge, GIP, Mubadala’s MGX and Silver Lake, the second person and a third source added.

The sources could not be named discussing confidential information.

Blackstone and CPPIB declined to comment. AirTrunk, IFM, MGX and Silver Lake did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

DigitalBridge and GIP declined to comment.

AirTrunk’s shareholders led by Macquarie Asset Management and Canada’s Public Sector Pension Investment Board (PSP) declined to comment.

Macquarie and PSP own 88% of the data centre business but have not disclosed their individual stakes.