(Oct 14): Asian data centre operator Princeton Digital Group Ltd is seeking a syndicated loan of up to US$1.2 billion (RM4.9 billion) to fund its Malaysia buildout, according to a person familiar with the matter, as the debt binge to finance artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure continues.

HSBC Holdings plc Singapore branch, Maybank Investment Bank Bhd, OCBC Bank (Malaysia) Bhd, Standard Chartered Bank (Singapore) Ltd, and United Overseas Bank Ltd are the mandated lead arrangers and bookrunners for the three-year loan deal, said the person, asking not to be identified discussing private information.

Proceeds from the loan to be taken by the company’s subsidiary, Princeton Digital Group Labuan Alpha Ltd, will be used to fund a 198.8-megawatt data centre campus project in Johor, Malaysia, and to refinance existing debt, the person said. 

Standard Chartered declined to comment. Representatives for Princeton Digital Group, HSBC, Maybank, OCBC Malaysia and UOB didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.

Data centre companies across the world have been taking on debt as they seek to raise capital to meet growing AI demand. Moody’s Ratings expects at least US$3 trillion to flow into data centre-related investments over the next five years, with much of the spending financed through debt.

But there are signs global investors are starting to push back against what they see are frothy AI valuations as evidenced by the collapse of Nvidia Corp-backed data centre operator Firmus Grid Ltd’s initial public offering last week.

Data centre firm AirTrunk, which counts Blackstone Inc as a key investor, was reported to delay its planned IPO of a real estate investment trust in Singapore until next year as higher interest rates and market volatility temper investor demand. 

Headquartered in Singapore, Princeton Digital’s top shareholder is Warburg Pincus and other investors include Stonepeak Partners, Abu Dhabi sovereign fund Mubadala Investment Co and Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan Board. 

The firm, founded in 2018, operates more than 1.8 gigawatts of data centre capacity across Asia including China, Japan, South Korea, India, Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia, according to its website.

PDG has been on a borrowing spree as it seeks to expand across Asia. In May, the firm said it raised around US$856 million for its data centre buildout in Indonesia. Earlier in the year, the company said it was targeting to raise US$5 billion in debt to support regional expansion plans.

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