Private equity giant Blackstone Inc., along with the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, is now acquiring Australia’s data centre group AirTrunk for about US$16.1-billion. AirTrunk is the largest data centre group in the Asia-Pacific region, with sites in Australia, Japan, Malaysia, Hong Kong and Singapore.
large-scale and costly assets, which create high barriers to entry for newer players, and so protect the market share of existing operators. Our search started with dividend-paying Canadian and U.S. data centre firms well-positioned to maintain steady or rising returns. From there, we applied our TSI Dividend Sustainability Rating System, awarding points to a stock based on key factors:two points if it has raised the payment in the past five years;one point for operating in non-cyclical industries;two points for a strong balance sheet, including manageable debt and adequate cash;one point if the company’s an industry leader.