Data Vault plans new North Shore data centre in Auckland. Tue, 20th Oct 2026 (Today) Data Vault has announced a new 3MW data centre on Auckland's North Shore as part of a wider plan to add about 6MW of capacity across Auckland, Hamilton and Wellington. The New Zealand-owned operator has already acquired the building for the North Shore site and confirmed 11 connectivity and service partners for launch. Fit-out is scheduled to begin in 2027, with the first stage expected to become operational in the second half of that year. The project follows continued growth at Data Vault's Grafton facility as the company expands its Auckland footprint. Data Hall 3 at Grafton is fully contracted, while Data Hall 4 is due to become operational in the first quarter of 2027 and Data Hall 5 is scheduled to follow in the third quarter. The wider expansion programme includes a further 1MW in Grafton, another 1MW at its Te Rapa site in Hamilton and about 300kW in Wellington. Together with the North Shore project, those plans amount to 5.3MW of identified additional capacity, with further options under review as part of the broader 6MW target. Peter White, General Manager, Data Vault, said demand was coming from a mix of network operators, cloud providers and international technology companies. "We've seen significant demand from network operators, cloud providers and international technology companies looking for high-quality colocation in New Zealand. Data Hall 3 is full, we've secured a major international anchor customer for Data Hall 4, and we're already progressing Data Hall 5 for next year. The North Shore development is the next logical step. We've secured the building and expect to start bringing capacity online next year, giving our customers another Auckland location and greater geographic diversity," White said. Launch partners For the North Shore site, Data Vault has lined up Eon Fibre, Devoli, EdgeIX, Verge Infrastructure, WaveSquared, Hostpearl, Vetta Group, Mercury, Purelink, Vital and Megaport as launch partners. More are expected to be added before the facility opens. Customers at the site will be able to access fibre networks, internet services, internet exchanges, cloud connectivity and other network services from the first day of operation. The North Shore facility will continue the company's carrier-neutral model, allowing customers to choose their preferred providers. Data Vault's existing Grafton operation is approaching 70 autonomous system numbers across its network ecosystem and has access to internet exchanges including EdgeIX, NZIX and MegaIX. The North Shore facility is intended to mirror that approach in a second Auckland location. "We're not building a facility and then hoping the network providers turn up. We've already confirmed 11 launch partners, with more to come. Customers will have access to a wide range of services and providers from day one. We've built a strong connectivity ecosystem at Grafton, and our intention is to bring that same approach to North Shore from the outset," White said. Efficiency focus Energy use is another priority in the expansion programme. The new developments will use modern cooling systems, aisle containment and power infrastructure designed to improve power usage effectiveness. Data Vault already has rooftop solar installations at its Grafton and Hamilton facilities and plans further large-scale solar projects, including at the North Shore site. That reflects growing customer scrutiny of energy costs and site efficiency as rack demand rises. "Power efficiency is becoming increasingly important for our customers. We're investing in modern cooling technology and better facility design to maximise the amount of power available for customer IT equipment. We already have solar generation at Grafton and Hamilton, and we're looking to expand on that as we develop new facilities. It's about improving efficiency, reducing operating costs and keeping our facilities commercially competitive," White said. Customer segment Data Vault is focusing on mid-density colocation rather than the hyperscale and artificial intelligence infrastructure that has attracted much of the sector's recent investment. It sees demand from network operators, cloud providers, managed service providers and enterprise customers that do not require very high rack densities. At the same time, the business is nearing completion of its SOC 2 readiness programme. Enhanced security and operational controls will be rolled out across all facilities alongside the North Shore development, covering physical security, monitoring, operational procedures and governance as the company works towards independent SOC 2 attestation. "Security and compliance are becoming increasingly important, particularly for enterprise and international customers. We've been investing in our systems, processes and physical security to ensure consistent standards across our facilities as we grow," White said. Data Vault operates sites in Auckland and Hamilton and manages operations at its Wellington facility in partnership with Vital. "We're not trying to be the biggest data centre operator in New Zealand. Our focus is on building highly connected, efficient and reliable facilities, providing good service and making sure we have capacity available as our customers grow," White said.

DLA Piper advised a syndicate of eight banks on an AUD845 million ($586 million) senior secured debt financing for Megaport, the Brisbane-based network and infrastructure company. The facilities give Megaport a flexible debt platform to support growth, including its expansion into AI infrastructure through strategic compute contracts and more graphics processing unit (GPU) capacity. The deal also refinances an existing AUD150 million ($104 million) facility. The cross-border transaction involved DLA Piper teams from Australia, Germany, New Zealand, Singapore, the UK, and the US. "This financing highlights the growing intersection of digital infrastructure and AI," said finance partner David Kirkland.

Megaport shares jump 5.5% as AI infrastructure bet lifts ASX tech stock ahead of october quarterly update. The ASX-listed network services company has gained 36% in a year, but its shift into AI infrastructure faces questions over profitability, capital spending and customer concentration. Published 10/12/26 AT 12:24 PM AEDT SYDNEY - Shares of Megaport Ltd. rose sharply on Monday, outpacing the broader Australian market as investors returned to the network services company whose push into artificial intelligence infrastructure has made it one of the most closely watched technology stocks on the ASX. Megaport shares climbed 1.03 Australian dollars, or 5.49%, to A$19.81 during Monday's session. The stock traded between A$19.16 and A$19.89, with about 361,000 shares changing hands. The gain lifted the company's market value to about A$4.7 billion. It was not immediately clear whether the company had released new information to the market. Monday's move came as the benchmark S&P/ASX 200 index rose about 0.7% by midday, helped by a rebound in mining stocks and a rally in technology shares. Megaport shares are up about 36% over the past year. From connectivity to AI Founded in Brisbane and listed on the ASX in December 2015, Megaport built its business providing network-as-a-service technology that helps companies connect to cloud providers, data centers and other digital services on demand. Over the past year, however, the company's investment story has shifted toward artificial intelligence. Megaport has expanded into providing computing power, including access to graphics processing units used to run AI applications, positioning itself as an asset-light way for investors to gain exposure to demand for AI infrastructure. That strategy produced a string of major contract announcements in the first half of 2026. In April, Megaport said Latitude.sh had secured a 36-month compute and storage contract worth about A$35.4 million. In May, it announced three major contracts for GPU, CPU, network and storage services with two U.S.-based technology customers running AI applications and inference workloads. In June, the company announced four new major contracts with a total contract value of about A$458.9 million and annual recurring revenue of roughly A$199 million, alongside a capital raising. It also outlined plans for a globally distributed AI inference cloud that would include an on-demand pool of GPUs. The announcements fueled a dramatic rally. At one point, the shares surged about 70% in a single month. Strong results, but higher losses Megaport reported its full-year results for fiscal 2026 in August. Revenue rose 37% to about A$312 million, while earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization reached about A$77 million, a margin of about 25% and ahead of guidance. The shares initially jumped to a record high of A$21.96 on the morning of the results. But enthusiasm faded as investors focused on the company's widening losses. Megaport's statutory net loss grew to A$39 million in fiscal 2026 from A$300,000 a year earlier, reflecting heavy investment in its expansion. The stock subsequently fell about 21% over five trading days, a reminder of how volatile shares tied to the AI investment theme can be. Analysts remain upbeat Despite the volatility, analysts have remained broadly positive. Most brokers covering the stock rate it a buy, with some price targets as high as A$30.55, well above Monday's trading levels. Supporters argue that Megaport offers exposure to AI-driven demand with shorter implementation times and lower capital requirements than traditional data center operators. Critics caution that the company still needs to deploy capital effectively, deliver hardware on time, manage its reliance on a small number of large customers and prove that new contracts translate into strong returns. What's next Megaport's next earnings report is expected Oct. 29, according to Investing.com. Investors will be watching for progress on its AI contracts, growth in annual recurring revenue and any updates on spending plans. For now, Monday's rally suggests investors remain willing to back Megaport's transformation from a cloud connectivity provider into an AI infrastructure player, even as questions about profitability persist.