With two big hyperscale data Centers in India, global asset manager Blackstone Group has entered the Asian data Center market. These facilities will have a combined capacity of 600 MW. Blackstone's Real Estate and Tactical Opportunities funds will own and manage the data Center platform, Lumina CloudInfra, which was created by the New York-based investor. Anil Reddy, a senior executive at Microsoft Inc. who oversaw worldwide cloud infrastructure, will serve as the platform's global CEO and direct its growth strategy in Asia. Sujeet Deshpande, a recent hire from Colt Data Center Services, will serve as the CEO of the Indian business.
Two Cities Will Each Receive a 600 MW Data Center
The two cities that will get the new 600 MW data Center capacity are Mumbai and Chennai. After commercial real estate, the retail establishment Nexus Malls, and Horizon Industrial Parks, which opened in 2021, this is the fourth significant sector being established in India. Blackstone stated on Tuesday that the introduction of Lumina is a reflection of its ongoing commitment to strengthening its position in Asia and global focus on data infrastructure.
Blackstone is in the midst of purchasing two data Centers in Navi Mumbai, one each in Airoli and Mahape, and is also in the stages of buying a land parcel in Chennai to build a Data Center. At a later time, it will also be extended to Pune, Hyderabad, and the National Capital Region (NCR). As per Lumina CEO Reddy, there is a significant demand for data creation and transmission across the globe, but particularly in India, home to many of extremely fast businesses.
QTS Realty Trust in the US, which Blackstone acquired in 2021 for about $10 billion, a string of data Centers in Japan under long-term agreements with leading cloud service providers, Phoenix Towers International, a private cell tower platform in the Americas and Europe, and Hotwire Communications, a pioneer in fibre optic technology, are among the companies Blackstone is currently investing in when it comes to digital infrastructure.
According to Jasvinder Khaira, head of digital infrastructure at Blackstone's Tactical Opportunities Group, Lumina's entry into the data Center business serves as a showcase for Blackstone's advantages in terms of scale, network, and industry knowledge as it responds to India's growing need for mission-critical data infrastructure. One of Blackstone's investment themes with the highest level of conviction is the expansion of the public and private cloud, especially in India, where many of its investments have focused on technology-enabled companies and assets, Khaira added.
