SYDNEY, Feb 9 (Reuters) - Australian artificial

intelligence company Firmus said on Monday it had finalised a

$10 billion debt funding package led by ‌global private equity

firm Blackstone and Coatue Management, a ​New York-based

technology investor.

Firmus said the funding would ‍be used to build the ⁠next

phase of ⁠its Project Southgate, the company's initiative to

develop AI ‌training and inference infrastructure, ​which includes

data centres, across Australia.

The initiative, done in collaboration with CDC ⁠Data Centres

and U.S. ‍chip ​giant Nvidia ( NVDA ) is expected to reach a

capacity of up to 1.6 gigawatts over ‍the next three years.

"The picks and shovels powering the AI revolution are one of

our highest conviction investment themes, and we are excited to

finance Firmus' continued ​growth," ‍said John Watson, a senior

managing director in Blackstone's Tactical Opportunities Group.

"AI ​is driving one of the most significant infrastructure

build-outs in decades, and we believe Australia can play a

central role in that transformation."

Firmus raised A$830 million ($582.41 million) in two

separate equity placements ​last year that were backed by Nvidia ( NVDA )

and Australian investor Ellerston Capital, Reuters reported.

($1 = 1.4251 Australian dollars)