Leading Edge DC secures $30M for regional network rollout

Chris Thorpe (Leading Edge Data Centres)

Leading Edge Data Centres (LEDC) has secured a $30 million equity investment from DigitalBridge Group for its regional edge data centre network rollout.

Currently, LEDC has four Tier III data centres set up in Newcastle, Tamworth, Dubbo and Albury, with another two under construction in Coffs Harbour and Wagga Wagga.

With the investment, LEDC expects to accelerate its expansion plans and open more data centres over the next 24 months. As a result, the data centre operator expects to deliver faster growth.

“DigitalBridge is a leading global investor in digital infrastructure, with multiple edge investments globally, and this investment is a vote of confidence in LEDC’s business strategy and trajectory,” said Chris Thorpe, LEDC founder and CEO.

“This investment will accelerate the deployment of our world-class regional edge network, positioning LEDC to provide significant social, economic and environmental benefits to regional Australia.”

LECD’s data centre rollout started in Newcastle, NSW, with its construction lasting from August 2020 to February 2021.

That particular data centre integrated technology from Cisco and Megaport, as well as Schneider Electric, the latter of which being part of a deal for Leading Edge DC’s first six sites to be provided with prefabricated data centre modules.

In total, the data centre operator has 26 regional facilities planned, with future locations including Bathurst in NSW and Shepparton, Bendigo, Ballarat, Geelong, Traralgon, Horsham and Mildura in Victoria.