Blackstone (BX.US) leads consortium to buy AirTrunk for A$24bn

A consortium led by Blackstone (BX.US) said it would pay more than A$24bn for Australian data center group AirTrunk, in what would be Blackstone's largest investment in the Asia-Pacific region.

Days ago, reports said Blackstone and its partner, the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, were close to a deal.

The consortium will buy AirTrunk from Macquarie Asset Management and PSP Investments.

Macquarie Asia Infrastructure Fund and PSP Investments bought a majority stake in AirTrunk in 2020.

Jon Gray, Blackstone's chief operating officer, said: "AirTrunk is a significant step in Blackstone's efforts to become a global leader in digital infrastructure across the ecosystem, including data centers, power and related services."

As of writing, Blackstone's shares were down 0.46% before the market opened.