By Yantoultra Ngui and Kane Wu

SINGAPORE/HONG KONG, Nov 6 (Reuters) - KKR & Co ( KKR )

and Singapore Telecommunications are in advanced talks

to buy more than 80% of ST Telemedia Global Data Centres - which

would give them full ownership - for over S$5 billion ($3.9

billion), two people with direct knowledge of the plans said.

KKR currently owns about 14% of the firm while Singtel has a

stake of more than 4%. The rest of the company is held by ST

Telemedia, which is wholly owned by Singapore state investor

Temasek Holdings.

KKR and ST Telemedia Global Data Centres declined to

comment. ST Telemedia and Singtel did not immediately respond to

Reuters queries.

If successful, the deal would rank among Asia's biggest data

centre transactions, with the boom in artificial intelligence

creating soaring demand for digital infrastructure.

The sources declined to be identified as the matter is

private.