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Feb 19, 2026
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Aware Super Invests $300 Million in Vantage APAC to Power AI Growth
NewDecoded
3 min read
Image by Vantage
Expanding Digital Infrastructure Holdings
Aware Super, the third-largest pension fund in Australia, has finalized a $300 million investment to secure a minority stake in Vantage Data Centers’ Asia Pacific operations. The deal was facilitated through Skyline JV, a vehicle managed by the digital infrastructure investment firm DigitalBridge. This move places the fund at the center of the region's rapidly growing hyperscale market. By joining this joint venture, Aware Super aligns itself with major global investors like GIC and the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority. The investment specifically targets the infrastructure needed to support the ongoing generative AI boom and cloud computing expansion. Industry forecasts suggest the APAC region will require up to 20GW of data center capacity by the end of the decade according to market reports. Vantage APAC currently manages an extensive footprint including campuses in Malaysia, Japan, Australia, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. These facilities provide critical capacity for hyperscale customers such as major global cloud providers. The platform has expanded through strategic acquisitions and organic development to meet the intense compute requirements of modern technology.
A Strategic Pivot Toward Tech
This transaction pushes Aware Super’s total digital infrastructure holdings above the $6 billion mark. It represents a significant strategic shift for the fund as it moves capital away from traditional property sectors like retail and office space. Digital assets now account for more than 25 percent of the fund’s total infrastructure portfolio. The fund’s leadership identifies digital infrastructure as a critical plank for generating long-term, inflation-linked returns. This deal marks the second major partnership between Aware Super and DigitalBridge, following their 2023 investment in the US-based operator Switch. Such collaborations provide the fund with direct access to specialized operational expertise and global deal flow in a competitive sector. As data centers evolve into utility-scale assets, the capital requirements for power and cooling infrastructure have become immense. Operators increasingly rely on deep-pocketed institutional investors to fund these multi-billion dollar build-outs. This trend solidifies the role of pension capital in constructing the physical backbone of the AI-driven internet.
This investment signals a broader structural shift where data centers are no longer niche real estate but essential global utilities. As the AI revolution demands unprecedented power, the entry of pension funds like Aware Super provides the long-term capital necessary for massive infrastructure projects. By pivoting away from traditional commercial property toward hyperscale facilities, institutional investors are effectively underwriting the physical expansion of the digital economy.
