Digital Realty Trust Inc., through its Stellar Participações Ltda. unit, closed on the purchase of Brazilian data center provider Ascenty Ltda. from private equity firm Great Hill Partners LP in a deal valued at roughly $1.8 billion.
Separately, the data center real estate investment trust signed an independent bilateral equity commitment letter with Brookfield Asset Management Inc. affiliate Brookfield Infrastructure to finance half of the required equity investment of about $613 million, excluding Brookfield's share of the transaction costs, in exchange for a 49% ownership stake in a joint venture that will ultimately own Ascenty.
The deal with Brookfield is slated to close in the first quarter of 2019.