REPORTED: based on a Bloomberg report citing unnamed people familiar with the matter, published by The Business Times on 12 October 2026. Bridge Data Centres declined to comment. Nothing has been signed or announced.
Bridge Data Centres, a data-centre operator owned by private equity firm Bain Capital, “is in talks with banks to more than double the size of an existing loan to about US$6.6 billion, people familiar with the matter said, in what would be one of the largest deals for the sector in Asia,” according to the report [1].
What is reportedly happening
- The loan being enlarged is a Malaysia loan. According to the report, this is “an extension of a previous effort to increase the size to at least US$5 billion from an original US$2.8 billion that it obtained last year for its operations in Malaysia” [1]. In plain terms: Bridge borrowed US$2.8bn last year, had already been trying to push that to at least US$5bn, and is now reportedly aiming for about US$6.6bn.
- Timing. The bigger loan “could be launched into the market as early as November,” the people said [1]. “Launched into the market” means the lead banks would start inviting other lenders to take a share. It does not mean the money has been raised.
- A separate Thailand loan has stalled. “Plans for a loan of up to US$6 billion for a Thailand-based data centre have stalled, the people said, around the time the South-east Asian nation decided last month to suspend the construction of 49 data centres amid concerns over energy usage” [1]. The report does not say the two things are directly linked, only that they happened around the same time.
What Bridge says
“As a matter of policy, we do not comment on unverified information or market speculation,” a Bridge spokesperson said [1].
Why a loan this big matters
Building AI data centres is extremely expensive, and operators increasingly borrow to pay for it rather than relying only on their owners’ money. The report cites Moody’s Ratings, which “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” [1].
The same report notes signs of caution. According to it, banks are increasingly mindful of how much they have lent to the sector, and last week Firmus Grid pulled an attempt at one of Australia’s biggest-ever stock market listings (IPOs) after struggling to convince some investors of its valuation [1].
What is not known
- Which banks are involved, and on what terms.
- Whether the upsized loan will actually launch in November, or at what final size.
- Which Thailand project the stalled loan was meant for, and whether it will be revived.
Sources
- Bloomberg, “Bain’s Bridge Data Centres seeks to upsize loan to US$6.6 billion”, via The Business Times, 12 October 2026, 02:03 PM SGT. https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/startups-tech/technology/bains-bridge-data-centres-seeks-upsize-loan-us6-6-billion
