SoftBank Said in Talks to Buy Out NYSE-Listed DigitalBridge and More Asia Real Estate Headlines

Data centres lead Mingtiandi’s look at real estate headlines from around the region today as veloci-investor Masayoshi Son is said to be in talks to take private US fund manager DigitalBridge. Also in the news as we start the week is another Japanese corporate looking to sell down its real estate assets, while GDS’s DayOne offshore unit may upsize its latest funding round to $2 billion.

SoftBank Said in Talks to Take DigitalBridge Private

SoftBank is in talks to acquire DigitalBridge, a private equity firm that invests in data centres, as it seeks to take advantage of an AI-driven boom in digital infrastructure, according to people with knowledge of the matter.

The Japanese conglomerate is negotiating a potential deal to buy NYSE-listed DigitalBridge and take it private, the people said, asking not to be identified discussing confidential information. Read more>>

NTT Docomo Mulls Sale of $645M Central Tokyo Plot 

NTT Docomo is considering selling the land surrounding four office buildings it owns in the Tokyo area as the mobile phone operator looks to shore up its finances, according to people familiar with the matter.

The total sale amount is expected to exceed JPY 100 billion ($645 million), the people said, asking not to be identified discussing private deliberations. NTT Docomo has already approached several potential buyers, including major property companies, the people said. Read more>>

GDS’s DayOne May Upsize Series C Round to $2B

DayOne Data Centers is in advanced talks to raise more than $2 billion in an upsized Series C funding round to help support its expansion in international markets, according to people familiar with the matter.

The Singapore-based data centre operator may reach a valuation of $10 billion after the potential fundraising, the people said, asking not to be identified discussing confidential information. The round is likely to be led by existing investors, the people said, adding that some fresh backers may also join. Read more>>

Hillhouse Said Leading Pursuit of Korea’s IGIS With $760M Bid

Hillhouse has emerged as a surprise frontrunner in the race to acquire IGIS Asset Management, intensifying a contest that had been expected to remain local and driving up the valuation in a late-stage turn.

Industry reports Friday said that Singapore-based Hillhouse Investment Management raised its offer for IGIS to KRW 1.1 trillion ($760 million), up from the KRW 900 billion initially submitted and the highest bid so far. Rival bidders Heungkook Life and Hanwha Life have reportedly offered KRW 1.05 trillion and KRW 900 billion, respectively. Read more>>

Koramco Marketing Coupang Incheon Warehouse

Koramco REITs Management and Trust is preparing to sell a large logistics centre located in Hang-dong, Incheon. Coupang, South Korea’s biggest e-commerce company, rents the site in its entirety and uses it as a fresh-food logistics hub.

Investment banking industry sources said Koramco REITs recently started distributing requests for proposals to domestic and overseas real estate consulting firms and accounting firms to sell the logistics centre. The seller plans to select a sales advisor this month and begin formal procedures. Read more>>

Lendlease Facing $66M Write-Off After Losing Court Case Over Sydney Site

Australian builder Lendlease is facing a write-off of up to A$100 million ($66.4 million) after a court rejected its claim to a group of land parcels for housing development in Sydney’s southwest.

Spread over hundreds of hectares of farmland south of Campbelltown on the eastern side of the Hume Motorway, the parcels were once part of the larger Figtree Hill housing estate. Lendlease was developing that estate before last year, selling it along with others as part of a A$1.1 billion portfolio deal with Stockland. Read more>>

PAG’s Flow Digital Launches First Phase of Manila Data Centre

A-Flow, a joint venture of AyalaLand Logistics and Flow Digital Infrastructure, launched its first data centre in the Philippines in Laguna, 35 kilometres (21.7 miles) south of metro Manila.

ML1 is the first of a planned three-building greenfield data centre campus with a total capacity of 36 megawatts, with the first phase featuring a 6MW IT load. Read more>>

OpenAI Said in Talks With Tata for India Data Centres

OpenAI, the world’s highest-valued artificial intelligence company, is in advanced talks to partner with India’s largest software services exporter, Tata Consultancy Services, to build AI compute infrastructure in India and co-develop agentic AI solutions for enterprises, said people in the know. 

India has the second-largest user base of ChatGPT after the US. In September, the Economic Times reported that OpenAI had begun groundwork for the India leg of Stargate, engaging with the government and holding negotiations with Reliance Industries, but the two sides failed to agree on terms. Read more>>

Tune in again soon for more real estate news and be sure to follow @Mingtiandi on X, or bookmark Mingtiandi’s LinkedIn page for headlines as they happen.