Oct 24 (Reuters) - Asset manager HMC Capital ( HMCLF )

will acquire Global Switch Australia in A$1.94 billion ($1.29

billion) deal, the Australian firm said on Thursday, as the

company looks to tap into the booming data centre sector.

The firm, founded and backed by banker-turned-investor David

Di Pilla, will raise A$300 million at A$8.75 per share to fund

the acquisition.

HMC Capital's ( HMCLF ) takeover comes as a Blackstone-led

consortium recently acquired larger data centre group AirTrunk

for over A$24 billion.

In recent years, HMC Capital ( HMCLF ) has been involved in

several high-profile deals, including the reverse listing of

pharmacy giant Chemist Warehouse via Sigma Healthcare ( SIGGF ) ,

in which it holds a stake

The global surge in demand for data centres, driven by

the rise of artificial intelligence, has prompted HMC to expand

into infrastructure-style investments.

Last year, the alternative asset manager acquired

US-based digital infrastructure asset manager StratCap, and has

said it is exploring a data centre REIT.

Global Switch Australia owns two large-scale developments in

inner Sydney, which HMC will acquire from Global DigiCo

Platform.

($1 = 1.5072 Australian dollars)

(Reporting by Rishav Chatterjee in Bengaluru; Editing by Sriraj

Kalluvila)