The data centre industry has invested billions of dollars over the years in mergers and acquisitions. According to the data gathered by Data Economy, more than $81bn has been spent on investments in the industry over the past eight years, and 58% has been invested by the top ten acquirers alone. It is anticipated that this trend of year-on-year record investment is set to continue.

Philip Low, chairman of BroadGroup, said, "We see that this optimism has been fuelled by the digital transformation of organisations globally, the rising influence of Industry 4.0, and the diffusion of the internet of things (IoT)."

With business models ranging from pure wholesale space to value-add managed services, managed security, on top of capacity, power, and cooling, the market has expanded to hyperscale facilities and now edge. Edge computing is a technology that combines data- centre infrastructure, mobile networks, and real estate and represents a potentially huge market opportunity.

Philip Low continued, "Allied to these trends, the emergence of a new range of technologies such as AI, IoT, blockchain, 5G, robotics, and more presents different sets of risks and rewards and will provide a robust platform for lenders, M&A specialists, as well as major industry players to exchange insights and investment opportunities."

Miles Loo, Executive Vice President, Newmark Knight Frank added, "One of the best conferences during the year, where high-level influencers from all over the world gather to share their experiences, this conference is very well organized, with an agenda that addresses all aspects of the industry. It is definitely a great venue to learn and establish and enforce connections among executives and business leaders in this industry!"

The FINVEST one-day special summit will be held during the premier industry conference Datacloud Global Congress, which will showcase thought leadership across the entire IT infrastructure ecosystem.  Datacloud has performed a critical role as an international networking and deal-making opportunity for key players in the sector.