Operator profile
AirTrunk
Australian data centre operator profile covering AirTrunk sites, Certified Strategic Facilities, footprint and latest coverage.
Key figures
- Certified Strategic Facilities: 3 (HCF register)
- Australian sites tracked: 6 (Directory rows)
- Metro footprint: 2 (Sydney and Melbourne)
- Certified facilities: 3 (SYD1, SYD2 and MEL1)
- Campus capacity: 120MW+ to 400MW+ (AirTrunk's total capacity per campus: SYD1 130MW+, SYD2 120MW+, SYD3 400MW+, MEL1 185MW+, MEL2 354MW+. Design figures, measure not stated)
- Backing: Blackstone + CPP (Private operator)
Profile summary
Ownership Blackstone and CPP Investments (private) · HQ Sydney · Founded 2015 · Founder and CEO Robin Khuda · Certified Strategic 3 Facilities · Australian sites 6 · Footprint Sydney and Melbourne.
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2015 |
| Founder | Robin Khuda |
| Headquarters | Sydney |
| Leadership | Robin Khuda |
| Ownership | Blackstone + CPP Investments |
| Australian metros | Sydney and Melbourne |
| Certification | 3 Certified Strategic Facilities: SYD1, SYD2 and MEL1. |
Overview
AirTrunk is a Sydney-headquartered data centre operator founded by Robin Khuda in 2015. It runs campuses in Sydney and Melbourne, with three Certified Strategic Facilities across SYD1, SYD2 and MEL1, and has proposed a 550.5MW data centre on the former Kurri Kurri aluminium smelter site at Loxford in the NSW Hunter. The NSW Government lists Kurri Kurri as state significant development SSD-128819490, and its environmental impact statement is on public exhibition from 14 October to 11 November 2026; 550.5MW is the site's total power consumption, not IT load. The Newcastle Herald reported a 2028 opening and a value of A$3.7 billion to A$5 billion.
AirTrunk also runs campuses in Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, India and Saudi Arabia; figures on this page cover Australia only. In October 2026 AirTrunk postponed a planned US$1.5 billion Singapore real estate investment trust float, possibly to early 2027, The Wall Street Journal reported. Reuters reported in mid October that it is nearing a sale of its Johor data centre in Malaysia to investors including the pension fund KWAP, valued at about US$2 billion. AirTrunk gives each Australian campus a total capacity figure: SYD1 130MW+, SYD2 120MW+, SYD3 400MW+, MEL1 185MW+ and MEL2 354MW+. These are design figures and AirTrunk does not state the measure, so they are not all operating capacity.
The pipeline: work on the SYD3 extension (400MW+) began in July 2026, with a target of mid-2028, and MEL2 (354MW+) has a 2027 target. AirTrunk has also proposed a 1.2GW campus at Kemps Creek (SYD4) and a seven-building campus at Mickleham, neither with a date yet. Its SYD2 page lists Apollo Place, Phase 5 of the Lane Cove West campus, from 2026.
AirTrunk reports 86 per cent of its Australian energy use matched with renewables, a company figure. In June 2026 Google, AirTrunk and European Energy Australia announced the 25MW Mulwala solar farm, and AirTrunk has argued for the national renewables rule for data centres to be phased in. In October 2026 AirTrunk scored 100 out of 100 in the GRESB Infrastructure Asset Assessment, a global sustainability benchmark; the score covers the whole group.
NVIDIA named AirTrunk one of eight Australian AI factory partners on 10 September 2026, and Robin Khuda shared the 2026 Data Centres Australia Industry Achievement Award. On 15 September 2026 AirTrunk announced a partnership with deep tech company Emergence Quantum on cryogenic cooling and quantum computing for next-generation data centres; the announcement names no site.
Australian facilities and certification
3 Certified Strategic Facilities: SYD1, SYD2 and MEL1.
| Certified Strategic sites |
|---|
| 3 Certified Strategic Facilities: SYD1, SYD2 and MEL1. |
See all AirTrunk sites in the Certified Strategic directory, cross-checked against the Australian Government HCF register.
Latest coverage
Questions about AirTrunk
What is AirTrunk?
AirTrunk is a Sydney-headquartered hyperscale data centre operator, founded by Robin Khuda in 2015 and now owned by Blackstone and CPP Investments.
Where are AirTrunk's data centres?
AirTrunk runs campuses in Sydney and Melbourne. It has also proposed a 550.5MW data centre at Kurri Kurri, on the former aluminium smelter site at Loxford in the NSW Hunter, listed as state significant development SSD-128819490, and its environmental impact statement is on public exhibition from 14 October to 11 November 2026.
Is AirTrunk Certified Strategic?
Yes. AirTrunk holds Certified Strategic Facility status at three sites, SYD1, SYD2 and MEL1, under the Hosting Certification Framework.
Who owns AirTrunk?
AirTrunk is privately owned by a consortium led by Blackstone with CPP Investments, following their acquisition completed at the end of 2024; founder Robin Khuda retains a stake. CPP Investments holds 12 per cent, as reported by MarketScreener. The consortium bought 88 per cent from Macquarie Asset Management and PSP Investments at an enterprise value above A$24 billion, including capex for committed projects.
What is AirTrunk planning at Kurri Kurri?
AirTrunk has proposed a 550.5MW data centre on the former Kurri Kurri aluminium smelter site at Loxford in the NSW Hunter. The NSW Government lists it as state significant development SSD-128819490, and its environmental impact statement is on public exhibition from 14 October to 11 November 2026. The 550.5MW is the site's total power consumption in the planning record, not IT load. The Australian Financial Review reported on 22 September 2026 that Anthropic is in advanced talks to anchor the campus, with nothing formalised.