DayOne Said to Weigh Options for US IPO After Data Center Rout

DayOne Data Centers Ltd. is weighing options for its US initial public offering, including a potential delay or size cut, as volatility around data centers increases, according to people familiar with the matter.

While Singapore-based DayOne has been waiting for the right window to launch the IPO, it’s also been considering the possibility of pushing back the share sale until the market recovers, the people said. Other options include going ahead with a smaller listing that may raise $2.5 billion to $3 billion, roughly half of what it had originally aimed for, the people said.

DayOne, whose backers include Coatue and Hillhouse, is continuing to engage with potential investors and still wants to move forward as soon as the market allows, the people said. The company was initially considering raising as much as $5 billion from the listing as soon as the fourth quarter, people familiar with the matter said previously. It had been eyeing a valuation of about $20 billion, the people have said.

Deliberations are ongoing and DayOne hasn’t made any final decisions, the people said, asking not to be identified because the information is private. The company could still opt to move ahead with the offering in the coming weeks, according to the people. DayOne declined to comment.

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While data centers have drawn global investor demand amid a boom in sectors related to artificial intelligence, a more negative sentiment has started to have ripple effects on IPOs. DayOne has been raising billions of dollars in private funding rounds as it seeks capital to build out its pipeline.

Australian data center company Firmus Grid Ltd. pulled its roughly $5 billion IPO when investors balked at the valuation it sought, while AirTrunk, which also operates data centers, delayed a planned real estate investment trust IPO in Singapore to next year.

South Korean digital infrastructure company Elice Inc. plunged 32% in its Seoul trading debut on Tuesday. Coreweave Inc.’s shares have more than halved since their May peak, and Nscale Ltd. is facing pushback over its target IPO valuation, Bloomberg News has reported. On Wednesday, shares of Australian data center operator Nextdc Ltd. plummeted after it cut earnings guidance.

Some investors are hoping that the recent market volatility will pass after the US midterm elections on Nov. 3. They’re also looking ahead to the performance of Anthropic PBC’s upcoming listing as an important gauge of sentiment toward the AI sector.

DayOne filed for a US IPO earlier this month. The offering is being led by Morgan Stanley, JPMorgan Chase & Co., Bank of America Corp. and Citigroup Inc. IFR reported Monday that DayOne was gathering more investor feedback before launching the share sale.

DayOne is running or developing data centers in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Hong Kong, Japan, Finland and Spain. Other backers include GDS Holdings Ltd., the SoftBank Vision Fund and Citadel’s Ken Griffin.