Blackstone’s A$24 Billion AirTrunk Data Centre Deal

Law firms including Simpson Thacher & Bartlett, King & Wood Mallesons (KWM), and Allens are participating in Blackstone’s A billion (US$16 billion) deal to acquire AirTrunk, a leading data centre platform in the Asia-Pacific region.

Simpson Thacher and KWM are advising Blackstone, the world’s largest alternative asset manager, on its acquisition of AirTrunk, which is expected to be Australia’s largest M&A deal this year.

Simpson Thacher Team

The Simpson Thacher team was led by New York partners Anthony King and Samuel Rudik, and Hong Kong-based Makiko Harunari. The firm is known for advising on private equity strategies for Blackstone Real Estate Partners, Blackstone Infrastructure Partners, Blackstone Tactical Opportunities, and Blackstone’s private investors.

KWM Team

KWM partners Alex Elser, Gareth Howe, Yuen-Yee Cho, Dan Flanagan, Tim Sherman, and Victoria Lanyon led the transaction team. The team was also supported by partners Mandy Tsang, David Eliakim, Francesca Giorlando, Felicity Savage, Vishal Ahuja, Angela Weber, and Malcolm Brennan.

Allens Team

Allens is acting as legal counsel to the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPP), with partners Wendy Rae and Michelle Bennett advising on the transaction.

The transaction is subject to approval from Australia’s Foreign Investment Review Board.