Fujitsu sells five Australian data centers to private equity buyer, signaling strategic shift from regional infrastructure ownership.

Fujitsu has sold its Australian data centre business to Next Capital Private Equity, substantially completing a strategic shift announced in 2024. The Tokyo-listed company has entered into an agreement to sell five data centres located in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and Perth, which will operate as an independent, Australian-managed national platform under the new owners.

Fujitsu Oceania chief executive Peter Grassi stated that the sale reflects the company's efforts to reshape its investment strategy. While Next Capital declined to disclose the transaction value, the Australian Financial Review speculated the deal was valued at approximately $200 million—substantially below the $500 million to $1 billion range that had been reported for an earlier sales process in 2024.

The original initiative, codenamed "Project Emerald," had involved six data centres: three in Sydney and three across Melbourne, Brisbane, and Perth. Sayers Advisory had been engaged to conduct that auction. In the current transaction, which encompasses sites in all four metropolitan centres, one of the three original Sydney locations—either in Greystanes, Homebush Bay, or North Ryde—has been excluded from the sale. Next Capital confirmed that one site from the original six was not included.

Next Capital said it expects all 58 members of Fujitsu's local data centre management team to be retained. The spokesperson stated: "This is not about replacing the existing management team. The current team will transfer with the business and will be supported by a new dedicated management team focused solely on the data centre platform, its customers and its growth."

While Fujitsu noted that Australian ownership was helpful given the customer base, the decision was not driven by data sovereignty concerns. Next Capital declined to confirm reports that the facilities serve approximately 80 clients across enterprise, financial services, and government sectors. Regarding technology capabilities, the firm described the facilities as "high-quality, enterprise-grade data centres that continue to support critical workloads" and stated that "AI workloads will be supported where they suit the facilities and available capacity."

Next Capital has prior experience in the sector. In September 2018, it acquired a 51 percent stake in iseek Communications, a Brisbane-headquartered data centre builder valued at $60 million, which delivered a four-fold return within three years.