Sept 10 (Reuters) - Australian data centre operator

NEXTDC ( NXDCF ) said on Tuesday it was looking to raise a total

of A$750 million ($500.33 million) to expand its data centre

pipeline in Asia, tapping further into the global artificial

intelligence frenzy.

"NEXTDC ( NXDCF ) continues to see opportunity in the growing cloud

and AI-led demand for digital infrastructure throughout its core

Asian markets, which it believes creates strong tailwinds for

NEXTDC ( NXDCF )", the firm said in a statement.

NEXTDC ( NXDCF ) said the capital raising will be done through a

placement of A$550 million and a share purchase plan capped at

A$200 million, with the placement priced at A$17.15 per share.

The price represents a discount of 3.9% to Tuesday's close.

Countries and companies are showing growing interest and

demand for data centres across the Asia Pacific as the AI boom

fuels demand for digital infrastructure.

In a similar move earlier this month, Blackstone

announced its largest investment in the Asia-Pacific region in

an A$24 billion deal to buy Australian data centre group

AirTrunk.

The data centre operator also revised upwards its capital

expenditure guidance for fiscal 2025 to a range of A$1.3 billion

to A$1.5 billion on Tuesday, from the previous forecast of A$900

million to A$1.1 billion.

($1 = 1.4990 Australian dollars)