Australia-based hyperscale data center operator AirTrunk — owned by US investment firm Blackstone — plans to build its next data center in India, Bloomberg reported on Thursday. The project is already “pretty advanced,” and comes amid rising AI-driven computing demand across the region, making India an attractive expansion market, AirTrunk CEO Robin Khuda said.
REMEMBER- AirTrunk, which is eyed for an acquisition by a consortium including MGX and Saudi Arabia’s Humain (also backed by Blackstone), has announced a USD 3 bn data center project in the Kingdom, marking AirTrunk’s regional debut.
CMA CGM buys into landmark German terminal: French shipping firm CMA CGM has inked an agreement to acquire a 20% stake in Eurogate Container Terminal Hamburg, according to a statement published last week. The move dovetails with port operator Eurogate’s aim to enact major expansions at the German port, targeting growth of up to 6 mn TEUs, the statement said.
On the port: The port handles 4 mn TEUs annually, Splash247 reported last week. A planned Western Expansion will add 38 hectares of yard space and some 1k meters of quay wall — preparing the port to handle next-generation container vessels.
The US bags loads of trade agreements: The US secured trade frameworks with Argentina, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Ecuador, as well as a dual agreement with Switzerland and Liechtenstein, Semafor reported on Friday. Under the agreements, tariffs on Guatemala, El Salvador, and Argentina will go down to a 10% rate, while tariffs on Ecuador, Switzerland (which committed to invest USD 200 bn in the US in the next three years), and Liechtenstein are going to stand at 15%.
Exemptions, too: President Donald Trump exempted agricultural imports like coffee, cocoa, tea, beans, and some beef products from tariffs, in a bid to soften the political blowback resulting from higher prices in store shelves, CNBC reported last weekend.