Australian pension fund Aware Super is investing in data center firm Switch Inc.

Switch-owner DigitalBridge this week announced Aware Super will make “a significant investment” into Switch.

The value of the deal wasn’t disclosed in the initial announcement, but DigitalBridge CEO Marc Ganzi described it as a “$500 million commitment” on LinkedIn.

Aware Super’s head of infrastructure, Mark Hector, said: “We are pleased to partner with DigitalBridge to invest in Switch as we grow our portfolio of digital infrastructure investments. Switch’s differentiated platform of high-quality data centers and 100 percent carbon-neutral footprint aligns with our purpose of delivering strong, risk-adjusted returns to our 1.1 million members and as a responsible owner and operator of real assets.”

Switch operates its large 'Prime' data center campuses in Reno, Las Vegas, Grand Rapids, and Atlanta. It is building a large data center in Texas, where it also bought Data Foundry for $420 million.

Switch also retains a stake in the SuperNAP facility in Bangkok, Thailand. The company also has an Edge business with Dell building Edge data centers at FedEx locations across the US.

Jon Mauck, senior managing director at DigitalBridge, said: “Aware Super recognizes the role of digital infrastructure in the ongoing digitization of the global economy and we welcome the opportunity to partner with them to invest in Switch, one of the industry's fastest-growing and highest-quality data center portfolios.”

DigitalBridge, alongside IFM Investors, took Switch private in an $11bn deal in December 2022.

Founded in 1992, Aware Super is an Australian superannuation fund (a type of retirement savings system). With $150bn under management and more than 1 million members, it is Australia's third-largest such fund.