Digital Realty, Brookfield Infrastructure joint venture targets India for PlatformDIGITAL data centers
Digital Realty (NYSE: DLR) and Brookfield Infrastructure Partners L.P. (TSX: BIP.UN; NYSE: BIP) and its institutional partners (Brookfield Infrastructure) say they have agreed to create a joint venture, called BAM Digital Realty, to develop and operate data centers in India. The data centers will leverage Digital Realty’s PlatformDIGITAL data center platform. The joint venture agreement is subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals and is expected to occur in the second half of 2021.
Once established, BAM Digital Realty will acquire land in multiple Indian metros for data center campuses to attract global hyperscale service providers as well as international and local enterprises. The partners did not reveal which metros they will target. The joint venture expects to design, build, and operate sustainable facilities, leveraging Digital Realty’s energy-efficient data center design and operating practices and Pervasive Data Center Architecture (PDx) approach.
“Today’s collaboration marks the beginning of a new chapter for Digital Realty’s operations, customers and partners in Asia Pacific. India is on the cusp of rapid digitization of services to support the country’s economic growth,” said Mark Smith, managing director, APAC for Digital Realty. “PlatformDIGITAL will offer our new and existing customers a consistent deployment model for extending their operations into India, providing fit-for-purpose infrastructure that will enable them to scale their digital business into one of the fastest-growing data markets in the world.”
Brookfield says it has been investing in India for more than a decade and has approximately $20 billion of assets under management. These include infrastructure (139,000 operational telecom wireless towers among them), renewable power, real estate, and private equity.
“We are pleased to further expand both our partnership with Digital Realty and our presence in India through this joint venture,” said Arpit Agrawal, Managing Director and Head of India & Middle East, Brookfield Infrastructure, alluding to a recent joint venture deal between the two companies focused on Latin America. “Through the development of a high-quality, multi-city, India-focused data center platform, we believe BAM Digital Realty is well positioned to play a meaningful role in addressing the large and growing data demand in the country and to offer a differentiated solution to customers.”
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About the Author
Stephen Hardy
Editorial Director and Associate Publisher, Lightwave
Stephen Hardy is editorial director and associate publisher of Lightwave and Broadband Technology Report, part of the Lighting & Technology Group at Endeavor Business Media. Stephen is responsible for establishing and executing editorial strategy across the both brands’ websites, email newsletters, events, and other information products. He has covered the fiber-optics space for more than 20 years, and communications and technology for more than 35 years. During his tenure, Lightwave has received awards from Folio: and the American Society of Business Press Editors (ASBPE) for editorial excellence. Prior to joining Lightwave in 1997, Stephen worked for Telecommunications magazine and the Journal of Electronic Defense.
Stephen has moderated panels at numerous events, including the Optica Executive Forum, ECOC, and SCTE Cable-Tec Expo. He also is program director for the Lightwave Innovation Reviews and the Diamond Technology Reviews.
He has written numerous articles in all aspects of optical communications and fiber-optic networks, including fiber to the home (FTTH), PON, optical components, DWDM, fiber cables, packet optical transport, optical transceivers, lasers, fiber optic testing, and more.
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