Blue Owl Capital, a US-based alternative asset manager, is considering a publicly listed real estate investment trust (REIT) for data centers, seeded with about US$6.5 billion of its own assets, according to people familiar with the matter.

The move comes as more companies tap public markets to fund AI infrastructure.

The vehicle would seek additional capital through an initial public offering (IPO) and later share sales to acquire more data centers and expand its portfolio, the people said.

The structure would resemble Blackstone Digital Infrastructure Trust, which raised US$2 billion in its May debut.

Deliberations are ongoing, and the REIT’s structure and IPO details could still change, the people said.

The timing comes as data center listings gain momentum. Bloomberg Intelligence estimates annual global data center capital expenditure could exceed US$1.2 trillion by 2028, up from US$421 billion last year.

🔗 Source: Bloomberg

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